Handling Marital Infidelity: The Hosea Example

This study examined marital infidelity, an age long problem that has ruined once blissful marriages. The objective was to examine the nature, causes, consequences as well as the Biblical approach to handle infidelity. To accomplish this objective, the discursive approach using data from the Bible and contemporary studies was adopted. Findings revealed that infidelity is widespread in most parts of the world. However, the latest study on marital infidelity across countries indicates that Nigerian women are now ranked as the most unfaithful in the world. Although the results of that study is now disputed by some Nigerian scholars and commentators, this study based on the story of prophet Hosea recommends that genuine repentance on the part of the unfaithful spouse and willingness to forgive on the part of the offended spouse are the keys to the survival of a marital relationship whenever infidelity occurs.