Marriage in the Bible Research Papers (original) (raw)

Deviation From God's Creation Ideal In the beginning, God created man and woman for each other. When God presented Eve to Adam, Adam said: ÒThis at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.Ó Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and cleaves to his wife, and they become one flesh. (Gen 2:23-24; RSV) Thus, in a perfect world, a perfect and immortal couple were joined by God in an indissoluble social and spiritual union represented by the metaphor Òone flesh.Ó GodÕs plan was eternal heterosexual monogamy between human beings. Note the aspects of this plan: (1) permanent, (2) heterosexual, (3) monogamous, and (4) between human beings. No law is stated to outline GodÕs plan. He simply created it so, knowing it was good. That the expression Òone fleshÓ is a metaphor for a social ideal rather than a literal description of a physical reality became painfully obvious once sin and death entered into the world. Once this happened, the ÒpermanentÓ aspect of GodÕs plan was affected by mortality and sin. Due to mortality, one individual, comprising 50% of the Òone fleshÓ unit, can die before the other, leaving the bereaved partner with the desire or need to marry again. Thus, ÒpermanentÓ could no longer mean Òeternal,Ó but had to be redefined as Òuntil death.Ó Furthermore, due to sin and its negative effect on human relationships, one or both marriage partners may desire to escape from their permanent bond through divorce and may seek remarriage to other partners. Sinful desires also threaten the other aspects of GodÕs plan, i.e., Òheterosexual,Ó Òmonogamous,Ó and Òbetween 1 Adultery violates an existing marriage and carries the death penalty (Lev 20:10; Deut 22:22). If premarital sex involves a betrothed woman, it is regarded as adultery, punishable by death (Deut 22:23-24), but if the woman is unbetrothed and seduced, the penalty is forced marriage (including payment of the bride price) at the discretion of the womanÕs father (Exod 22:15-16). Penalties for rape depend upon the status of the victim: death if she is betrothed (Deut 22:25-27); fifty shekels and forced marriage with no right of divorce if she is unbetrothed (Deut 22:28-29). Concealed immorality by a woman living in her fatherÕs house, evidence of which is her lack of virginity discovered at the time of her marriage, is punishable by death (Deut 22:20-21).