The Marriage Covenant in the Bible: God’s Design for Unity

God did not intend for man and woman to live together as a loose relationship between partners. Rather, there is a marriage covenant in the Bible.

God established this covenant for the purpose of uniting one man and one woman so that they could rule together.

Foundations of the Biblical marriage covenant

When God created Adam, placed him in the Garden of Eden and gave him a wife, He concluded:

Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. (Genesis 2:24, KJV)

When a man and a woman enter into the bond of marriage, they leave their old lives behind. Gone is the time when they had to take care of themselves. They are now firmly committed to each other.

If we look at the Hebrew word for “flesh,” we find a peculiarity that helps us understand the meaning of marriage even more deeply. For the word בָּשָׂר (basar) is translated in other places not as flesh, but as good news or good tidings.

Then said Ahimaaz the son of Zadok, Let me now run, and bear the king tidings, how that the LORD hath avenged him of his enemies. (1 Samuel 18:19; KJV — bolded by the author)

We can therefore conclude that God’s purpose in the marriage covenant is to make His gospel of the salvation of mankind visible through the unity of man and woman.

God’s marriage covenant with His people

In fact, God repeatedly compares His relationship with Israel to a marriage. Let’s look at two examples.

Through the prophet Jeremiah, the Almighty proclaims that He is Israel’s spouse.

Turn, O backsliding children, saith the LORD; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion: …(Jeremiah 3:14; KJV — bolded by the author)

In the book of Hosea, we read how the Almighty wants to betroth Himself with His people.

And I will betroth thee unto me for ever; yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in lovingkindness, and in mercies. I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness: and thou shalt know the LORD. (Hosea 2:20–21, KJV)

From these examples, we can conclude that the covenant relationship between God and Israel is a model for the covenant of marriage between two human beings. But what are the components of such a covenant?

They are the following:

• The terms of the covenant (the marriage contract, also called a ketubah).
• A sacrifice.
• A covenant meal.
• A sign of the covenant.

Let’s take a look at how God included these components in His covenant with Israel and their significance.

The terms of the covenant

This point is quite simple. The commandments of God, as recorded in the Torah, are the covenant terms of the marriage between God and His people. The Almighty is the husband and Israel is the bride. Traditionally, the groom makes the marriage proposal and draws up the ketubah, with the bride merely agreeing to its contents.

In the case of the Divine Covenant between Israel and the Creator, this is what happened. The Almighty proclaimed His commandments at Sinai, and Israel agreed to the terms.

And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the LORD hath said will we do, and be obedient. (Exodus 24:7; KJV)

Basically, the ketubah regulates how the two individuals will live together as a unit in the future. This means that it lays down basic house rules, regulates economic relationships, but also formulates a common vision.

There are no hard and fast rules about what must be included in a ketubah. In the end, it just makes sense for us to agree on basic rules of conduct in our marriages and put them down in writing. Then they won’t be so easily forgotten.

I wrote a ketubah for my wife, and it has been hanging in a prominent place in our house ever since. If one of us forgets the words it contains (she has the better memory of the two of us), we can always look them up and reorganize our marriage conditions.

The sacrifice

A traditional Hebrew wedding in ancient times always included a sacrifice. God also had sacrifices offered when He made His covenant at Sinai.

And he sent young men of the children of Israel, which offered burnt offerings, and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen unto the LORD. (Exodus 24:5, KJV)

Even though it was not a marriage covenant, it was customary to bring a sacrifice when making a covenant. The animals were cut in half and the two halves placed opposite each other (Genesis 16:9–10). A passage was made between them for the two parties to pass through.

Symbolically, this act represented that the old life of both partners was over as a result of the covenant. The old (single) person was now dead. The identity as spouses would create a completely different person.

At the same time, breaking the covenant was often punished by death. This was also indicated by sacrifice.

Although we rarely offer animals at weddings today, the symbolism makes it clear that marriage fundamentally changes our lives and that the old person who lived only for himself or herself has died.

The covenant meal

The marriage covenant in the Bible always included a wedding feast. The feast often lasted seven days.

God also gave a meal at Sinai.

And upon the nobles of the children of Israel he laid not his hand: also they saw God, and did eat and drink (Exodus 24:11, KJV).

The completion of a marriage is a joyous occasion. We should celebrate it properly.

The sign of the covenant

In our circles, the ring is the sign of marriage. This sign should remind the partners themselves that they are married. Many marriages have failed because one partner forgot this fact in the face of temptation.

On the other hand, the ring is also a sign to the outside world that no one should try to catch one of the spouses for themselves.

God also has a sign for His covenant:

Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed. (Exodus 31:16–17; SLT — bolded by the author).

Conclusion

The marriage covenant as described in the Bible is much more than a union between two people. It is a profound, divine concept based on unity, devotion, and mutual commitment.

God created marriage to mirror His own relationship with His people Israel — a sacred union with the potential to reflect God’s love and message of redemption.

By entering into the covenant of marriage, a man and a woman leave their old lives and begin a new journey together, firmly committed and eager to live and work together in unity. The biblical covenant of marriage is not only a human institution, but also a divine symbol of faithfulness, sacrifice, and enduring love.

This article was first published on Medium.com.