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The institution of marriage is intimately related to kinship
in the Hebrew Bible. There are indications that marriage was thought of as an
extension of kinship through an informal or written covenant or agreement.
Language that is used in connection with the covenant, such as
"love" and "hate" (for the latter, see Deuteronomy
24.3 [NRSV
"dislike"]; Judges
15.2 [NRSV
"reject"]), is also used of the marriage relationship and its
dissolution. From at least the eighth century bce onward, the covenantal
relationship between Yahweh and Israel is likened to a covenanted marriage;
this analogous usage begins in Hosea
1–3 and continues in
later materials (e.g., Jeremiah
3.1–5). By analyzing the
analogy we can deduce some of the ideals concerning marriage in ancient
Israel, at least for those who produced the texts. Two characteristics may be
noted. First, the relationship was monogamous. Israel had only one God, and
God had chosen Israel over all other peoples. Second, mutual fidelity was
expected. Adultery was accepted as grounds for dissolving the relationship
(See Divorce).
Hosea implies that the relationship should be one of mutual love, respect, and
fidelity (Hosea 2.19–20),
and that the wife would call her husband "my man" and not "my
master (Hebr. ba>al)"
(Hosea 2.16).
As in the Hebrew Bible, the marriage relationship is used in
the New Testament to describe the bond between the community and God, in this
case expressed as the church and Christ ( Ephesians
5.21–33; cf. Revelation
21.2).
Robert Fuller Oxford
Companion
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