For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife;
For this cause a man leaves his father and mother and joins himself to his wife in a new and exclusive bond that God joins and none may sunder, to complement one another and share life as one in perpetual covenant with God. It is the union of one man and one woman as one flesh, equal yet differing and united in their offspring, so that monogamy alone is lawful and two as one excludes three or four. Marriage was thus instituted at creation before the fall for mankind in the broadest sense, and it remains a sacred institution parallel to the Sabbath, both made for man and both called honorable. Jesus thereby puts marriage back on its original foundation from the beginning as the rule, rather than the allowance for divorce associated with Moses, presenting it as a lifelong indissoluble union never to be ended at whim. In God's sight divorce is therefore permitted only for fornication, and the seventh commandment guards the purity and sanctity of this beginning ordinance, so that violating the vow is adultery and polygamy is unlawful sexual connection in violation of the Decalogue.
Creation Institution and Meaning
Marriage was instituted at creation before the fall for humanity, and it remains a sacred institution that has not been abolished or changed. Its sanctity does not come from the Decalogue and does not depend on it, though the seventh commandment guards its purity and sanctity. Violations of marriage by some of the patriarchs did not make the institution itself less sacred and do not diminish its sacredness.
The word man means mankind in the broadest sense, embracing the first man, the last man, and every man of every age, as when it is said that the Sabbath was made for man and that a man might gain the world and lose his soul. To limit man to the Jews in the Sabbath saying would require limiting it in the marriage saying, which would prohibit marriage to any but Jews, so marriage belongs to the whole human race and not to the Jews only. Marriage and the Sabbath are parallel institutions, both made before the fall for man, and both are called honorable.
The verse means a man leaves his parents and joins himself to his wife in a new, exclusive bond that God joins and no one else may sunder. Each is meant to complement the other and share life as one. The marriage bond is holy and sacred, a perpetual covenant between the man, his wife, and God, whose vows signify its righteousness and divine approval, so that violating the vow is adultery and sin.
It teaches the union of one man and one woman as one flesh, the two parts equal but differing and united not only in their own life but in that of their offspring. The seventh commandment guarding the purity of marriage carries back to the beginning when God created one wife for man and one only, and union of two persons as one excludes union of three or four, so that monogamy alone is lawful and polygamy is excluded. Polygamy is therefore unlawful sexual connection and adultery, a violation of the Decalogue and a sin and an evil, as all Bible history proves it evil. This exclusive, indissoluble union of one man to one woman is the pure form of marriage preserved by Noah and his sons in contrast with polygamy.
Jesus thereby puts marriage back on its original foundation from the beginning and appeals to that original design as the rule for marriage. The allowance for divorce associated with Moses is not treated as the original plan, and the following words make clear that husband and wife are joined as one flesh and that no one should separate them.
Permanence Purity and Obligation
Marriage is a lifelong, indissoluble union in which a man and wife are joined never to be separated, not a temporary contract to be ended at either spouse's whim. It joins one man to one woman in a sacred bond preserved in its pure form by Noah and his sons in contrast with polygamy, uniting them not only in their own life but in that of their offspring as one flesh with the two parts equal but differing. Divorce and remarriage are acceptable only on Scriptural grounds, for in God's sight and in the light of the primal law no one should divorce except for fornication.
This teaching was addressed to the individual soul, not given to change any Jewish or civil statute, and the one who heeds it does not violate civil law, since men cannot be converted or saved through civil law. It belongs to the New Testament law respecting divorce, which sets a strict standard condemning easy divorce. On this point Roman Catholic doctrine and practice stands much closer to the New Testament standard than Protestant doctrine and practice, to the shame of the Protestant churches, which are now making earnest effort to come nearer, yet efforts at reform should aim to bring practice to the New Testament standard, not merely nearer to the Roman Catholic standard.
Ordinary disagreements, irritations, and differences of preference do not justify breaking the bond in which a man leaves his parents and joins himself to his wife. Husband and wife should respect one another, honor each other's conscience, and be willing to yield in matters that do not compromise conscience or seriously harm the family. The seventh commandment guards the purity and sanctity of marriage and carries back to the beginning when God created one wife for man and one only, meaning marriage is the union of two persons as one flesh, not three or four, so that monogamy alone is lawful. Violating the marriage vow is adultery and sin, and polygamy is unlawful sexual connection and adultery, a violation of the Decalogue and a sin and an evil, as all Bible history proves evil.
The marriage bond is holy and sacred, a perpetual covenant between the man, his wife, and God whose vows signify its righteousness and divine approval. Its sanctity was established before the fall and does not come from or depend on the Decalogue that later guards it, and violations of marriage by some patriarchs do not make the institution itself less sacred or diminish its sacredness. Loose ideas of marriage and putting away a wife for any cause came from departing from God and forgetting His law, which was suffered because of past blindness, but in the increased light of Christ men must come back to first principles of lifelong union.
The histories of Abraham, Jacob, David, and Solomon stand as living types and chart lessons of the original law of exclusive union for the admonition of those on whom the ends of the world are come. Any union not made holy by true unselfish love God has not joined together and is profane spiritual adultery. Plural marriage brings sorrow, division, jealousy, enmity, and ruin of manhood and home, while one whole-hearted loyal love is worth more than a kingdom and is a seal upon heart and arm that jealousy cannot move and that many waters and floods cannot quench or drown.
For this cause a man leaves his father and mother and joins himself to his wife in a new and exclusive bond that God joins and none may sunder, to complement one another and share life as one in perpetual covenant with God. It is the union of one man and one woman as one flesh, equal yet differing and united in their offspring, so that monogamy alone is lawful and two as one excludes three or four. Marriage was thus instituted at creation before the fall for mankind in the broadest sense, and it remains a sacred institution parallel to the Sabbath, both made for man and both called honorable. Jesus thereby puts marriage back on its original foundation from the beginning as the rule, rather than the allowance for divorce associated with Moses, presenting it as a lifelong indissoluble union never to be ended at whim. In God's sight divorce is therefore permitted only for fornication, and the seventh commandment guards the purity and sanctity of this beginning ordinance, so that violating the vow is adultery and polygamy is unlawful sexual connection in violation of the Decalogue.
Creation Institution and Meaning
Marriage was instituted at creation before the fall for humanity, and it remains a sacred institution that has not been abolished or changed. Its sanctity does not come from the Decalogue and does not depend on it, though the seventh commandment guards its purity and sanctity. Violations of marriage by some of the patriarchs did not make the institution itself less sacred and do not diminish its sacredness.
The word man means mankind in the broadest sense, embracing the first man, the last man, and every man of every age, as when it is said that the Sabbath was made for man and that a man might gain the world and lose his soul. To limit man to the Jews in the Sabbath saying would require limiting it in the marriage saying, which would prohibit marriage to any but Jews, so marriage belongs to the whole human race and not to the Jews only. Marriage and the Sabbath are parallel institutions, both made before the fall for man, and both are called honorable.
The verse means a man leaves his parents and joins himself to his wife in a new, exclusive bond that God joins and no one else may sunder. Each is meant to complement the other and share life as one. The marriage bond is holy and sacred, a perpetual covenant between the man, his wife, and God, whose vows signify its righteousness and divine approval, so that violating the vow is adultery and sin.
It teaches the union of one man and one woman as one flesh, the two parts equal but differing and united not only in their own life but in that of their offspring. The seventh commandment guarding the purity of marriage carries back to the beginning when God created one wife for man and one only, and union of two persons as one excludes union of three or four, so that monogamy alone is lawful and polygamy is excluded. Polygamy is therefore unlawful sexual connection and adultery, a violation of the Decalogue and a sin and an evil, as all Bible history proves it evil. This exclusive, indissoluble union of one man to one woman is the pure form of marriage preserved by Noah and his sons in contrast with polygamy.
Jesus thereby puts marriage back on its original foundation from the beginning and appeals to that original design as the rule for marriage. The allowance for divorce associated with Moses is not treated as the original plan, and the following words make clear that husband and wife are joined as one flesh and that no one should separate them.
Permanence Purity and Obligation
Marriage is a lifelong, indissoluble union in which a man and wife are joined never to be separated, not a temporary contract to be ended at either spouse's whim. It joins one man to one woman in a sacred bond preserved in its pure form by Noah and his sons in contrast with polygamy, uniting them not only in their own life but in that of their offspring as one flesh with the two parts equal but differing. Divorce and remarriage are acceptable only on Scriptural grounds, for in God's sight and in the light of the primal law no one should divorce except for fornication.
This teaching was addressed to the individual soul, not given to change any Jewish or civil statute, and the one who heeds it does not violate civil law, since men cannot be converted or saved through civil law. It belongs to the New Testament law respecting divorce, which sets a strict standard condemning easy divorce. On this point Roman Catholic doctrine and practice stands much closer to the New Testament standard than Protestant doctrine and practice, to the shame of the Protestant churches, which are now making earnest effort to come nearer, yet efforts at reform should aim to bring practice to the New Testament standard, not merely nearer to the Roman Catholic standard.
Ordinary disagreements, irritations, and differences of preference do not justify breaking the bond in which a man leaves his parents and joins himself to his wife. Husband and wife should respect one another, honor each other's conscience, and be willing to yield in matters that do not compromise conscience or seriously harm the family. The seventh commandment guards the purity and sanctity of marriage and carries back to the beginning when God created one wife for man and one only, meaning marriage is the union of two persons as one flesh, not three or four, so that monogamy alone is lawful. Violating the marriage vow is adultery and sin, and polygamy is unlawful sexual connection and adultery, a violation of the Decalogue and a sin and an evil, as all Bible history proves evil.
The marriage bond is holy and sacred, a perpetual covenant between the man, his wife, and God whose vows signify its righteousness and divine approval. Its sanctity was established before the fall and does not come from or depend on the Decalogue that later guards it, and violations of marriage by some patriarchs do not make the institution itself less sacred or diminish its sacredness. Loose ideas of marriage and putting away a wife for any cause came from departing from God and forgetting His law, which was suffered because of past blindness, but in the increased light of Christ men must come back to first principles of lifelong union.
The histories of Abraham, Jacob, David, and Solomon stand as living types and chart lessons of the original law of exclusive union for the admonition of those on whom the ends of the world are come. Any union not made holy by true unselfish love God has not joined together and is profane spiritual adultery. Plural marriage brings sorrow, division, jealousy, enmity, and ruin of manhood and home, while one whole-hearted loyal love is worth more than a kingdom and is a seal upon heart and arm that jealousy cannot move and that many waters and floods cannot quench or drown.