The Marriage Partnership

The Marriage Partnership

The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.”

Genesis 2:23

The word woman presents an amazing and lovely picture of the institution of marriage. Everything the husband has also belongs to his wife. Not only do they share their assets, but also their children, income, food, drink, bed, and home. Besides that, they are to be one in mind and spirit. The only difference between a husband and wife is in their anatomy. Otherwise, they are the same. Because of this, whatever the husband has or owns also belongs to his wife.

Compared to the very first marriage, our marriages today are only pathetic copies of the original design. If a married woman is honorable, moral, devout, and God-fearing, she and her husband will equally share the cares, duties, and responsibilities of their household. This is why she was created and why she is called “woman.”

Even though a wife today doesn’t come from her husband’s flesh and bone as Eve did, she is still a head of the household the same as her husband because she is the wife. This doesn’t invalidate the law, given after the fall into sin, which places the wife under the authority of her husband. This punishment, like the others, clouds the glorious life humans enjoyed in Paradise. This passage reminds us that Moses wasn’t describing the miserable life of married people today, but the innocence humans enjoyed in Paradise. Back then, the authority of the husband and wife was equal. Now, men are obligated to work by the sweat of their brows, and wives are commanded to place themselves under their husbands’ authority. Nevertheless, we still see a remnant of the original design in marriage because the wife is called “woman” and because she owns property and possessions jointly with her husband.