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I will argue that “one flesh” in Genesis 2:24 best translates as the permanent and covenantal kinship bond between a biological man and a biological woman when they enter a marriage. I will, also, argue that this phrase does not directly reference the sexual union or the conception of children within that marriage.
The key to understanding what “one flesh” means can be found in the immediate context v. 18-23 provide. God says it is not good for the man to be alone and that He will make for him a helper. After no suitable helper is found amongst the other living creatures, God put Adam into a deep sleep and took a part from his side. This part of Adam was then used to build a biological woman. Upon seeing this woman, Adam exclaimed that she was “bone of my bones” and “flesh of my flesh”.
So, what can we conclude?
1. This one flesh status is founded in the union of a man and his complementary helper (a biological woman).
2. The idiomatic expressions “bone of my bone” and “flesh of my flesh” are both used as covenantal and kinship formulas: Genesis 29:14, Judges 9:2-3, 2 Samuel 5:1, 2 Samuel 19:13-14.
3. One flesh, if interpreted using these above formulas, indicates that marriage creates a kinship bond between the man and the woman like one has with blood relatives. They become related to each other similarly as brother and sister are. Note that such bonds are always considered permanent. This aligns with the idea behind the indissolubility of marriages.
4. It, also, indicates that such marriages carry with them analogous familial commitments. These commitments have been historically conferred through contractual agreement. Such marriage vows help ensure the proper function and durability of the family unit. This may look differently depending on the culture (e.g. agrarian vs industrial), but the goal is that each member subordinates his or her individual good to the good of the whole family.
5. The incest laws in Leviticus 18 and Leviticus 20 (and possibly even Deuteronomy 24:1-4) illustrate the application of this kinship-spouse principal to the situation following divorce or death of one of the partners. Since a woman becomes in marriage a sister to her husband’s brothers, a daughter to her father-in-law, and so on, she cannot normally marry any of them should her first husband die or divorce her.
6. Since this bond is permanent it indicates that the one flesh status of these unions exists continuously throughout the life of the marriage, not just momentarily. Therefore, a momentary sexual union cannot be part of the definition of one flesh. Plus, sexual relations do not always persist throughout a marriage – due to age, injury, or anatomical dysfunction.
7. Also, this rules out procreation for being part of the definition of one flesh due to the fact that not all marriages are capable of producing children.
On a side note, this actually demonstrates how polygamy can be a legitimate expression of family. Just as someone is capable of having multiple kinship bonds with numerous extended family members (brothers, sisters, aunts, grandparents), a man is theoretically capable of having multiple “one flesh” bonds with any number of wives at the same time. For example, Jacob was one flesh with both Leah and Rachel. Plus, if the author of Genesis 2:24 was Moses, he too was a polygamist (Numbers 12:1). Surely he knew the meaning of his own words.
The translators of the New English Translation (NET) agree:
That is why a man leaves his father and mother and unites with his wife, and they become a new family.
The key to understanding what “one flesh” means can be found in the immediate context v. 18-23 provide. God says it is not good for the man to be alone and that He will make for him a helper. After no suitable helper is found amongst the other living creatures, God put Adam into a deep sleep and took a part from his side. This part of Adam was then used to build a biological woman. Upon seeing this woman, Adam exclaimed that she was “bone of my bones” and “flesh of my flesh”.
So, what can we conclude?
1. This one flesh status is founded in the union of a man and his complementary helper (a biological woman).
2. The idiomatic expressions “bone of my bone” and “flesh of my flesh” are both used as covenantal and kinship formulas: Genesis 29:14, Judges 9:2-3, 2 Samuel 5:1, 2 Samuel 19:13-14.
3. One flesh, if interpreted using these above formulas, indicates that marriage creates a kinship bond between the man and the woman like one has with blood relatives. They become related to each other similarly as brother and sister are. Note that such bonds are always considered permanent. This aligns with the idea behind the indissolubility of marriages.
4. It, also, indicates that such marriages carry with them analogous familial commitments. These commitments have been historically conferred through contractual agreement. Such marriage vows help ensure the proper function and durability of the family unit. This may look differently depending on the culture (e.g. agrarian vs industrial), but the goal is that each member subordinates his or her individual good to the good of the whole family.
5. The incest laws in Leviticus 18 and Leviticus 20 (and possibly even Deuteronomy 24:1-4) illustrate the application of this kinship-spouse principal to the situation following divorce or death of one of the partners. Since a woman becomes in marriage a sister to her husband’s brothers, a daughter to her father-in-law, and so on, she cannot normally marry any of them should her first husband die or divorce her.
6. Since this bond is permanent it indicates that the one flesh status of these unions exists continuously throughout the life of the marriage, not just momentarily. Therefore, a momentary sexual union cannot be part of the definition of one flesh. Plus, sexual relations do not always persist throughout a marriage – due to age, injury, or anatomical dysfunction.
7. Also, this rules out procreation for being part of the definition of one flesh due to the fact that not all marriages are capable of producing children.
On a side note, this actually demonstrates how polygamy can be a legitimate expression of family. Just as someone is capable of having multiple kinship bonds with numerous extended family members (brothers, sisters, aunts, grandparents), a man is theoretically capable of having multiple “one flesh” bonds with any number of wives at the same time. For example, Jacob was one flesh with both Leah and Rachel. Plus, if the author of Genesis 2:24 was Moses, he too was a polygamist (Numbers 12:1). Surely he knew the meaning of his own words.
The translators of the New English Translation (NET) agree:
That is why a man leaves his father and mother and unites with his wife, and they become a new family.