~ A place to find answers to gnawing spiritual questions ~
Question: Why do the two become "one flesh" in the Bible? What makes them one besides the marriage?Answer: It is true that the verse, "For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh" is in itself inconclusive. One could naturally ask, "Joined in what way?" (Ephesians 5:31 quotes Genesis 2:24, but that passage uses the word, "cleave" instead of "joined". However, the two words are the same in meaning.) Matthew 19:5-6 gives us a clue, that the process of joining together a husband and wife, is a work of God. We would conclude from this that a marriage is a covenant between the husband, the wife, and God.
The understanding that prevailed in Bible days is that it is the sexual union of husband and wife that fully consummates the marriage. If we accept this explanation, then 1 Corinthians 6:16 makes perfect sense, "What, know ye not that he which is joined to a harlot is one body? For two, saith He, shall be one flesh."
