and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’?
Parallel translations
- WEB and said, ‘For this cause a man shall leave his father and mother, and shall join to his wife; and the two shall become one flesh?’
- KJV And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?
- BSB and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’?
- NKJV and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’ ?
- NLT And he said, “‘This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.’
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Jesus quotes Genesis, that a man leaves his parents, joins his wife, and the two become one flesh. Marriage is a God-ordained, exclusive, one-flesh union.
Overview
Citing Genesis 2:24, Jesus shows that marriage forms a new, permanent bond in which two persons become one flesh. This union, established by God, is meant to be lifelong and exclusive. Scripture later sees in this one-flesh covenant a picture of Christ and his church (Ephesians 5:31-32).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 16
- Gen 2:21–24Yahweh God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep. As the man slept, he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place.
- 1 Cor 7:4The wife doesn’t have authority over her own body, but the husband. Likewise also the husband doesn’t have authority over his own body, but the wife.
- 1 Cor 7:2But, because of sexual immoralities, let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband.
- Eph 5:31“For this cause a man will leave his father and mother, and will be joined to his wife. The two will become one flesh.”
- Mark 10:5–9But Jesus said to them, “For your hardness of heart, he wrote you this commandment.
- 1 Cor 6:16Or don’t you know that he who is joined to a prostitute is one body? For, “The two”, he says, “will become one flesh.”
- Ps 63:8My soul stays close to you. Your right hand holds me up.
- Rom 12:9Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor that which is evil. Cling to that which is good.
- 1 Sam 18:1When he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.
- 2 Sam 1:26I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan. You have been very pleasant to me. Your love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women.
- Ps 45:10Listen, daughter, consider, and turn your ear. Forget your own people, and also your father’s house.
- 1 Kgs 11:2of the nations concerning which Yahweh said to the children of Israel, “You shall not go among them, neither shall they come among you; for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods.” Solomon joined to these in love.
- Deut 4:4But you who were faithful to Yahweh your God are all alive today.
- Deut 10:20You shall fear Yahweh your God; you shall serve him; and you shall cling to him, and you shall swear by his name.
- Deut 11:22For if you shall diligently keep all these commandments which I command you, to do them, to love Yahweh your God, to walk in all his ways, and to cling to him;
- Gen 34:3His soul joined to Dinah, the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the young lady, and spoke kindly to the young lady.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Matthew presents Jesus as the promised King — son of David, son of Abraham — the new Moses and true Israel in whom every prophecy reaches 'that it might be fulfilled.'
How Matthew 19:5 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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