Meaning
Wife The ordinance of marriage was sanctioned in Paradise (Gen 2:24; Matt 19:4-6). Monogamy was the original law under which man lived, but polygamy early commenced (Gen 4:19), and continued to prevail all down through Jewish history. The law of Moses regulated but did not prohibit polygamy. A man might have a plurality of wives, but a wife could have only one husband. A wife's legal rights (Ex 21:10) and her duties (Prov 31:10-31; 1Tim 5:14) are specified. She could be divorced in special cases (Deut 22:13-21), but could not divorce her husband. Divorce was restricted by our Lord to the single case of adultery (Matt 19:3-9). The duties of husbands and wives in their relations to each other are distinctly set forth in the New Testament (1Cor 7:2-5; Eph 5:22-33; Col 3:18, 19; 1Pet 3:1-7).
