Therefore a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife.
This saying reveals the covenantal nature of marriage. A man leaves his parental home not with contempt, but in order to take on new responsibility and form a new union. The phrase “be joined to his wife” shows the enduring and personal bond of marriage. This is not only a physical bond, but a complete joining of life in love, faithfulness, duty, and spiritual responsibility. In God’s will, marriage requires primary devotion between husband and wife, by which the new family is established as an independent covenantal union.