Jesus’ Explanation of 1Mos 2:24 and Current Tendencies of Interpretation

Abstract

This short lecture will explore how Genesis 
2:24 (“Therefore a man leaves his father and 
his mother and clings to his wife, and they 
become one flesh.”) has received non-traditional 
interpretation in Genesis commentaries over the 
last hundred years. Jesus referred to this text as 
the basis for marriage (Mk 10:7, 8; Mt 19:5), 
as traditional theological thought has viewed 
it the same way. According to contemporary 
commentaries on Genesis, however, Genesis 
2:24 is not “The Magna Carta” of the institution 
of marriage but a passage about the elemental 
attraction of man and woman to each other, 
which is the result of their creation. This 
presentation will try to reveal the background 
of this new exegetical perspective.