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Library / Commentaries and Disputations on Genesis, Volume I

Book Four — the creation of the first human beings

Wherefore a man shall leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they shall be two in one flesh. CHAPTER 2, VERSE 24

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Wherefore a man shall leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they shall be two in one flesh. CHAPTER 2, VERSE 24.1

Quamobrem relinquet homo patrem suum & matrem, & adhaerebit vxori suae: & erunt duo in carne vna. CAP. 2. VERS. 24.

QVO referri debeat illud Quamobrem, siue vt est apud Matt. cap. 19. Propter hoc, ex hac quidem narratione Mosis non facilè est dispicere. Quidam ita iungút cum superioribus: Quia mulier adeo coniuncta est viro, vt sit os de ossibus eius & caro de carne eius, & de viro sumpta, propter hanc mulieris tantam cum viro naturae coniunctionem derelinquet homo patrem & matrem suam, & adhaerebit vxori suae, id est, magis sociari debet cum vxore quàm cum parentibus. At secundùm hanc interpretationem, verba hęc ad solum primorum hominum coniugium pertinerent, in quo scilicet tantummodo mulier ex viro sumpta est, cùm tamen Dominus Matth. 19. ad omne coniugium ea verba referat. Ve-[runtamen...]
To what that “Wherefore” ought to be referred — or, as it is in Matthew chapter 19, “For this” — from this narration of Moses is not easy to discern. Some join it thus with what precedes: Because the woman is so joined to the man, that she is bone of his bones and flesh of his flesh, and taken from the man, on account of this so great a conjunction of the woman's nature with the man, a man shall leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave to his wife — that is, he ought to be more associated with his wife than with his parents. But according to this interpretation, these words would pertain only to the marriage of the first humans, in which alone the woman was taken from the man, whereas the Lord, in Matthew 19, refers these words to every marriage. But [...] [continues]2
[...Ve]runtamen, quorsum spectet illa particula Quamobrem, seu propter hoc, liquidius cernitur ex huius loci interpretatione quae à Domino nostro tradita est, & cómemoratur à Matthaeo c. 19. Cùm enim Dominus praemisisset Deum ab initio fecisse masculú & foeminá: Et quidé foeminá Deus fecit ex masculo, eosq́; inter se coniunxit & benedixit illis dicés, Crescite & multiplicamini, ex his rectè infertur: Propter hoc dimittet homo patré & matrem, & adhaerebit vxori suae. Huius enim illa-[tionis...]
[...But] nevertheless, to what that particle “Wherefore,” or “for this,” looks, is more clearly discerned from the interpretation of this place which was delivered by our Lord, and is recorded by Matthew chapter 19. For when the Lord had premised that God from the beginning made male and female — and indeed God made the female from the male, and joined them together between themselves, and blessed them, saying, Increase and multiply — from these it is rightly inferred: For this a man shall leave his father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife. For of this infer[ence...] [continues]3
[...Huius enim illa]tionis & cóclusionis haec est sententia & vis. Necessitudinem & coniunctionem mariti & vxoris esse omnium maximam, satis declarauit Deus, cùm primos homines fecit marem & foeminam, & foeminam quidem ex mare, eósque arctissimo vinculo inter se constrinxit, tum ad intimá societatem, tum ad prolis generationem. Quare huic tátae coniunctioni etiam necessitudo parentum meritò posthabenda est. ATQVE hoc Rupertus eo probat argumento, quòd vt quis Deo seruiat, votis se monasticis obstringens, potest non modò licitè sed etiam laudabiliter parentes vel inuitos deserere, at vxorem consen-[tire...]
[...For of this infer]ence and conclusion this is the meaning and force: that the bond and conjunction of husband and wife is the greatest of all, God sufficiently declared, when He made the first humans male and female — and the female, indeed, from the male — and bound them together by the closest bond, both for intimate society and for the generation of offspring. Wherefore to this so great a conjunction even the bond of parents is deservedly to be set after. And this Rupert proves by this argument: that, in order to serve God by binding himself with monastic vows, one can not only licitly but even laudably forsake one's parents, even unwilling, but a wife who consen[ts...] [continues]4

[...but a wife who con]sents not to him, he can in no way forsake. Thus Rupert writes, in chapter 38 of the third book On the Trinity and its works: “This is held for a law, that it is permitted for a man to leave father and mother when a fitting cause demands it; but to leave a wife, unless willing, neither human nor divine law grants to anyone, except for the sole cause (as was said above) of fornication. Hence, when the law of Deuteronomy 33 says of the tribe of Levi — which said to his father and his mother, ‘I know you not,’ and to his brothers, ‘I am ignorant of them,’ and they knew not their own sons — ‘these kept Thy word, and guarded Thy covenant’: when, I say, the holy and just law says this, it is to be noted that it passes over the wife alone, because, namely, it is permitted to one who desires to keep the word and covenant of God to disregard father and mother, brothers and sons, and to leave them even protesting and unwilling; but the wife alone is she who, unless willing and embracing the same purpose, may not lawfully be dismissed. Therefore when it says, ‘Wherefore a man shall leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave to his wife, and they shall be two in one flesh,’ it pronounces the bond of marriage to be the greatest and strongest of all carnal bonds — so much so that, once joined, they are now not two, but one flesh.” Thus Rupert.5

[...at vxorem consen]tire ei nolentem nullo modo potest derelinquere. Sic autem scribit Rupertus, in cap. 38. libri tertij de Trinitate & eius operibus: Hoc pro lege habetur, vt patrem & matrem homini relinquere liceat poscente causa idonea: vxorem autem nemini nisi volentem relinquere, nec humana concedit lex nec diuina, nisi pro sola (vt superiùs dictum est) fornicationis causa. Proinde cum dicit lex Deuteronomij 33. de tribu Leui, quae dixit Patri suo & matri suae, Nescio vos, & fratribus suis, Ignoro illos, & nescierunt filios suos, hi custodierunt eloquium tuum, & pactum tuum seruauerunt: cùm, inquam, haec dicit lex sancta & iusta, notandum est quod solam vxorem praeterit, quia videlicet patrem & matrem, fratres & filios, nescire licet ei qui custodire eloquium & pactum Dei cupit, eósq́; vel reclamátes & inuitos relinquere; sola autem vxor est, quam nisi volentem & idem propositum amplectentem, dimitti fas non est. Ergo dum dicit, Quamobrem relinquet homo patrem & matrem, & adhaerebit vxori sua, & erunt duo in carne vna, coniugij copulam omnium carnalium necessitudinum maximá atque fortissimam fore pronuntiat; adeò vt semel copulati iam non sint duo, sed vna caro. Sic Rupertus.

OBSERVANDVM autem est haec verba, Quamobrem relinquet homo patrem, &c. posse accipi vel vt ab Adamo pronuntiata, vel vt à Mose adiuncta suae narrationi. Sed quia siue ab Adamo dicta sint, siue à Mose scripta, Dei tamen afflatu inspiratuque edita sunt: propterea Dominus in Euangelio ea verba vt à Deo dicta commemorat. Augustinus & Hugo de sancto Victore in suis Annotationibus super Genesim, & Caietanus super 19. caput Matthaei interpretantur, Deum illis verbis, Propter hoc relinquet homo patrem & matrem, interdixisse coniugia inter parentes & filios, cùm caetera coniugia non sint ita vetita: nam in exordio mundi propter hominum paucitatem, inter fratres & sorores licitè matrimonia contracta esse constat. Atque huic expositioni quidem suffragari putant etiam Scripturam Chal-[daicam...]
But it must be observed that these words, “Wherefore a man shall leave his father,” etc., can be taken either as pronounced by Adam, or as added by Moses to his narration. But since, whether spoken by Adam or written by Moses, they were nevertheless brought forth by the breathing and inspiration of God, therefore the Lord in the Gospel records those words as spoken by God. Augustine and Hugh of St. Victor, in their Annotations on Genesis, and Cajetan on the 19th chapter of Matthew, interpret that by those words, “For this a man shall leave father and mother,” God forbade marriages between parents and children, since other marriages are not so forbidden: for at the beginning of the world, on account of the fewness of men, it is agreed that marriages between brothers and sisters were licitly contracted. And to this exposition they think the Chal[dee] Scripture also gives support [...] [continues]6
[...suffragari putant etiam Scripturam Chaldaicam, quae sic habet hoc loco: Propter hoc relinquet homo lectum patris sui & matris suae; sed fortasse ea locutione significatur, quondam solitos filios in parentum cubiculis aut etiam cubilibus cubare, quoad scilicet emanciparentur, & patris tutela potestatéque dimissi, fierent ipsi ducta vxore patresfamilias: tunc enim à consuetudine & conuictu parentum separabantur, ita vt nouam domum & familiam instituerent; quem ad morem pertinet illud quod Dominus dixit apud] Lucam c. 11. de pueris in cubili cum patre quiescétibus. Verùm simplicior & planior horum verborum interpretatio est, hisce verbis significati maiorem & magis indissolubilem esse debere coniunctionem viri cum vxore sua, quàm cum propriis parentibus. Pro illo, Adhaerebit vxori suae, Septuaginta verterút, Agglutinabitur vxori suae. Chaldaicè ad verbum est, Haerebit in vxore sua.
[...they think the Chaldee Scripture also gives support, which has thus in this place: “For this a man shall leave the bed of his father and of his mother”; but perhaps by that expression it is signified that sons were once accustomed to lie in their parents' chambers, or even beds, until, namely, they were emancipated, and, dismissed from the father's guardianship and power, became, having taken a wife, fathers of families themselves: for then they were separated from the custom and living-together of their parents, so as to establish a new house and family — to which custom pertains that which the Lord said in] Luke chapter 11, about the children resting in bed with their father. But a simpler and plainer interpretation of these words is, that by these words is signified that the conjunction of a man with his wife ought to be greater and more indissoluble than with his own parents. For that, “He shall cleave to his wife,” the Seventy rendered, “He shall be glued to his wife.” In Chaldee, word for word, it is, “He shall stick fast in his wife.”7

Translator’s notes

  1. Lemma (Gen 2:24), the institution of marriage. ↩
  2. Decorated initial 'Q.' To what 'Wherefore' (Matt 19 'for this') refers is unclear. One reading: because of the woman's bodily union with the man (taken from him), the man leaves his parents and cleaves to his wife (loving wife above parents). But that would limit it to the first marriage, whereas Christ (Matt 19:5) applies it to all marriage. ↩
  3. The clearer sense (from Christ's exposition, Matt 19:4-5): since God made male and female, made the female from the male, joined and blessed them ('Increase and multiply'), it follows — 'For this a man shall leave father and mother and cleave to his wife.' Page breaks at catchword 'tionis' (illationis). RESUME PDF 531 with '...Huius enim illa[tionis]...'. ↩
  4. The force of Christ's inference (Matt 19): the husband–wife bond is the greatest, instituted by God; the parental bond yields to it. Rupert's argument: for God's service one may even laudably leave unwilling parents, but not an unwilling wife. ↩
  5. Rupert of Deutz block-quote (de Trinitate III.38): one may leave parents for cause, but not a wife (except for fornication). Deut 33:9 (Levi disowning kin for God's covenant) pointedly omits the wife — she alone cannot be left unless willing. So Gen 2:24 makes marriage the strongest carnal bond ('no longer two, but one flesh'). ↩
  6. Gen 2:24's words, whether Adam's or Moses', are God-inspired (so Christ cites them as God's, Matt 19). Augustine, Hugh of St Victor, and Cajetan: the words forbid parent–child marriage specifically (sibling marriage being licit at the start, when men were few). Page breaks mid-sentence (the Targum's support). Catchword 'Lucam.' ↩
  7. The Targum reads 'leave the bed of his father and mother' — perhaps alluding to grown sons leaving the parental household to found their own (cf. Luke 11:7). But the plainer sense: the marital bond exceeds the parental. 'Cleave': LXX 'be glued'; Targum 'stick fast in.' ↩