Bride of Christ* — Tyndale Open Bible Dictionary

One of the NT metaphors for the church. In it Christ is pictured as a husband, and the church as his bride.

Addressing the church at Corinth, the apostle Paul referred to himself as the one who gave the church to Christ, presenting her as a pure bride to her one husband (2 Cor 11:2-3). In ancient Near Eastern culture the father gave his daughter in marriage to the bridegroom, assuring him of her purity. To Paul, understanding himself as the church’s spiritual father (1 Cor 4:15), the thought of the church as his daughter sprang readily to mind. To be Christ’s pure bride requires the church to have pure and simple devotion. Like a concerned father, Paul was worried that the young bride (the church) might commit adultery by her willingness to accept “another Jesus,” “another Spirit,” or “a different gospel” (2 Cor 11:4). As between marriage partners, the relation between the church and Christ is governed by a covenant of mutual faithfulness. Disloyalty shatters the covenant.

Show passage in OET: CO2 11:2–3

OET-RV CO2 11:2

2 because I’m jealous of you all with godly jealousy as I had committed you to your future husband—a pure bride to present to the messiah.

OET-RV CO2 11:3

3 But I’m afraid that just as the crafty serpent somehow deceived Havah (Eve), your thinking might get corrupted from its sincerity and purity in the messiah.

OET-LV CO2 11:2

2 For/Because I _am _being _jealous for _you _all of_god with_the_jealousy, because/for I _joined you _all to _one husband, a_virgin pure to _present to _the chosen _one /messiah.

OET-LV CO2 11:3

3 But I _am _fearing, lest somehow as the serpent deceived Heua/(Ḩavvāh) in the craftiness of _him, it _may _be _corrupted the thinking of _you _all from the sincerity and the purity which in the chosen _one /messiah.

Show passage in OET: CO1 4:15

OET-RV CO1 4:15

15 because if you all would have thousands of guardians in Messiah, yet you wouldn’t have many ‘fathers’, because I fathered you in Messiah Yeshua (Jesus; Grk. Yesus) by means of the good message.

OET-LV CO1 4:15

15 For/Because if ten _thousand tutors you _all _may _be _having in chosen _one /messiah, but not many fathers, because/for in chosen _one /messiah Yaʸsous/(Yəhōshūˊa) through the good _message, I you _all bore.

Show passage in OET: CO2 11:4

OET-RV CO2 11:4

4 Indeed even if another Yeshua (Jesus; Grk. Yesus) came and proclaimed something different from what we proclaimed, or if you receive another spirit that you hadn’t received already, or a good message different from what you’ve already heard, you might tolerate it.

OET-LV CO2 11:4

4 If for indeed the one coming another Yaʸsous/(Yəhōshūˊa) is _proclaiming whom not we _proclaimed, or a_spirit another you _all _are _receiving which not you _all _received, or good _message another which not you _all _received, well you _all _are _tolerating.

Jump to OET CO2 11:2–3 section.

Jump to OET CO1 4:15 section.

Jump to OET CO2 11:4 section.

The OT furnished Paul a rich background for that image of the church. God’s covenant with Israel was commonly pictured as a marriage pledge, with Israel as God’s bride. Through the prophet Jeremiah, the Lord said to Israel: “I remember the devotion of your youth, your love as a bride” (Jer 2:2, rsv). He went on to lament the fact that Israel had been faithless; by going after other gods, she had actually prostituted herself and become an adulteress (Jer 3:6-9, 20 OET JER 3:6–9 · OET JER 3:20).

Show passage in OET: JER 2:2

OET-RV JER 2:2

2 to proclaim to Yerushalem’s (Jerusalem’s) ears:
⇔ “Yahweh says: I remember your loyal commitment when you were all young
⇔ ≈ and your love when you were committed to me.
⇔ You all followed after me in the wilderness where no crops were planted.

OET-LV JER 2:2

2 Go and_you _will _proclaim in_the _ears _of of _Yərūshālaim/(Jerusalem) to_say thus YHWH he _says I _remember to/for_you(fs) the _covenant _loyalty _of your _youth(s)_of_your the _love _of your(pl)_betrothal(s)_of_your walking_your after_me in_wilderness in_land not sown.

Show passage in OET: JER 3:6–9; JER 3:20

OET-RV JER 3:6

6 At the time when Yoshiyah (Josiah) was king of Yehudah (Judah), Yahweh asked me, “Do you see what faithless Yisrael (Israel) has done? She herself has walked up every high hill, and has been a prostitute underneath every green tree.

OET-RV JER 3:7

7 However I thought that after she’d done all those things, she’d return to me, but she hasn’t, and her treacherous sister, Yehudah, saw her.

OET-RV JER 3:8

8 So I saw that because of all those situations where faithless Yisrael had committed adultery, I had given her divorce notice to her and sent her away. But her sister Yehudah, acting treacherously, wasn’t worried and she went out and also prostituted herself.

OET-RV JER 3:9

9 Because she took her prostitution lightly, the nation became immoral and committed adultery with standing stones and trees.

OET-RV JER 3:20

20 However, like a woman who deals treacherously with her companion,
⇔ so too you’ve all dealt treacherously with me, you Israeli people.
§ That is Yahweh’s declaration.

OET-LV JER 3:6

6 And_ YHWH _he/it _said to_me in_the _days _of Yoʼshiy^yāh/(Josiah) the_king have_you _seen that_which the_apostate _one Yisrā^ʼēl/(Israel) she _has _done she has _been_going on every _of hill high and_near/to under every _of tree luxuriant and_she _has _acted _as _a _prostitute there.

OET-LV JER 3:7

7 And_I _thought after she_has _done DOM all _of these_things to_me she _will _return and_not she _has _returned and treacherous sister _of_her Yəhūdāh/(Judah).

OET-LV JER 3:8

8 And_I _saw if/because _that on all _of causes that the_apostate _one Yisrā^ʼēl/(Israel) she _committed _adultery I_sent _her _away and_I _gave DOM the _document _of her _divorce(s)_of_her to_her/it and_not treacherous Yəhūdāh sister _of_her she _was _afraid and_she _went and_she _acted _as _a _prostitute also she.

OET-LV JER 3:9

9 And_it _was from_the _lightness _of her _prostitution _of_her and_it _was _polluted DOM the_earth/land and_she _committed _adultery DOM (the)_stone and_DOM the_tree.

OET-LV JER 3:20

20 Nevertheless a _woman she _deals _treacherously from_companion _of_her so you(pl)_have _dealt _treacherously with_me Oh _house _of Yisrā^ʼēl/(Israel) the _utterance _of YHWH.

Jump to OET JER 2:2 section.

Jump to OET JER 3:6–9 section. · OET JER 3:20 section.

The theme of Israel’s desertion of her lover (God) was explicitly treated in Ezekiel 16 and in Hosea. The terms “harlotry” and “whoredom” were used to connote disloyalty to Yahweh and allegiance to other gods. Thus, adultery and idolatry became synonymous. Through his own struggles with a faithless wife, the prophet Hosea experienced God’s agony over his bride Israel and his longing for her to return. Hosea was given a vision of a future day in which God would betroth his people to him forever in steadfast love and faithfulness (Hos 2:19-20). That vision may have enabled Paul to transfer the image of Israel as God’s bride to the church as the bride of Christ.

Show passage in OET: HOS 2:19–20

OET-RV HOS 2:19

19 I’ll take you as my wife forever.
⇔ I’ll marry you to me in righteousness and justice,
⇔ in loyal commitment, and in mercy.

OET-RV HOS 2:20

20 I’ll be faithful to you as my wife,
⇔ and you’ll know Yahweh.

OET-LV HOS 2:21

21  And_I_will _betroth _you to_me forever_perpetuity and_I_will _betroth _you to_me in_righteousness and_in_justice and_in_covenant _loyalty and_in_compassion(s).

OET-LV HOS 2:22

22  And_I_will _betroth _you to_me in_faithfulness and_you _will _know DOM YHWH.

Jump to OET HOS 2:19–20 section.

In Ephesians 5:22-33, the relationship between Christ and his church is compared to the relationship between a husband and wife. The image is taken from the common understanding of the husband-wife relationship in that part of the world. The church’s submission to Christ is compared with the wife’s submission to the husband, but the stress of the passage is on the role of the husband: he is to love her as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her. Christ relates to the whole church on the basis of self-sacrificial love. Just as a husband is joined to his wife, with a mutual interdependence so intimate that they become one, so Christ and his church become one body. As the man’s love for his wife intends her wholeness, so Christ’s love of the church intends her completeness.

Show passage in OET: EPH 5:22–33

OET-RV EPH 5:22

22 Wives should place themselves under their own husbands, just like they’re under the master,

OET-RV EPH 5:23

23 because the husband is the leader of the wife just like the messiah is the head and saviour of his body, the church.

OET-RV EPH 5:24

24 ⇔Wives should place themselves under their husbands in everything just like the church should place itself under the messiah.

OET-RV EPH 5:25

25 You husbands must love your wives, just like the messiah loved the church and gave himself completely for it,

OET-RV EPH 5:26

26 so that he could separate the church from the world and wash it clean with the water of the good message

OET-RV EPH 5:27

27 in order to present the splendid church to himself—without any stains or wrinkles or anything like that—just pure and unblemished.

OET-RV EPH 5:28

28 So husbands should love their wives just like their own bodies—anyone who loves his wife is loving himself.

OET-RV EPH 5:29

29 No one hates their own body, but they feed and look after it, just like the messiah does for the church

OET-RV EPH 5:30

30 and we are parts of his body.

OET-RV EPH 5:31

31 That’s the reason why a man leaves his father and mother and becomes joined with his wife and the two of them become one unit.

OET-RV EPH 5:32

32 This is an amazing mystery but I’m talking about the messiah and the church.

OET-RV EPH 5:33

33 But it applies to you all: each one of you should love your wife like yourself and the wife should respect her husband.

OET-LV EPH 5:22

22 The wives be to _their own husbands as to _the master,

OET-LV EPH 5:23

23 because the_husband is head of _the wife, as also the chosen _one /messiah is the_head of _the assembly, he the_saviour of _the body.

OET-LV EPH 5:24

24 But as the assembly is _being _subjected to _the chosen _one /messiah, thus also the wives to _their husbands in everything.

OET-LV EPH 5:25

25 The Men be _loving your wives, as also the chosen _one /messiah loved the assembly, and gave_ himself _over for her,

OET-LV EPH 5:26

26 in _order _that he _may _sanctify her, having _cleansed her by _the washing of_ the _water by the_message,

OET-LV EPH 5:27

27 in _order _that he _may _present the assembly he to _himself glorious, not having stain or wrinkle, or anything of _the such, but in _order _that it _may _be holy and blameless.

OET-LV EPH 5:28

28 Thus the husbands are _ought also to _be _loving the wives of _themselves, as the bodies of _themselves.
The one loving the wife of _himself, is _loving himself.

OET-LV EPH 5:29

29 For/Because no _one once hated the flesh of _himself, but is _nurturing and is _cherishing it, as the chosen _one /messiah also does for _the assembly,

OET-LV EPH 5:30

30 because we _are members of _the body of _him.

OET-LV EPH 5:31

31 For/Because this a_man will _be _leaving his father and the mother, and will _be _being _joined to _the wife of _him, and the two will _be into one flesh

OET-LV EPH 5:32

32 This the mystery is great, but I am _speaking for chosen _one /messiah and for the assembly.

OET-LV EPH 5:33

33 However you _all also, which each one _by one, let _him _be _loving the wife of _himself thus as himself, and the wife, in _order _that she _may _be _revering the husband.

Jump to OET EPH 5:22–33 section.

A variation on the theme is found in John the Baptist’s testimony to Jesus (Jn 3:29). John saw himself as “the Bridegroom’s friend” who, according to Jewish custom, takes care of the wedding arrangements. The Messiah is identified with the bridegroom to whom the bride (his messianic community) belongs and who comes to claim that bride.

Show passage in OET: JHN 3:29

OET-RV JHN 3:29

29 It’s the groom that has the bride—the best man is happy because he sees that the groom is happy. So I’m actually completely happy with all this.

OET-LV JHN 3:29

29 The one having the bride, is the_bridegroom, but the friend of _the bridegroom, the one having _stood and hearing from _him, is _rejoicing with _joy because _of the voice of _the bridegroom.
Therefore this the my the joy has _been _fulfilled.

Jump to OET JHN 3:29 section.

In Revelation 19 and 21 the metaphor of the church as the Messiah’s bride is further developed. The vision in Revelation 19:7-8 announces the marriage of the Lamb (Christ) to the bride (church). In Revelation 21 the vision depicts the new Jerusalem coming down from heaven, “prepared as a bride adorned for her husband” (v 2). Then the seer is invited to behold “the Bride, the wife of the Lamb” (v 9) and to see the Holy City “coming down out of heaven from God” (v 10). The new Jerusalem is identified as the people of God, the bride of Christ, among whom and with whom God will be present forever.