Anatomy of Marriage

When a husband and wife get married they become one flesh (Gen. 2:24). Their union means they are one, and their merging requires them to take different roles within the marriage. These different roles are reflected in the human body, as different parts of the body work with other parts to maintain life and health. When a husband and wife submit to God’s design of marriage and the roles He has assigned, it is worship that pleases and honors Him.

The Anatomy of a Wife

Scripture has already defined the husband as the head of the marriage (Eph. 5:23), therefore in an anatomical metaphor the wife would be the neck.

Though smaller and delicate in comparison to the head (1 Pet. 3:7), the neck is essential to the body, just as the wife is to the marriage. Without the neck, the brain would not be able to carry out its missions, just as the husband can not complete his mission (Gen. 1:28) without the wife. The neck has muscles, bones, tissue, and glands that are essential to the health of the body, and serves as a vessel to support and protect it. Components of nearly every organ system are found in the neck.

THE FUNCTIONS OF THE NECK

The neck functions to support and protect the body, and it does so in a number of ways. It is the connection between the head and the torso, the center of the body that contains the organs necessary for life, excluding the brain. As such, the neck helps to keep the body (the family) alive and healthy by aiding in breathing, digestion, and reproduction. 

The neck primarily supports the head (the husband) by supporting its weight (his glory). The wife is a reflection of the husband’s glory (1 Cor. 11:7). She throws back the light of his authoritative head without absorbing it, functioning in her submissive roles. This is a delicate balance that is perfect in the Holy Spirit, but something the human wife must learn and master through teaching due to sin (Gen. 3:16). Because she is so delicate, any attempt to absorb the head’s weight (responsibility or glory) will result in injury that could also impact the body (the family). 

The husband’s burdens and responsibilities are found in the command God gave Adam after He blessed him with his wife: be fruitful and multiply (have children), govern the earth (work), and reign over (justly care for) the animals who were already serving as his companions (Gen. 1:28; 2:18-20). The wife assists by carrying and bearing his seed (child/children) and working in the home. The wife, physically modeled after Eve and spiritually modeled after Wisdom (the Holy Spirit) was specifically and intentionally designed by God to fulfill this role (Gen. 2:18, 21-24). 

The neck assists the head by helping it move. This is done through the cervical vertebrae and intervertebral discs, which aid the rest of the body by serving as a shock absorber for the spine. These sit beneath the skull. This section of the neck, along with its corresponding nerves and surrounding muscles, allow the head to move, thus allowing different points of perception and aiding in communication. The initiation of such movement, however, is not sparked by the neck, as commonly believed. The head ultimately determines how the neck and the rest of the body will move and the neck responds in agreement with those decisions. The wife provides this flexibility to the husband by presenting Spirit-led thoughts and ideas to help the husband make decisions. Likewise, the wife serves as a shock absorber by providing emotional support and nurturing care to her husband and children during difficult times. A biblical example of this is found in Rebekah, who was a special comfort to her husband, Issac, after his mother died (Gen. 24:67). 

The Organ Systems Of Marriage

When a husband and wife get married they become one flesh (Gen. 2:24). Their union means they are one, and they maintain their marriage by working together within a delicate balance of unity and mutual submission, just as the way organ systems of the body do to maintain homeostasis (continuous interplay of the organ systems to maintain stable conditions internally).

The union of marriage can be a reflection of the human body as seen in its organ systems.

The Integumentary System of Marriage

The integumentary system is made up of the skin, hair, nails, sweat and oil glands, and sensory receptors.

THE SKIN

The skin is the external surface of the body and its largest organ in weight. It has two layers, the epidermis and the dermis. The epidermis is the outer layer of the skin and the dermis is the connected inner layer. In the anatomy of marriage, the epidermis layer represents the husband and the dermis layer represents the wife. (Read more here.)

THe Respiratory System of Marriage

The respiratory system is made up of the nose, pharynx (throat), larynx (voice box), trachea (windpipe), bronchi, and lungs. They work together to bring oxygen into the body, release carbon dioxide, produce vocal sounds, and maintain the proper pH of body fluids.

THE NOSE

The nose is the organ at the entrance of the respiratory system, which gives the body the ability to breathe. It is divided into two parts, external and internal. The external nose represents the husband, and the internal nose represents the wife.

The external nose (husband) is the portion of the nose that is visible from the outside. It contains the nostrils, which lead to the internal nose (the wife) and has bones, muscles, and cartilage that give it its external shape while also protecting the internal nose from harm (things that will not allow it to function as designed).

The internal nose (the wife) is the nasal cavity and contains the receptors for the sense of smell, which aid the body by preventing the consumption of harmful food and substances. It also adds moisture to inhaled air and impacts speech and the quality of the voice.

The internal and external nose merge in the front, representative of the public merging of a man and woman through marriage at their wedding and the unity they display to the world (Eph. 5:31-32). However, the internal nose (the wife) communicates with the pharynx (the husband) in the back. This represents intimacy, as some communication should only be shared between the two. The lining of the nasal cavity is continuous with paranasal sinuses, which produce mucus. The ducts that allow mucus and tears to drain open into the nasal cavity. This represents the private assistance the wife gives the husband as a source of comfort and healing (Gen. 24:67).

THE PHARYNX

The pharynx is the throat and serves as a passageway for air and food to enter the body, making it a part of the respiratory system and the digestive system. In the anatomy of marriage, it represents the husband, who is the ordered passageway of practical provision for the family. It sits above the larynx (the voicebox, represented by the wife) and is a chamber for speech sounds. The tonsils, which are a part of the immune system, are also in the pharynx, and represent one of the ways the husband protects his family.

THE LARYNX

The larynx is the voicebox, which connects the pharynx to the trachea (windpipe), and is made up of muscle and cartilage. In the anatomy of marriage, it represents the wife, who connects the husband (the pharynx) to their children (the rest of the body).

The larynx holds the Adam’s apple, the epiglottis, and the vocal cords, and mostly serves in a protecting role. The vocal cords produce sounds while the epiglottis prevents food and other materials from entering the lungs and other areas of the larynx. Should that happen, a cough reflex allows the larynx to push the substances back into the throat (the husband), which either redirects the substances to their appropriate location or completely expels them from the body. The wife does this for her family by helping them take in spiritual food (teaching and other things that feed the inner being). Through discernment, she is able to alert the family when something is unhealthy or out of place.

THE TRACHEA

The trachea is the windpipe, a passageway for air, and represents both the husband and the wife. It extends from the larynx and goes down into the chest, where it divides into the left and right primary bronchi. The protective nature of the internal nose and larynx remains in the trachea, as well as the cartilage and protective layers that give it its structure. In this way, the trachea symbolizes the unity and mutual submission of husband and wife for the benefit of the family.

In the respiratory tree, which symbolizes the family tree, the trachea is the trunk. It consists of horizontal cartilage rings, which are made up of connective tissue that represents past generations of family members who produced the husband and wife.

THE BRONCHI

The bronchi (plural of bronchus) are the passageways that allow air to enter the lungs. The main (primary) bronchi form from the division of the trachea. The right main bronchus goes into the right lung and the left main bronchus goes into the left lung. The right main bronchus represents the wife, as it is shorter, wider, and more vertical than the left main bronchi, which makes it more susceptible to damage from choking.

The main bronchi divide into the lobar bronchi, which are smaller and branch into the lobes of the lungs, three in the right lung (the husband) and two in the left lung (the wife). These branch into smaller bronchi, segmental bronchi, which divide into bronchioles, which further divide into terminal bronchioles.

Together, the bronchi form the bronchial tree, often referred to as the respiratory tree. In the anatomy of marriage, the respirtory tree represents the family tree of the marital union.

THE LUNGS

The lungs are a set of organs that allow the body to breathe by transporting inhaled oxygen to the blood and exhaling carbon dioxide. In the anatomy of marriage, the right lung represents the husband while the smaller left lung represents the wife. The difference in size is due to the positioning and needed space of the heart, liver, and diaphragm. (Hospitality is a ministry of the wife in the home [2 Kings 4:9-10]).

The lungs float in the thoracic cavity and surround the heart, which represents God. This symbolizes the unity the husband and wife have through Him. Should one of the chambers become compromised or collapse, the remaining chamber is still able to function, symbolic of the sustaining power God has for each spouse.

THE Urinary System of Marriage

THE KIDNEYS

The kidneys represent the incense altar, the priestly place of prayer that stood in the Tabernacle before the inner curtain. Every believer is a priest, therefore every believer is able to pray to God without an intercessor. Both the husband and the wife have access to the Father, and in their union they each represent a kidney.

By God’s design, the right kidney is smaller than the left kidney. In marriage this symbolizes the woman being physically smaller than the man. The right kidney also rests lower than the left kidney, and also at its middle. This, too, shows the design of a woman, who was taken from the man’s side (Gen. 2:18). Both kidneys function to assist in the removal of waste products from the body. This work is done spiritually through prayer and the discipline of study.