The marital imagery in the Bible has often been understood as a direct reference to the marriage of God and Israel. Close analysis of the biblical texts involved shows the inexactness of this analysis. The wife of God is always a city. Cities, especially capital cities, receive many different feminine roles, while Israel, the people, receives only masculine roles. Neither Testament allows for the traditional misunderstanding. Precision in reading leads to a more balanced interpretation in which biblical marital imagery is not the central metaphor of the Bible.
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