Bride
“A bride; also used for daughter-in-law”
Summary
A woman about to be married or newly married, used throughout Scripture as a powerful symbol of the intimate covenant relationship between God and His people, and Christ and His Church.
☩The Bride Adorned
Ancient Near Eastern brides were lavishly adorned with jewels and fine clothing for their wedding day. Scripture draws on this imagery to describe how God adorns His people: 'As a bride adorns herself with her jewels, so shall your God rejoice over you.' The church is to be presented to Christ 'as a pure virgin'—cleansed, sanctified, and gloriously arrayed.
☩The Bride's Companions
Wedding celebrations included companions for both bride and bridegroom. The bridesmaids attended the bride, as seen in Rebekah's maids who accompanied her to Isaac. Jesus spoke of the 'sons of the bridechamber'—the bridegroom's friends who could not mourn while the bridegroom was with them. The parable of the ten virgins pictures bridesmaids awaiting the groom's arrival.
☩Israel as Bride
The prophets portrayed Israel's covenant with God as a marriage. Ezekiel described how God found Jerusalem as an abandoned infant, raised her, and when she came of age, spread His garment over her in marriage. The Song of Solomon, whatever its literal meaning, has traditionally been understood as expressing the love between God and His people.
☩The Church as Bride
The New Testament presents the church as the Bride of Christ. Paul's concern was to present the Corinthians to Christ as a chaste virgin. The marriage of the Lamb is announced in Revelation: 'His wife has made herself ready, clothed in fine linen, bright and pure.' The Spirit and the Bride together call to the thirsty to come and drink freely.
☩The Holy City as Bride
When John is called to see 'the Bride, the wife of the Lamb,' he sees not a woman but the holy city Jerusalem descending from heaven, adorned like a bride for her husband. The city's glory—precious stones, gates of pearl, streets of gold—represents the beauty God bestows on His redeemed people, the ultimate fulfillment of all bridal imagery.
Related Verses22 mentions
See Also
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Bride," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. I (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.George Morrish, "Bride," in Morrish's Concise Bible Dictionary (George Morrish, 1898).