These two passages taken together make it clear, that for both husband and wife, companionship is the ideal. In Proverbs, the husband is called the companion (showing that he too, provides companionship for his wife); in Malachi, the wife is designated this way. For both, then, entrance into marriage should mean the desire to meet each other’s need for companionship. Love in marriage focuses upon giving one’s spouse the companionship he/she needs to eliminate loneliness. In order to establish, maintain
Page 18