Ephesians 5:30,31 - Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

For we are members, &c.— The Apostle had here two things in view; the one was, to press men to love their wives, by the example of Christ's love to his church; and the force of the argument lay in this, that a man and his wife were one flesh, as Christ and his church were one; but this latter being a truth of the greater consequence of the two, he was as intent on settling it upon their minds, though it were but an incident, as the other, which was the argument he was upon: and therefore having said, Ephesians 5:29 that every one nourisheth and cherisheth his own flesh, as Christ doth the church, it was natural to subjoin the reason; viz. because we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones: this proposition he took as much care to have believed, as that it was the duty of husbands to love their wives; and when he had asserted this doctrine of Christ and his church being one, in the words of Adam concerning Eve, Genesis 2:23. (which he, in his concise way of expressing himself, understands both of the wife, and of the church), he goes on with the words in Genesis 2:24 which make their being one flesh a reason why a man was more strictly to be united to his wife, than to his parents, or any other relations. Instead of, For this cause, Ephesians 5:31 some would render the Greek, Answerably thereto, or on the other hand. See Matthew 19:4-7 and Ephesians 5:28.