“For this cause will a man go away from his father and his mother and be joined to his wife; and they will be one flesh.” — Genesis 2:24
This fundamental principle sets the pattern for all later “marriage” symbolism in Scripture. The act of leaving father and mother represents moving away from the old framework of inherited beliefs and established identity. The act of cleaving to the wife represents committing to a new identity — the union of conscious intention with the subconscious imagination as the ground of creation. The story of Reuben and his father's concubine is another psychological play on this theme.
Abraham’s Claim: “She is My Sister”
“Say you are my sister, so that I will be treated well for your sake and my life will be spared because of you.” — Genesis 12:13
In a pattern repeated by Isaac and Rebecca, Abraham twice calls Sarah his sister instead of his wife (Genesis 12:13; 20:2), this reflects more than fear of Pharaoh or Abimelech. It shows the oscillation of the inner man: Abraham acknowledges imagination (Sarah) as close and vital, but keeps her within the “family” of the old framework rather than committing to her as the spouse of a new identity.
The “sister” language symbolises the mind’s attempt to remain safe within the parental house of old conditioning. It is not incest, but a picture of hesitation — imagination treated as near and indispensable, but not yet embraced as the true partner in creative union.
Sarah’s Barrenness: The Subconscious Unused
“Sarai was barren; she had no child.” — Genesis 11:30
Sarah’s barrenness represents the subconscious imagination when it is acknowledged but not truly engaged. As long as the conscious mind wavers — half recognising imagination as familiar but not cleaving as to a “wife” — the creative union remains unfruitful. No manifestation is born while the old familar identity still dominates.
Song of Solomon: The Sister–Bride Tension
The Song of Solomon captures this same psychological oscillation. The beloved is called both sister and bride, holding together the nearness of familiarity and the pull toward transformative union.
“You have stolen my heart, my sister, my bride; you have stolen my heart with one glance of your eyes...” — Song of Solomon 4:9
The language of “sister” suggests the safety of the old familiar household, while “bride” calls the beloved into the risk of new identity. The two titles together show the tension between established self and the yet-unclaimed creative self.
“I would lead you and bring you to the house of my mother — she who has taught me...” — Song of Solomon 8:2
Here the reference to the mother’s house symbolises the old conditioning. The pull of the mother–father house represents the mind’s temptation to remain within the known, just as Abraham hesitates to move Sarah from “sister” to “wife.”.
The Psychological Meaning: Between Identities
Abraham’s story symbolises the back-and-forth of consciousness. On one side lies the old self — father and mother, the safe house of inherited belief. On the other lies the new self — the spouse, the one-flesh identity that requires leaving the old behind. Calling Sarah “sister” marks the halfway state: imagination acknowledged but contained, known but not yet fully trusted as the partner of new creation.
This is not a leap into fantasy, but the inner struggle everyone recognises: weighing the identity we know against the identity that calls us. The sister–wife language dramatises the oscillation between the familiar and the transformative.
The Fulfilment: Isaac as the Fruit of Union
“The Lord was gracious to Sarah... Sarah became pregnant and bore a son to Abraham in his old age...” — Genesis 21:1–2
When Abraham finally accepts Sarah as wife rather than sister, the oscillation resolves. The subconscious imagination receives the impress of belief, and manifestation follows. Isaac’s birth symbolises the fruit of creative union — the child of a new identity, born once the mind ceases wavering between the old house and the new.
Summary of the Symbolism
- Father and mother: the old framework of inherited belief and established identity.
- Sister: imagination acknowledged but kept within the old frame; safety without transformation.
- Wife: the new identity, requiring separation from the old and union with imagination.
- Barrenness: subconscious unfruitful until the conscious mind unites with it in faith.
- Isaac: manifestation, the fruit of resolved union and the birth of the new self.
Abraham’s hesitation and Sarah’s dual role as sister and wife show the inner drama of consciousness as it wavers between the old and the new. The story reassures us that though the oscillation is real, the creative union eventually produces life. True manifestation comes not from clinging to the safe house of the old self, but from embracing imagination as the partner of the new identity.
Abraham Series | Bride — Bridegroom Series | Genesis 2:24 Series