💍 The Words That Last: Where “In Sickness and In Health” Began ✨
The most powerful words many couples ever speak are their marriage vows. Phrases like “for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health” feel ancient and timeless.
But if you search the Bible for these specific phrases, you won’t find them. While the concept of lifetime covenant is deeply biblical, the specific wording we use today traces back to a very particular moment in English liturgical history.
What is the true origin of traditional marriage vows?
They are a 16th-century Anglican liturgy based on an 11th-century Catholic rite, created to summarize the 1st-century biblical theology of covenant.
Part I: The Medieval Origin (The Sarum Rite) 🏰
The 11th Century Vow 🗣️
The earliest recognizable version of these vows appeared in the Sarum Rite (or Use of Sarum), a liturgical directory developed at Salisbury Cathedral in England around 1085 AD.
- The Language: In a time when most church services were in Latin, the marriage vows were one of the few parts spoken in the vernacular (Old English) so the couple could actually understand the promise they were making.
- The Original Wording: The groom promised to take his bride “for fairer for fouler, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to be bonny and buxom in bed and at board”.
- Note: The word “buxom” in Middle English meant “obedient” or “pliant”.
Part II: The Standardization (The Book of Common Prayer) 🇬🇧
Thomas Cranmer’s Adaptation ✍️
The modern phrasing was solidified during the English Reformation. In 1549, Archbishop Thomas Cranmer compiled the first Book of Common Prayer (BCP) for the Church of England.
Cranmer adapted the Sarum vows into the form that has defined English and American weddings ever since:
“I, [Name], take thee, [Name], to be my wedded Wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part, according to God’s holy ordinance; and thereto I plight thee my troth.”
- “Plight thee my troth”: This is the old English way of saying, “I pledge you my truth and faithfulness”.
Part III: The True Biblical Anchor ⚓
The Theology Behind the Poetry ✝️
Though the words are rooted in English history, the principles behind them come directly from the Bible. The vows were specifically designed to enforce the theology of the marriage covenant:
- “Till death us do part”: This is based on the teaching of Christ (Matthew 19:6) and Paul (Romans 7:2) that marriage is a lifetime covenant broken only by death.
- “To love and to cherish”: This phrase is taken directly from the Apostle Paul’s command to husbands in Ephesians 5:29: “For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it”.
- “For better, for worse… in sickness and in health”: This summarizes the biblical call to unconditional love and commitment, mirroring Christ’s commitment to the Church (Ephesians 5:25).
For more on the biblical power of this commitment, read 9 Powerful Secrets for a Marriage That Lasts a Lifetime.
Conclusion: The Vow Remains 🌟
Why does this origin story matter?
Because it shows that the vows are not based on fleeting romance or perfect compatibility; they are based on endurance and covenant. They were written for hard times—for sickness, for poverty, and for sorrow—because those are the times when true faithfulness is forged.
The words have changed over a thousand years, but the promise has not.
Reflection: Are you fulfilling your vows in the “for worse” seasons as faithfully as you did in the “for better” seasons?
