According to Donna Nielsen, a knowledge of the biblical marriage imagery can greatly enrich our understanding of how God relates to us through covenants. In Mosiah 11:22 we find the Lord declaring to his covenant people that "they shall know that I am the Lord their God, and am a jealous God, visiting the iniquities of my people." Nielsen notes that the biblical definition of "jealous" (or "zealous") includes having a fiery concern and determination to protect the intimacy of the covenant relationship. It is not about being possessive in a selfish way or showing immature insecurity. It is an appropriate reaction to the intense preciousness of the relationship with the other partner.
In the period of preparation for a Jewish marriage, after the covenant betrothal, the bridegroom's first task was to prepare a nuptial chamber or new home for his bride. This was done under the supervision of his father. It was often attached to a family compound where several other families also lived. When the father gave his approval of the new dwelling, the bridegroom could go and get his new bride and bring her to his father's house. The father was the one who determined that time: "Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me, In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you (John 14:1-2).
While the bridegroom was away-preparing a place for his bride, the "friend of the groom" would act as a liaison between them. He could pass messages, deliver additional gifts, watch over her chastity, and comfort and reassure the bride that her groom would surely return. Paul told us of his feelings concerning this weighty assignment to watch over God's "bride": "For I am jealous over you [the Church] with Godly jealously: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ" (2 Corinthians 11:2). [Donna B. Nielsen, Beloved Bridegroom: Finding Christ in Ancient Jewish Marriage and Family Customs, pp. 2, 63, 122-123]