A marriage covenant is a promise or agreement made between two people when they decide to get married. It symbolizes a commitment to love, support, and be faithful to each other for the rest of their lives. Full definition
Also, until recently, black male + white female was not considered a valid marriage covenant. (religion.blogs.cnn.com)
It needs to rediscover and proclaim the full biblical understanding of the joy and boundaries of sexual expression, teach by word and example the goodness of the lifelong marriage covenant between a man and a woman, and learn better how to offer unlimited acceptance to everyone without succumbing to mushy relativism. (religion-online.org)
Whatever the relationship between chapters 1 and 3, and whatever the interpretation of Hosea's personality, the prophet was in marriage covenant with an unfaithful woman; and in his own anguish and love for his wife, he believed Yahweh had revealed the nature of the relationship between Yahweh and unfaithful Israel, the specific character of the divine compassion, and the precise quality of Israel's violation of covenant. (religion-online.org)