Espouse – To bind oneself via a solemn promise.
God used this word 5 times in Scripture: once to Israel in the Masoretic Text Old Testament; 3 times to Israel in the Koine Greek Old Testament; and once to the Body of Christ in the Gospel of Grace.
An espousal is the masculine side of a betrothal contract. Therefore, a man cannot be a spouse. When a woman becomes betrothed, she is referred to as the man’s espoused wife. When the betrothal contract is satisfied, the woman is no longer referred to as a spouse, she is now simply referred to as a wife.
Spouse – A betrothed woman.
God used this word 8 times in Scripture, all of which occur in Israel’s Masoretic Text Old Testament.
Because a spouse is a betrothed woman, and betrothals are not common in the western-world today, you will likely never be, or even meet, a spouse.
This word has ignorantly (because of a lack of understanding of betrothals) been redefined to mean “a married person, either one of a married pair, but especially a married woman in relation to her husband.”
Another ignorant use of this word is being “espoused to an idea, concept, or belief”. A person can be espoused to a religious organization and adopt their doctrine by making a solemn promise, but not to the inanimate articles of that institution. In so doing, they are rejecting God and espousing themselves to another doctrine.
See also Betrothed, Concubine, Damsel, Dowry, Endow, Husband, Maid/Maiden, Marry, Mistress, Virgin, Wife