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[Junior]

I see that it says this several times in the Bible, but what exactly does it mean to “ Be given in marriage”?

In Luke 20: 34 it says, Jesus replied, “The people of this age marry and are given in marriage.

[jimwalton]

In their era, marriages were arranged by the parents. Arranged marriages were to keep the land in the family and in the tribe. Marriage was a clan event; individualism was unknown. One did what was best for the clan, for the perpetuation of the clan, and to retain ownership of the family land. In the ancient world, marriage was primarily focused on establishing a relationship between families (more than between individuals) and on producing offspring (providing continuity of identity to the next generation). Of course, people fell in love with each other, and sometimes that could become the basis for an arranged marriage, but love and the feelings of individuals were not fundamental to the system.

The husband, or the groom, married, and the woman (the wife, the bride) was given in marriage to him. The groom’s family must provide a bride price while the bride’s family provided a dowry. The dowry (given by the father to the bride) provided security for the wife in the possibility that her husband would die, abandon her, or divorce her. The bride price (given by the groom to the bride’s father) reimbursed the bride’s family for a lost laborer. We might think that these exchanges reflected a belief that the woman was a commodity to be purchased, but that would be a misunderstanding. But the woman and the man, along with the exchange of goods, were part of a community merger.

[Not a Robot]

> The bride price (given by the groom to the bride’s father) reimbursed the bride’s family for a lost laborer. We might think that these exchanges reflected a belief that the woman was a commodity to be purchased, but that would be a misunderstanding. But the woman and the man, along with the exchange of goods, were part of a community merger.

Please consider some of the examples from scripture that show a groom pays a dowry [aka bride price] for his bride. When Jacob wanted to marry Rachel he offered to work for Laban for 7 years for his daughter. When David wanted to marry Saul's daughter he couldn't afford the monetary value of a king's daughter so Saul reduced the price to 100 foreskins of the Philistines [IIRC].

Perhaps the best example of a groom paying a dowry for his bride is Jesus Himself. He didn't pay with corruptible silver or gold but with His own precious blood as a dowry. But there are terms and conditions:

No try before buy.

Payment upfront in full before the marriage.

Only one caveat, if the bride isn't a virgin the deal could be called off.

This show us two important things.

1. The importance of holiness, we as the purchased bride must maintain our chastity.
2. This is also why Jesus said 'except if be for fornication' [Matt.19:9]. He paid for a virgin, and He will have a virgin.

2 Cor. 11:2

For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.