Topical Bible: Marriage: Parents' Consent Requires in the Mosaic Law

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In the context of ancient Israelite society, marriage was not merely a personal or romantic union but a familial and communal covenant. The Mosaic Law, as outlined in the Torah, provides various guidelines and regulations concerning marriage, emphasizing the importance of family involvement and parental consent.

Parental Authority and Consent

The role of parents in the marriage process is underscored in several passages of the Mosaic Law. Parents, particularly fathers, held significant authority over the marital decisions of their children. This authority is rooted in the patriarchal structure of Israelite society, where the family unit was central to social and religious life.

One of the key passages highlighting the necessity of parental consent is found in Exodus 22:16-17 : "If a man entices a virgin who is not pledged to be married and lies with her, he must pay the bride price, and she will be his wife. If her father absolutely refuses to give her to him, he still must pay the bride price for virgins." This passage illustrates that even in cases where a premarital sexual relationship occurred, the father's consent was crucial for the marriage to proceed. The father's right to refuse the marriage underscores the importance of parental involvement and authority.

Betrothal and Dowry

The process of betrothal, which was a formal agreement preceding marriage, often involved negotiations between families, with the father of the bride playing a pivotal role. The giving of a dowry or bride price was a customary practice, serving as a tangible expression of the groom's commitment and ability to provide for the bride. This transaction was not merely a financial arrangement but a symbol of the joining of two families.

Genesis 24 provides a narrative example of parental involvement in marriage arrangements. Abraham's servant, acting on behalf of Isaac, seeks Rebekah as a wife for him. The servant's negotiations with Rebekah's family, particularly her brother Laban and her father Bethuel, highlight the importance of family consent in the marriage process.

Protection and Provision

The requirement for parental consent also served as a protective measure for young women, ensuring that marriages were entered into with consideration and care. The involvement of parents, who were expected to act in the best interest of their children, provided a safeguard against impulsive or unsuitable unions.

Deuteronomy 22:28-29 further illustrates this protective aspect: "If a man encounters a virgin who is not pledged in marriage, and he seizes her and lies with her, and they are discovered, then the man who lay with her must pay the young woman’s father fifty shekels of silver, and she must become his wife, because he has violated her. He may not divorce her as long as he lives." Here, the law mandates a financial penalty and marriage to protect the woman's future, again involving the father in the decision-making process.

Conclusion

The Mosaic Law's requirement for parental consent in marriage reflects the broader cultural and religious values of ancient Israel. It underscores the significance of family authority, the protection of young women, and the communal nature of marriage. Through these regulations, the law sought to ensure that marriages were established on a foundation of mutual respect, responsibility, and familial blessing.

Nave's Topical Index

Exodus 22:17
If her father utterly refuse to give her to him, he shall pay money according to the dowry of virgins.
Nave's Topical Index

Library

Exposition of the Moral Law.
... Each individual may refrain from marriage so long as he ... Josephus, no doubt with the
general consent of his ... Matthew places the command to honour parents in the ...
/.../calvin/the institutes of the christian religion/chapter 8 exposition of the.htm

Questions and Answers
... have the slightest disposition to break that marriage covenant ... thought can enter
our heart unless by our consent. ... It is evident that our first parents lost the ...
/.../byers/sanctification/chapter xii questions and answers.htm

Inspiration of Scripture. --Gospel Difficulties. --The Word of God ...
... for children had then forgotten their duty to their Parents; and the sanctity of
Marriage was unknown ... the appeal is made, by the common consent of Christian ...
/.../inspiration and interpretation/sermon iii inspiration of scripture gospel.htm

Appeal to the Christian Women of the South
... food, her raiment, and her duty of marriage, shall he ... Jesus, was presented there
by his parents, "and spake ... and those judgments, which it requires no prophet's ...
/.../an appeal to the christian women of the south/appeal to the christian women.htm

The Essay which Brings up the Rear in this Very Guilty Volume is ...
... 162] ; the second Cainan [163] : Salmon's marriage with Rahab [164 ... away;" (p.359;)
yet we cannot consent to have ... dwelling-place of our Lord's Parents to have ...
/.../burgon/inspiration and interpretation/vii the essay which brings.htm

Summa Theologica
Summa Theologica. <. Summa Theologica Saint Thomas Aquinas. Table
of Contents. Title Page. Whether, besides philosophy, any ...
//christianbookshelf.org/aquinas/summa theologica/

Chapter iv
... Qanah, by almost universal consent, must here mean "acquire ... human existence had
impressed itself on our first parents. ... according to 5:4. Nor can marriage to a ...
//christianbookshelf.org/leupold/exposition of genesis volume 1/chapter iv.htm

Period iii. The Dissolution of the Imperial State Church and the ...
... to all by this present law that they ... deliberation, beginning probably before his
marriage with Chrotechildis ... recognizing the necessity of royal consent to the ...
/.../ayer/a source book for ancient church history/period iii the dissolution of.htm

[Endnotes]
... See Acts 26:4. There is a tradition that he aspired to be the son-in-law of the
high ... The system of chronology here adopted requires no such forced expositions. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/killen/the ancient church/endnotes.htm

Memoir of John Bunyan
... guidance of God, to enter into the marriage state. ... being born of good, honest, godly
parents, who had ... spiritual meaning of part of the Mosaic dispensation is ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/memoir of john bunyan.htm