Topical Bible: Marriage: Wives Obtained by Purchase

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In the ancient Near Eastern context, marriage customs often involved the practice of obtaining a wife through a form of purchase or bride price. This practice is reflected in several passages of the Old Testament, where marriage arrangements included the transfer of goods or services from the groom or his family to the bride's family. This transaction was not merely a commercial exchange but held significant cultural and familial implications.

Biblical Instances and Context

1. Genesis 24:53 · In the account of Isaac and Rebekah, Abraham's servant gives gifts to Rebekah and her family as part of the marriage arrangement: "Then the servant brought out gold and silver jewelry and articles of clothing, and he gave them to Rebekah. He also gave precious gifts to her brother and her mother." This passage illustrates the custom of providing valuable items to the bride's family, signifying the establishment of a marital covenant.

2. Genesis 29:18-20 · Jacob's service to Laban for Rachel's hand in marriage is another example: "Jacob loved Rachel, so he answered, 'I will serve you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel.' Laban replied, 'Better that I give her to you than to another. Stay here with me.' So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, yet it seemed but a few days because of his love for her." Here, the bride price is paid through labor, demonstrating the flexibility of the custom in terms of the form of compensation.

3. Exodus 22:16-17 · The Law of Moses addresses the situation of a man who seduces a virgin not pledged to be married: "If a man entices a virgin who is not betrothed and lies with her, he must pay the bride price for her to be his wife. If her father absolutely refuses to give her to him, he must still pay the bride price for virgins." This law underscores the importance of the bride price as a protective measure for the woman's honor and future.

4. 1 Samuel 18:25 · King Saul's demand for a bride price from David for his daughter Michal is another instance: "Saul replied, 'Say to David, "The king desires no other bride price except a hundred Philistine foreskins, to take revenge on his enemies."' But Saul intended to cause David’s death at the hands of the Philistines." This narrative highlights the use of bride price as a means of political maneuvering and personal vendetta.

Cultural and Theological Significance

The practice of obtaining wives by purchase in biblical times must be understood within its historical and cultural context. The bride price served multiple purposes: it compensated the bride's family for the loss of her labor, demonstrated the groom's ability to provide, and acted as a form of security for the bride. It was a tangible expression of the groom's commitment and the establishment of a new family unit.

From a theological perspective, these customs reflect the covenantal nature of marriage as seen in the Bible. The transactions involved were not merely economic but were imbued with relational and spiritual significance. The bride price was a precursor to the deeper, sacrificial love that marriage symbolizes, as later expounded in the New Testament teachings on the relationship between Christ and the Church (Ephesians 5:25-33).

Conclusion

The biblical accounts of wives obtained by purchase provide insight into the ancient customs surrounding marriage and highlight the enduring principles of commitment, responsibility, and covenant that underpin the biblical view of marriage.

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Genesis 29:20
And Jacob served seven years for Rachel; and they seemed to him but a few days, for the love he had to her.
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Ruth 4:10
Moreover Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of Mahlon, have I purchased to be my wife, to raise up the name of the dead on his inheritance, that the name of the dead be not cut off from among his brothers, and from the gate of his place: you are witnesses this day.
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Hosea 3:2
So I bought her to me for fifteen pieces of silver, and for an homer of barley, and an half homer of barley:
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Hosea 12:12
And Jacob fled into the country of Syria, and Israel served for a wife, and for a wife he kept sheep.
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Library

The First Native Converts and Christian Schools
... rejoicing, and in Christ's love believing, I obtained mercy. ... But the marriage difficulty
was early forced on him ... to be done with converts whose wives would not ...
/.../smith/the life of william carey/chapter vi the first native.htm

Letter Lxvi. To Pammachius.
... a patrician by his parentage and marriage, rich in ... scatter on the graves of their
wives violets, roses ... of valour,"this great office is now obtained by merely ...
/.../jerome/the principal works of st jerome/letter lxvi to pammachius.htm

Chapter xxiv
... such a situation if it had actually obtained; especially since v ... a gift to those
who gave her in marriage. ... that the Hebrews were wont to purchase their wives. ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/leupold/exposition of genesis volume 1/chapter xxiv.htm

The Polity Settled by Moses; and How He Disappeared from among ...
... like circumstances; and while you have now obtained plenty yourselves ... will be for
the solace of wives under their ... that he is averse to this marriage, whether he ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 8 the polity settled.htm

Answers to Prayer
... miles distant, on the 19th of March, the wives of the ... if he had asked a reliable
neighbor and obtained his promise ... He led me to a choice and marriage, which I ...
//christianbookshelf.org/various/the wonders of prayer/answers to prayer.htm

Appeal to the Christian Women of the South
... her food, her raiment, and her duty of marriage, shall he ... Are they sold only as wives
and daughters-in-law ... have all not only been illegally obtained as servants ...
/.../an appeal to the christian women of the south/appeal to the christian women.htm

Period iii. The Dissolution of the Imperial State Church and the ...
... baptism, but have left their wives and children ... deliberation, beginning probably
before his marriage with Chrotechildis ... of the episcopate which he has obtained. ...
/.../ayer/a source book for ancient church history/period iii the dissolution of.htm

Period I: the Imperial State Church of the Undivided Empire, or ...
... If any shipman shall have obtained surreptitiously or in any ... live as if by the compact
of marriage they were ... of this benefit to husbands and wives as regards ...
/.../ayer/a source book for ancient church history/period i the imperial state.htm

Chaldaean Civilization
... union, and many a son contracted a marriage after this ... Whether they were legitimate
wives or not, the women of ... were lavished on them, or they obtained them for ...
/.../chapter iiichaldaean civilization.htm

Faustus States his Objections to the Morality of the Law and the ...
... a pleasure which all must feel is obtained from this ... apostle speaks as a great mystery
in marriage, as referring ... reason to men who had several wives; and that ...
/.../faustus states his objections to.htm