Topical Bible: Wife: Procured

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In the biblical context, the concept of a wife being "procured" often refers to the customs and practices surrounding marriage arrangements in ancient times. The procurement of a wife was typically a family affair, involving negotiations, agreements, and sometimes the exchange of gifts or a bride price. This process reflects the cultural and societal norms of the time, emphasizing the importance of family alliances, social status, and economic considerations.

Biblical Examples and Practices

1. Isaac and Rebekah: One of the most illustrative examples of procuring a wife is found in the account of Isaac and Rebekah. Abraham, seeking a wife for his son Isaac, sends his servant to his homeland to find a suitable bride. The servant prays for guidance and encounters Rebekah, who fulfills the sign he had asked of God. The servant then negotiates with Rebekah's family, offering gifts as part of the marriage arrangement (Genesis 24:1-67). This narrative highlights the role of divine guidance and familial involvement in the procurement process.

2. Jacob and Rachel/Leah: Jacob's procurement of his wives, Rachel and Leah, further illustrates the customs of the time. Jacob agrees to work for seven years to marry Rachel, but is deceived by Laban, who gives him Leah instead. Jacob then works an additional seven years for Rachel (Genesis 29:15-30). This account underscores the complexities and challenges that could arise in marriage arrangements, as well as the importance of labor and service as a form of bride price.

3. David and Michal: The marriage of David and Michal, Saul's daughter, involves a bride price of a different kind. Saul demands a dowry of one hundred Philistine foreskins, which David fulfills, thus procuring Michal as his wife (1 Samuel 18:25-27). This example demonstrates the use of marriage as a political tool and the significance of military prowess in the procurement process.

4. Boaz and Ruth: The account of Boaz and Ruth provides insight into the levirate marriage custom, where a kinsman redeemer marries a widow to preserve the family line. Boaz procures Ruth as his wife by fulfilling the role of the kinsman redeemer, following the legal and social customs of the time (Ruth 4:1-10). This narrative highlights the themes of loyalty, redemption, and the continuation of family heritage.

Cultural and Theological Implications

The procurement of a wife in biblical times was deeply embedded in the cultural and social fabric of the ancient Near East. Marriages were often arranged to strengthen family ties, secure alliances, and ensure the continuation of lineage. The involvement of family members, the exchange of gifts or bride prices, and the adherence to social customs were integral to the process.

From a theological perspective, the procurement of a wife is seen as part of God's providential plan, with many biblical narratives emphasizing divine intervention and guidance in marriage arrangements. The accounts of Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob and Rachel, and Boaz and Ruth, among others, illustrate how God works through human customs and relationships to fulfill His purposes.

In summary, the concept of a wife being procured in the Bible reflects the historical and cultural practices of marriage in ancient times, highlighting the importance of family, social customs, and divine guidance in the establishment of marital unions.

Nave's Topical Index

Genesis 24:1
And Abraham was old, and well stricken in age: and the LORD had blessed Abraham in all things.
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Genesis 34:4-10
And Shechem spoke to his father Hamor, saying, Get me this damsel to wife.
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Genesis 38:6
And Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, whose name was Tamar.
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Library

Pheroras's Wife is Accused by his Freedmen, as Guilty of Poisoning ...
... Antipater, the king's son, and by that means came to Pheroras's wife, her husband ...
Antiphilus; and that his brother, who was a physician, had procured it; and ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 4 pherorass wife is.htm

Concerning the Famine that Happened in Judea and Syria; and How ...
... for all that he had done of that nature, as it also procured him great ... He also fell
in love again, and married another wife, not suffering his reason to hinder ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 9 concerning the famine.htm

Antipater Becomes Intolerable. He is Sent to Rome, and Carries ...
... to Antipater, and charged him to have no intercourse either with Pheroras's wife,
or with ... he was afraid that Salome observed what he did, he procured, by the ...
/.../chapter 29 antipater becomes intolerable.htm

The Case of a Heathen Whose Wife is Converted after Marriage with ...
... "Because, on the one hand, the wife [485] in ... So long as marriage of this kind is
procured by the Evil One, but condemned by God, you have a reason why you need ...
//christianbookshelf.org/tertullian/to his wife/chapter vii the case of a.htm

Elucidation.
... imposed; and, though the "priest's leman" was not called his wife (to the ... C. Lea
[505] of Philadelphia, is compendious, and can be readily procured by all who ...
//christianbookshelf.org/tertullian/to his wife/elucidation.htm

Chapter xxxviii
... 6-10. And Judah procured a wife for Er, his first-born, and her name was Tamar.
And Er, Judah's first-born, was wicked in the estimation ...
/.../leupold/exposition of genesis volume 1/chapter xxxviii.htm

Concerning the Posterity of Adam, and the Ten Generations from Him ...
... But Tubal, one of his children by the other wife, exceeded all men in strength,
and was very expert and famous in martial performances. He procured what tended ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 2 concerning the posterity.htm

The Goths at Constantinople
... rather than otherwise, to succumb to the more virile yoke of his haughty wife. ... She
had, accordingly, procured the nomination of Aurelian to the great office of ...
/.../chapter xxx the goths at.htm

1 Thessalonians v. 12, 13
... him, nor pay him court. If thou hast a wife, dost thou not love him above
all, who procured her for thee? So if thou lovest Christ ...
/.../homily x 1 thessalonians v.htm

The Story of an Opium Smoker
... her hands if no man might be found bold enough to risk the disgrace of a wife with
normal feet. A short length of white cotton material was procured, and the ...
/.../cable/the fulfilment of a dream of pastor hsis/chapter x the story of.htm