Betrothal (Bible)

Biblical Texts

In the Old Testament, betrothal appears mainly in the law. Deuteronomy 20:7 directs that a man who "hath betrothed a wife, and hath not taken her" be sent home rather than go to war. Deuteronomy 22:23–27 treats the violation of a betrothed virgin in the same way as the violation of a married woman. In 2 Samuel 3:14, David demands the return of Michal, "which I espoused to me for an hundred foreskins of the Philistines."

In the New Testament, betrothal appears in the account of the Annunciation. Luke 1:27 introduces Mary as "a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David." According to Matthew 1:18–19, Mary was betrothed to Joseph of Nazareth and conceived by the Holy Spirit before they came together, and Joseph, being a just man, "was minded to put her away privily."

Background

In ancient Israel, betrothal was not a mere promise; it was the first stage of a legally binding marriage. The groom's family paid the bride's family a bride-price called the mohar (Exodus 22:16–17). Jacob paid this price with seven years of labor instead (Genesis 29). A betrothed woman was regarded as the man's wife even before they lived together. Ending the relationship therefore required a procedure equivalent to divorce, and the phrase "put her away" in Matthew 1:19 is read against this background. Later Jewish writings preserve regulations that set a period of preparation between betrothal and the actual wedding; in the case of a virgin, this period is reported to have been about twelve months.

Significance in the Whole Bible

The prophets compared the relationship between God and Israel to a marriage. In Hosea 2:19–20, God says, "I will betroth thee unto me for ever; yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in lovingkindness, and in mercies"; the verb used here is aras (to betroth). The New Testament carries this image over to the relationship between Jesus Christ and the church. In 2 Corinthians 11:2, Paul writes, "I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ." Revelation 19:7 and 21:2 depict the marriage of the Lamb and the New Jerusalem "prepared as a bride adorned for her husband." Betrothal is a relationship that is already binding but not yet complete. For this reason, many interpreters read it as a picture of the church's situation as it awaits the Second Coming of Christ.

Interpretation and Points of Debate

• The marriage of Mary and Joseph: The Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church teach that Mary remained a virgin throughout her life, and they understand her marriage to Joseph accordingly. Most Protestants reject this doctrine on the basis of Matthew 1:25 and the passages concerning Jesus' brothers, although some of the Reformers did accept it.
• Traditions not found in the text: The tradition that Joseph was an elderly widower is generally traced to the second-century apocryphal Protevangelium of James and similar works; it does not appear in the Bible. Claims that Mary was in her early teens or that she faced the danger of being stoned are likewise inferences drawn from the customs of the time and from Deuteronomy 22, not statements made directly by the text.
• Sermon illustrations from wedding customs: A widely used sermon illustration draws on a "Jewish wedding custom" in which the groom prepares a dwelling in his father's house and then comes to fetch his bride, applying it to John 14:2–3 and the Rapture. Scholars disagree, however, over whether this reconstruction of the custom reflects first-century practice.

In the Korean Church

The New Korean Revised Version renders this concept with two words, yakhon and jeonghon. In Advent and Christmas sermons, the obedience of Joseph, who took Mary as his wife after she conceived during their betrothal, is a frequent theme. The concept also underlies the image of the church as "the bride of Christ."