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NASB | Psalm 1:1 How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers! |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Psalm 1:1 Blessed [fortunate, prosperous, and favored by God] is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked [following their advice and example], Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit [down to rest] in the seat of scoffers (ridiculers). |
Bible Question (short): How are marriages created in the Bible |
Question (full): What constitutes a marriage? I, like many of you learned that one got married by reciting “vows” before a priest, minister or other official in a marriage ceremony. However, as far as I know, The Bible does not call for or endorse such a ritual. Simply put, The Bible shows that a man and a woman must do only two things in order to be considered “married”: Cohabitate and Consummate. I offer the following as proof: [Deuteronomy 21:10-13] tells the story of a soldier who falls in love with a woman POW (prisoner of war) and provides strict instructions for making her his wife. Chief among them is to bring her to his home (cohabitation) to live and after a month “go in unto her” (consummation). [Genesis 29:20] refers to the marriage of Jacob to Rachel and her sister Leah. Again, the crucial ingredients were cohabitation (both women were brought to Jacob’s house to live) and consummation (Jacob had relations with both women). For those who want to argue that a wedding ceremony took place first during the feast, consider this – If Jacob was “tricked” into marrying Leah (he didn’t realize it until the next morning), there could not have been a wedding ceremony involving Jacob and Leah. That’s because her father delivered Leah first to be “deflowered” by Jacob and Jacob according to The Bible, did not realize this until the next morning. [Genesis 16:2] of course is the story of Abram and Sarai in which Sarai gave her maid, Hagar to her husband to be his wife. Again the pattern holds true – Cohabitation and Consummation. [Genesis 1:27] and finally, the original marriage that started it all – Adam and Eve. Are there any examples of vow exchanging ceremonys in the Bible that I might have missed? |