19 Bible Verses for an Engagement, and Why Betrothal Was Already Binding

In the Bible an engagement, called betrothal, was already binding. Matthew says that Joseph, finding Mary pregnant before the wedding, “had in mind to divorce her quietly” (Matthew 1:19), and the same verse calls him “Joseph her husband.” The law of Moses treated a betrothed woman as a man’s wife (Deuteronomy 22:23-24), and a man pledged to a woman but not yet married was excused from battle (Deuteronomy 20:7). The nineteen verses below are grouped around that promise: what is…