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

Christian Pure Team

·

Summary

  • Betrothal in Scripture was legally binding: Matthew 1:19 has Joseph planning to divorce Mary before any wedding had taken place.
  • Ruth 1:16-17, read at weddings everywhere, was said to a widowed mother-in-law with nothing to gain.
  • Malachi 2:14 names God as the witness between the couple, which is the difference between a contract and a covenant.
  • 1 Corinthians 13 was written to a congregation suing its own members — conflict instruction rather than wedding poetry, which is why it survives a real marriage.
  • Amos 3:3 makes agreement the condition of walking together rather than its fruit, and an engagement is the season for finding out how much exists.

In the Bible, an engagement was already a binding thing. Betrothal was not a period of deciding. It was a covenant with legal standing, which is why Matthew says Joseph, finding Mary pregnant before the wedding, “had in mind to divorce her quietly” (Matthew 1:19). The word used of a man who had not yet had a wedding is divorce. That one detail changes the weight we give the season, and we have gathered the eighteen passages below around it:…

Continue reading with a subscription

Get unlimited access to all our premium content and exclusive features.

Subscribe Now

Enjoy unlimited access, cancel anytime.

Bibliography (Click to show)

Scripture quotations are from the New International Version.

Betrothal’s legal standing is visible in Matthew 1:18-19, where Joseph, not yet married, considers divorce.

Paul’s setting for 1 Corinthians 13 is the congregation he addresses in 1 Corinthians 6:1-8 and 11:17-22.

The virtues Colossians 3:14 covers are listed at Colossians 3:12-13.

Discover more from Christian Pure

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading

RedditWhatsApp
Share to...
CopyLinkedInMastodonPinterestPrintRedditSMSThreadsWhatsAppBlueskyVK