Explication of the Judicial Laws of Moses, Part 1 · Chapter 33
CHAPTER XXXIII. Of their Marriages.
IVDG. 14. 7. And he went downe and talked with the woman, and ſhe pleaſed Sampſon well, and after a time he returned to take her.
THey had their Sponſalia de futuro, & de praeſenti; de futuro, as Lots ſonnes in law were but affianced to his daughters, they were not as yet married,foreign accepturi filias cius. [Lokehhe benathau] accipientes uxores, ſhould be interpreted, Brevi pòſt accepturi, for they knew not as yet a man, Verſ. 8. So Deut. 20. 7. What is there that hath betrothed a wife, and hath not taken her. So Ioſeph and Marie were affianced, ſee Deut. 22. 24.
Betwixt their affiance and their marriage there intervened a time. Iudg. 14. 7. And he went downe and talked with the woman. This was for the affiancing; and Verſ. 8. After a time he returned againe to take her; that is, to marry her: the firſt time that he went downe he killed the Lyon; and the ſecond time when he went downe to the marriage, he found honey in the Lyons belly. After ſome dayes, cannot be underſtood of a yeare, that a whole yeare intervened betwixt their affiancing and their marriage; when the word Dies, is putWhen the word [Day] ſignifieth a yeare, and when a monethmonth. in the plurall number, and ſome leſſe number following it, then it ſignifieth a yeare, and the leſſe number ſignifieth moneths; as Gen. 24. 55. Let her abide with us dayes or ten; that is, a yeare of dayes, or at the leaſt ten moneths. So 1 Sam. 27. 7. David abode with the Philiſtims dayes and foure moneths; that is, a yeare of dayes and foure moneths; ſo Ezek. 1. 1. in the thirtieth yeare, in the fourth, in the fift of the monethmonth; that is, in the fourthDayes abſolutely ſet downe in the Scripture ſignifie an infinite time. monethmonth, in the fift day of the monethmonth; but when dayes are put alone, they ſignifie an indefinite time, and not an yeare; ſo Gen. 40. 4. Fuerunt dies in cuſtodia, that is, a certaine time; ſo Lev 28. 29. He ſhall redeeme it within dayes, that is, within the time that he and the man to whom he had morgaged the houſe agreed upon. So Iudg. 14. 8. After dayes he returned to take her, that is, after a few dayes, and not after a whole yeare; the preparation of a whole yeare, was enough for a Kings marriage.
Sponſalia de praeſenti, were, when he ſaid I take thee to my wife in the preſent.
The time of their marriages was in the night, Mat. 25. 6 At midnight the Virgines came to wait for the bridegroomes returning with their Lamps in their hands; ſo Luk. 12. 36.
Marriages of old were made three manner of wayes, the firſt was called Vſucapio, the ſecond, conſarreatio, and the third was called coemptio.
Per uſum, vel uſucapio, when a man married a maidePer uſum, vel uſucapio. which had ſtayed almoſt a yeare with him; the example which moſt reſembleth this in the Scripture, was thatPer confarreationem. of David, when he was old he tooke Abiſhaig to him, 1 King. 1. 2.
Per confarreationem, when the bridegroome marriedBriſſonius de ritu nuptiarnm. the bride, the bridegroome tooke a Cake of bread, and brake it betwixt him and the bride, or ſome Corne, and put betwixt their hands; to ſignifie that they were to breake bread, and to liue together in mutuall ſocietie; Hoſea alludeth to this forme, Cap. 2. 3. I bought her for Alluſion.an Homer of Barley. So Ieſus Chriſt the husband of his Church, married her per confarreationem, putting the bread in her hand, and marrying her to himſelfe in the Sacrament, to ſignifie that he would dwell with her for ever.
The third ſort was per coemptionem, for it was thePer coemptionem. manner of old, that the bridegroome bought the bride for ſo much, and the bride gaue little or no dowrie to the bridegroome; ſo the ſonnes of Sichem bought Dina, Gen. 34. 12. Aske me never ſo much dowrie and I will The man gaue the dowrie and not the woman.giuegive it: ſo David bought Michol, Sauls daughter for ſo many foreskins of the Philiſtims, 1 Sam. 18. 25. And Iacob ſerved ſeven yeares for Rachel. The bride brought onelyonly Donationes, vel paraphernalia, as chaines, bracelets, Gen. 24. but the dowrie which they gaue was but a ſmall thing, 1 King. 9. 16. it is ſaid that Pharaoh tookePharaoh giving Gezar to Salomon, it was a preſent and not a dowrie. Gezar from the Philiſtims, and gaue it to Salomon for a preſent, it ſhould not be tranſlated for a dowrie. Exod. 22. 17. He ſhall pay money according to the dowrie of Virgins; which is but a little ſumme, fiftie ſhekels, Deut. 22. 29. Thus Chriſt bought his ſpouſe with his bloud, Act. 20. 29. ſhe was a poore Damſell, and had nothing to giuegive.
As their marriages were made by one of theſe threeMarriages diſſolved after the ſame manner they were made. Ceremonies, per uſum, confarreationem, & coemptionem; So amongſt the Romanes, the marriage was diſſolved afterVſurpatio. Diffarreatio. Renuncipatio. the ſame manner. The firſt was diſſolved uſurpatione, if the woman whom he had married (being his maide before) had ſtayed but three nights from her husband, then by the Romane law he might put her away; the ſecond was diſſolved diffarreatione, they brake bread and ſo departed; the third was diſſolved renuncipatione, they tooke their hands aſunder and ſo departed; this the Greekes called foreign, and the Latines, Divortium.
The Ceremonies which they uſed in their Marriagesforeign Poſtulationes Sponſaliorum, Sponſalia ſacra ob matrimonium. were theſe; firſt, he put a Ring upon her finger; the Hebrewes called this [Tebhignoth Keduſhim] and he ſaid, be thou my wife according to the law of Moſes and of Iſrael, and this he did before witneſſes; this was called Subarrhatio, this Ring was put upon the fourth finger of the left hand, becauſe a veine commeth from the heart to that finger, as the Phyſitians ſay.
The day when the bride was married, ſhee tooke the vaile off her face, this was called foreign, and the gifts which were given that day, were called foreign; before ſhe was married, ſhe put a vaile upon her face, and this was called foreign, and the gifts which were given to her before the marriage were called foreign.
The ſolemnities in the marriages were theſe; firſt,Divers ſolemnities uſed at the marriage. they put a crowne upon the head of the bridegroome, and then upon the bride, and the crowne was made of Roſes, Mirtle, and Ivie, and the mother of the bridegroome put this crowne upon his head. Cant. 3. 11. Goe forth, O yee daughters of Sion, and behold King Salomon with the crowne wherewith his mother crowned him in the day of his eſpouſals, and in the day of the gladneſſe of his heart.
This crowne wherewith the bride and the bridegroome were crowned, was but a corruptible crowne; but that crowne, which we ſhall get in the life to come,foreign non pollutus, eſt & nomen gemmae ſic dictae quod in ignem conjectae non conſumatur. fadeth not, nor falleth not away, 1 Pet. 1. 4. foreign is a precious ſtone, which if yee caſt it in the fire it never conſumeth; ſo foreign flos amoris, a flower that never fadeth.foreign immarceſſibilis, nunquam marceſcens, flos quidam ſic dictus quod non marceſcat.
In their marriages they had thoſe who accompanied the bridegroome, and they were called Socij ſponſi, the children of the wedding; and the Greekes foreign or foreign a foreign, circuire. All the time of the wedding they might doe nothing but attend the bridegroome, they might not faſt in the time of the marriage nor mourne, Mat. 9. 15. Can the children of the wedding mourne ſo long as the bridegroome is with them?
He who chiefly attended the bridegroome was calledWho was the bridegroomes friend. foreign, ſuch a one was he to whom Sampſons wife was given, who was called his companion, the Chaldie called him [Shuſhebhinah] Pronubus or auſpex; this wasforeign Pronubus, Auſpex. not a friendly part in Sampſons companion to take the bride from him, for he that hath the bride is the bridegroome, but the friend of the bridegroome which ſtandeth and heareth him, rejoyceth greatly, becauſe of the voice of the bridegroome, Ioh. 3. 29. So in the ſpirituall marriage the Preachers who are Auſpices or Pronubi, ſhould not ſeeke the bride to themſelues, ſeeking themſelues and their owne prayſe, but let the bridegroome hauehave the bride.
They who were foreign, brought the bride intoVVhat was the chiefe office of the bridegroomes friend. the tent of the bridegroomes mother, to fignifie now that ſhe ſhould be in that ſame place that his mother was in, Gen. 24. 67. They brought her into the tent of Sara, and ſo the bride brought the bridegroome into her mothers chamber, Cant. 3. 4. I held him and would not let him goe, untill I had brought him to my fathers houſe, and to the chambers of her that conceived me; ſhe brought him into her mothers tent, to ſignifie that ſhe ſhould leaue father and mother and cleaue unto her husband.
They did two things after the marriage, firſt they bleſſed them, and then they ſang foreign, a marriage ſong, rejoycing for their marriage.
Firſt, they bleſſed them, Ruth 4. 11. All the people that The manner of bleſſing the bridegroome.were in the gates, and the Elders ſaid, we are all witneſſes; and the bleſſing was this, the Lord make the woman that is come into thine houſe, like Rachel and like Leah, which two did build the houſe of Iſrael, and doe thou worthily in Ephrata, and be thou famous in Bethlehem: This was the bleſſing given to the bride. And againe, Verſ. 12. Let thy houſe be like the houſe of Pharez (whom Tamar bare unto Iuda) of the ſeede which the Lord ſhall giuegive thee of this young woman: This was the bleſſing which they gaue to the bridegroome.
They prayed, the Lord make thee like Rachel; it wasThe explanation of the bleſſing. their manner in their bleſſings to alledge the examples of thoſe who had beene happie and proſperous, and ſo when they curſed any body, they brought forth the example of the moſt wretched and miſerable creatures, Ierem. 30. 21. The Lord make thee like Zedekiah and like Ahab, whom the King of Babylon roſted in the fire; ſuch was the curſe pronounced againſt the adulterous woman, Num. 5. 2. The Lord make thee an oath and a curſe among thy people.
The Lord make thee like Rachel and Leah: Why likeVVhy Rachel and Lea are taken for examples in the bleſſing. Rachel and Leah? Becauſe theſe two came out of their Countrey with their husbands, and left their Parents, ſo did Ruth with Naomi to get a husband; ſecondly, like Rachel and Leah, becauſe theſe two ſought children of their husbands modeſtly, Gen. 30. 1. and verſ. 16. So did Ruth of Boaz. Thirdly, why like Rachel and Leah, and not like Bilhah and Zilpah? Becauſe theſe two were but handmaids, and they were not the mothers of many children, as Rachel and Leah. Fourthly, why firſt like Rachel and then like Leah? Becauſe Rachel was more beloved than Leah. Fiftly, why like Rachel and Leah, and not like Sara and Rebecca? Becauſe there came of them the Iſmaelites, who were not of the Church, as well as the Iſraelites.
Doe thou worthily in Ephrata: in the Hebrew it is fac To doe worthily is to doe vertuouſly.virtutem; the Hebrewes put vertue for the ſubſtance gotten by vertuous doing, Pſal. 49. He ſhall leaue his ſubſtance behinde him; in the originall it is, he ſhall leaue his vertue behinde; and Prov. 31. Fecerunt potentiam, id est, comparârunt opes.
Let thy houſe be like the houſe of Pharez; becauſe there were fiue families in the Tribe of Iuda, and Pharez was the chiefe of them, Num. 26. 20. They pray then firſt that they may hauehave children; ſecondly, that they may hauehave meanes to maintaine and bring up their children; and thirdly, that they may liue in credit among their people.
After the marriage they did ſing epithalamium, a ſongWhat ſong they ſung after the marriage. of prayſe in commendation of the Bride-groome and Brid, Pſal. 45. ſo Pſal. 77. your virgins were not praiſed, that is, they were not married: and the houſe of marriage the Iewes called it [beth hillel,] domus laudis.
The morrow after the marriage the Bridegroome came forth out of his bride-chāber in great pomp with his Bride, out under the vaile; and theſe who heard hisforeign voice rejoyced becauſe then the marriage was conſummated: and David alludeth to this, Pſal. 19. for as the Bridegroome made glad the hearts of his friends when he came out of his Tent or covering; ſo the Sunne whenAn anologie betwixt the Sunne riſing and the Bridegroomes comming out of his chamber the morrow after his marriage. he commeth out of his chamber gladdeth the earth: his going out is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit to the end of it. Luk. 1. Chriſt is called foreign, the Sunne riſing from the Eaſt, that Sunne of righteouſneſſe comming out of the boſome of his Father, and out of his bed-chamber riſing in the Eaſt, did ſhine upon the Iewes in the South, and next upon us Gentiles in the North, Cant. 7. 9.
The concluſion of this is. We are married to IeſusConcluſion. 1. Chriſt per confarreationem, when he giues us the bleſſed Sacrament, therefore let us come worthily to it, that we take it not as Iudas did the ſoppe, Ioh. 13. for that will make diffarreationem, or foreign, a divorce from him for ever.
Secondly, we are married to him per coemptionem, Concluſion. 2.what was the Church when he married her? She was blacke like the Tents of Kedar: Miriam and Aaron grudged againſt Moſes becauſe of the Ethipian woman whom he had married Numb. 12. 1. ſo was his Church Cant. 1. 5. I am blacke, but yet if ſhee had beene rich, which is a ſecond beautie, it had beene ſomething; but being both blacke and poore, there was a hard matter for the Lord to marrie her. A certaine woman being asked what dowrie ſhe gaue to her husband, ſhe anſwered that ſhe ſhould keepe her ſelfe chaſt unto him onelyonly, as a chaſt ſpouſe. So we having nothing to beſtow upon him, but he having pittie upon us when we were naked and uncomely, let us ſtudie to meete him with heartie affection againe, and not to fall a whoring after other gods, which if we doe he will make us comely as the curtaines of Salomon.
Thirdly, they ſung praiſes and rejoyced at the marriageConcluſion. 3. of the Bridegroome and the Bride. So let us bee glad and rejoyce, and giuegive honour unto him, for the marriage of the Lambe is come, and his wife hath made her ſelfe readie, Revel. 19. 7.