30. Bride Chosen by Parents

Narrator: Chris Genthree
 •  1 min. read  •  grade level: 10
Listen from:
• BibleTruthPublishers.com
Genesis 24:44But thou shalt go unto my country, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son Isaac. (Genesis 24:4). Thou shalt go unto my country, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son Isaac.
The bridegroom does not make choice of his bride; the parents negotiate this important business between themselves, and the young people are expected to acquiesce in the arrangement. In this instance Abraham sends a trusty servant hundreds of miles away to select for his son a wife whom he never saw. Hagar chose a wife for Ishmael (Gen. 21:2121And he dwelt in the wilderness of Paran: and his mother took him a wife out of the land of Egypt. (Genesis 21:21)). Isaac gave command to Jacob on this important subject (Gen. 28:11And Isaac called Jacob, and blessed him, and charged him, and said unto him, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan. (Genesis 28:1)). Judah selected a wife for Er (Gen. 38:66And Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, whose name was Tamar. (Genesis 38:6)). Young men who chose wives for themselves without parental mediation usually afflicted their parents in so doing (Gen. 26:35; 27:4635Which were a grief of mind unto Isaac and to Rebekah. (Genesis 26:35)
46And Rebekah said to Isaac, I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth: if Jacob take a wife of the daughters of Heth, such as these which are of the daughters of the land, what good shall my life do me? (Genesis 27:46)). The sons, however, had sometimes the privilege of suggesting their personal preferences to their parents. Thus Shechem did (Gen. 34:44And Shechem spake unto his father Hamor, saying, Get me this damsel to wife. (Genesis 34:4)) and also Samson (Judg. 14:22And he came up, and told his father and his mother, and said, I have seen a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines: now therefore get her for me to wife. (Judges 14:2)).