I have been trying to find the origin of what constitutes marriage in the Bible. I have searched the words marriage, marry and married but I cannot find any place that defines any kind of origin regarding marriage. I generally use the OT as my guide in establishing the original purpose of God in matters of tradition but I am not finding a precedence at all. Of course there is the Adam and Eve example of what might be considered a wedding ceremony but that aside, what else is there?
It appears to me that marriage is a matter physical union as is described in the first use of the word marry. Gen 38:8 And Judah said to Onan, Go in to your brother's wife and marry her, and raise up seed to your brother.
But there seem to be two kinds of marriage: One in which a brother marries his sister-in-law in the case of his brothers death and another in the case of a man and woman becoming husband and wife.
Case in point: Num 36:6 This is the thing which the LORD doth command concerning the daughters of Zelophehad, saying, Let them marry to whom they think best; only to the family of the tribe of their father shall they marry.
See Strongs: for Gen 8:38 marry is H2992
יבם
yâbam
yaw-bam'
A primitive root of doubtful meaning; used only as a denominative from H2993; to marry a (deceased) brother�s widow: - perform the duty of a husband�s brother, marry.
In Numbers 36:6 it is H1961
היה
hâyâh
haw-yaw'
A primitive root (compare H1933); to exist, that is, be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary): - beacon, X altogether, be (-come, accomplished, committed, like), break, cause, come (to pass), continue, do, faint, fall, + follow, happen, X have, last, pertain, quit (one-) self, require, X use.
The first form is the feminine of H376 or H582; the second form is an irregular plural; a woman (used in the same wide sense as H582).: - [adulter]ess, each, every, female, X many, + none, one, + together, wife, woman. Often unexpressed in English.
I suppose this would literally mean "to cause a woman to become a wife"?
In either case there is no mention of what constitutes a marriage.
So is the Christian view of the of what constitutes a marriage derived from a traditional view or from actual scripture?
