Posted on 11/21/2012 4:23:01 PM PST by Altariel
While I would not be surprised if that were true, I was unable to confirm that from a biblical passage. If this based on tradition or is there something specific in the Bible that supports this?
I did calculate that Josiah, one of Israel’s better kings, was about 14 when he had his first son. Of course he also was established in his career at an early age with no financial issues. I also noticed when he died he was replaced with his second born who he had when he was 16. I wonder if his first son was out of wedlock and was denied the throne for that reason. It also says Josiah began to seek God when he was 16.
I have studied this topic in the Bible and found very little information on age expectations when it comes to marriage. Josiah is the most informative. Other than that I see the terms man and woman are interchangeable with husband and wife in both the old and new testaments. It seems to me the idea or concept of adolescence is absent from the Bible. There are infants, children and adults (which implies being of marriage age). The fact that very specific prohibitions of sexual relations are listed (Leviticus 18), the absence of age requirements is quite surprising to me. My opinion is that teenage marriage was normative. Of course Paul encouraged celibacy or delay of marriage for believers who were able to focus on serving God and not fall into the sin of fornication.
Other than Josiah, the account of Anna seems to indicate a marriage at a young age. I am curious as to your source for the age of Rebecca.
Got the info from a local Rabbi, several years ago.
Apparently that would have been the latest age he would have waited for before going to get her, according to the customs of the time.
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