Betroth
Easton's Bible Dictionary
To promise “by one’s truth.” Men and women were betrothed when they were engaged to be married. This usually took place a year or more before marriage. From the time of betrothal the woman was regarded as the lawful wife of the man to whom she was betrothed (Deut 28:30; Judg 14:2, 8; Matt 1:18-21). The term is figuratively employed of the spiritual connection between God and his people (Hos 2:19, 20).
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
be-troth', be-troth' ('dras): On betrothal as a social custom see Marriage. Hosea, in his great parable of the prodigal wife, surpassed only by a greater Teacher's parable of the Prodigal Son, uses betrothal as the symbol of Yahweh's pledge of His love and favor to penitent Israel (Hos 2:19; Hos 2:20). In Exod 21:8; Exod 21:9 the Revised Version (British and American) renders "espouse" for the "betroth" of the King James Version, the context implying the actual marriage relation.
Kilde: Easton's Bible Dictionary (M.G. Easton, 1897) og International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (red. James Orr, 1915/1939), public domain. Translated into Danish with AI and not yet proofread (fully or partially). Links to people and places: Theographic Bible Metadata (CC BY-SA 4.0).