Unbiblical Betrothal

Before I was married (about) two years ago, I paid a dowry, in keeping with local African tradition. This is the Biblical tradition, too. Called מֹ֫הַר in Hebrew, it was central to all Hebrew marriages, according to the International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia. Some, however, have the curious notion of exchanging rings, which naturally is thoroughly unbiblical, a vain idea copied from an emperor -- not to speak of the pagan superstition that it has to be the ring finger, the so-called vena amoris. A couple might even regard rings as a kind of insurance policy, if an engagement should be broken off -- for which there is a convenient word in Hebrew: נאַף or adultery. Christians today would further seem to have lost the plot by marrying for love, where match-making is the norm in the Bible. OBSERVATION: I have written a more serious piece on lobola (the African dowry) on this blog. The photo is one of my favourites: preparations for the lobola celebration on the same night the negotiations for my engagement were successful.