Types of Marriage

The Israelites practiced two different types of marriage, depending on the purpose of the marriage relationship. The most common strategy of marriage was endogamy—marriage within the kinship group. The goal of this type of marriage was to produce an heir and a lineage. This type of marriage provided the benefit of keeping women and property within the family (Hiebert, “Whence Shall Help Come to Me,” 134–35). In early Israel, endogamy was limited to the “extended family”—members of the same tribe. However, by the late postexilic period, the family was extended to include the whole family of Israel. This redefinition of “family marriage” served to solidify the communal identity of the postexilic community in opposition to its many non-Judaean neighbors (e.g., Ezra 9–10; Neh 13).

The other marriage strategy practiced among the ancient Israelites is exogamy—marriage outside the kinship group. The goal of this type of marriage was to form personal relations and alliances with other kinship groups. The biblical story of Shechem and Dinah (Gen 34) provides an example of this type of marriage, as Shechem and Dinah’s brothers claim that the marriage will make the people of Shechem and the family of Jacob “one people” (Gen 34:16). Many of Solomon’s marriages were designed to expand the kingdom and avoid military conflict.