Come together

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In the ancient Jewish wedding, the first stage of marriage was called the kiddushin or erusin. During this state, the couple was considered married but did not physically live together. At the betrothal, a written document was drawn up called the ketubah (meaning that which is written). Included in this document are provisions and promises of both the bridegroom and bride. Additionally, penalties for breaking the covenant were included too. We can see this example in this in the “do’s” and “don’t” written in the Ten Commandments -- which was also considered a Ketubah between YHVH and Israel.

The elements of the marriage contract (ketubah) consisted of two parts; the bride price (mohar) and the bride’s gift (dowry). The bride price was usually negotiated between the bridegroom and the bride’s father, in which the father would receive all of it. This might seem like an arranged financial proposition for the father but the intent of the mohar was to prove that the bridegroom was capable of financially supporting his daughter. The second part is called the dowry. This was a gift to the bride, usually part of her inheritance, given to her by her father to equip the bride for her new life.

Another tradition of a Hebrew wedding is called the nissuin. This was a stage after the betrothal in which the father of the bride or the father of the groom would decide when he could reunite with his bride. Often the nissuin would last 1-2 years. During this period, the groom and his father would build a dwelling place for him and his bride. Once the dwelling place was complete, the groom would unexpectedly arrive to his father-n-laws to take his bride.

Unlike to today, during ancient times, many Jewish fathers would give their daughters up for marriage around the time they reached puberty. The groom however, in most circumstances was much older than his bride to be. Now with the daughters being promised at such a young age, the father often encouraged provisions and clauses in the ketubah. These provisions included an extended period (nissuin - usually 1-2 years) of time before the groom and the bride could reunite. It was during this period, that the mother would teach her daughter about the life, marriage, children, and sex.

When we put all this together, we can begin to piece the puzzle on the difficult words of Yeshua’s natural birth. It is my guess that Mary was probably young in her age (almah). Perhaps she had just come into her puberty. For this reason, her parents probably insisted that she followed the nissuin tradition, which required a time of separation before she could come together (Sunerchomai in the Greek) with her promised husband Joseph. The Holy Ghost did not impregnate a married woman, but influence Mary that it was time for her to break off the nissuin and come together with Joseph so she could consummate her marriage. Why did G-d influence Mary to end the nissuin and have intercourse with her husband Joseph? Because everything is based on YHVH timing and his moedim. Shall I say, the stars were lined up perfectly?

With this knowledge, let’s put it in perspective and fit the pieces of the puzzle of the so-called virgin birth interpretation.

Matthew 1:16-25 16 Jacob became the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, from whom (Joseph & Mary) was born (Gennao, procreated or begotten as a property of the father or sire, Joseph, as stated) Yeshua, who is called Messiah. 17 So all the (Male) generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; from David to the exile to Babylon fourteen generations; and from the carrying away to Babylon to the Messiah, fourteen generations (of males). 18 Now the birth of Messiah Yeshua was like this; because when his mother, Mary, had been espoused (G3423, "mnesteno", promised wife) to Joseph, before they came together (Strong's #4905, [b]Sunerchomai, Live together on a daily basis or cohabitate[/b]), she was found pregnant by the [mental or Spiritual influence of the] Holy Spirit [that resided within her mind].

It is also a possibility that the Jewish oral law during that era felt differently and viewed premarital sex outside a signed ketubah was a sin. Perhaps this is why Joseph said the following: Mat 1:19, "Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly."