' the institution of marriage was for the above said purpose'

'Perhaps you missed this the first time, of skimming it, and not comprehending it.' - no I didn't and I resent your (usual) patronizing condescension.

'In fact, there is surprisingly little discussion in the Hebrew or New Testament scriptures about what a marriage actually is.
A search for the words 'marriage', 'marry' or 'wife' in the Bible yield numerous verses. Yet virtually none of these discusses exactly what a marriage is

There are cases where the emphasis is on making sure the Israelites do not marry foreigners such as in Nehemiah 13:27 "Shall we then listen to you and do all this great evil and act treacherously against our God by marrying foreign women?

There are also instances where a marriage is seen as a way of forming alliances as in 2 Chronicles 18:1

Leviticus 18:18 instructs men that "you shall not take a woman as a rival to her sister, uncovering her nakedness while her sister is still alive."

In the vast majority of cases where it is discussed in the Hebrew scriptures marriage is presented as a rather one-sided transaction. Daughters are usually seen as objects 'given' in marriage by their fathers. Genesis 34:21 states "let us take their daughters in marriage, and let us give them our daughters". '


'Though the mores,and values have changed....' yes they have !