Jewish Wedding Customs III: The Procession and Consummation

In Jewish tradition, the groom would travel to the bride’s home late at night. The bride would be anxiously awaiting her groom to come for her. In ancient Middle Eastern customs, before the wedding, the groom would have young friends serve as “companions” who would celebrate and drink with him for several days before setting off to get the bride. Therefore, the groom’s arrival was often unannounced, and the bride did not know the exact time he would arrive, so she always had to be ready. However, the bride knew the approximate time, so during those days, she would get dressed up every day and wait with her bridesmaids with their lamps lit. Because the exact time of the groom’s arrival was uncertain, the bridesmaids had to prepare a lot of oil to ensure their lamps would be lit when he arrived. This is the scene of the bridesmaids waiting for the groom described in Matthew 25.

When the groom’s procession arrived outside the city gates, it would stop there. The best man would then be sent to the bride’s house to announce the groom’s arrival. The best man would run ahead of the groom, blowing a ram’s horn to declare the groom’s arrival in the city. “At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the groom! Come out to meet him!'” (Matthew 25:6). At this point, the bride, her bridesmaids, and the wedding procession would all meet with the groom. After the groom greeted the bride, the bride would sit in a small palanquin and wear a veil during the procession, in remembrance of Rebekah covering her face with a veil when she first met Isaac (Genesis 24:65). The wedding party would then take the bride and her entourage back to the groom’s father’s house for the consummation of the marriage.

The consummation ceremony, also known as “home taking,” means “to lift up, to bear, to take away, to carry off.” All Jewish weddings must have two witnesses. One witness is prepared for the bride, and one is prepared for the groom. Witnesses are frequently mentioned in the Israelite books of law, requiring two to bear testimony. In the New Testament, two witnesses also appear in the Book of Revelation before Jesus’s return.

During the wedding, a Jewish rabbi would bless the newlywed couple. The couple would stay in a wedding tent for seven days, after which they would return and begin the wedding feast with the guests. The official wedding feast was usually held at the groom’s home and often took place in the evening. A wedding director or friend would coordinate the feast. From a Jewish perspective, refusing a wedding invitation was considered an insult, and guests were expected to wear wedding attire. For Christians, the glorious reunion of Jesus Christ with the saints in heaven is also likened to the “wedding supper of the Lamb” (Revelation 19:9). After several days of celebration, the bride and groom would begin their life together as husband and wife. In the future, Christians will live with the Groom, Jesus, in the new heaven and new earth, the New Jerusalem.

In the Old Testament, the Lord Jesus is frequently portrayed as the husband of Israel, and Israel is the wife of the Lord (Isaiah 54:5-6; Hosea 2:16). God gave Israel the marriage covenant—the books of the Law—and Israel accepted His covenant. In the New Testament, the church is the bride of Jesus Christ. “I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him” (2 Corinthians 11:2). The Lord’s departure was to prepare a place for us, just as the groom prepares a place for his bride. He will return to take His holy and mature bride to enter the wedding supper of the Lamb together.

References

The Chinese Union Version of the Bible; A Comprehensive Biblical Interpretation

Perry Stone, “Unlocking the Jewish Wedding”

“Zhu Nei Xin Xun” (In-Lord Information), “Jewish Weddings Are So Beautiful”

Pastor Nicole Ji Si, “The Bride in the End Times: An Eight-Part Series on the Bride’s Journey from the Jewish Wedding”