אָרַשׂ
𐤀𐤓𐤔
ʼâras
H781 verb
SILEX Entry
Definition
To contract a formal agreement for marriage, to betroth, or engage a woman for marriage, focusing on the legal act of betrothal rather than the completed marriage itself. In biblical usage, אָרַשׂ refers specifically to initiating a binding commitment between families or individuals that precedes the actual marital union. The semantic range includes the act of making a woman legally promised to a man, the period of betrothal (distinguished from full marriage), and occasionally the social or legal relationship established by such agreement.
Semantic Range
to betroth, to make a binding marriage agreement, to contract for marriage, to promise in marriage, to espouse
Root / Etymology
From the root ארשׂ, which means 'to engage or contract for marriage.' The root is rare and attested principally in forms related to engagement or betrothal. It does not share meaning with other better-known Hebrew roots for marital or sexual union, but rather pertains to the formal contractual process of engagement.
Historical & Contextual Notes
In the biblical period, betrothal (אָרַשׂ) constituted a significant legal step, often as binding as marriage itself, requiring formal dissolution if broken. The woman, once betrothed, was considered legally bound to her intended bridegroom, though she remained in her father’s household until the marriage proper. This is distinct from other Hebrew terms for taking a woman as wife (e.g., לקח ‘laqach,’ meaning 'to take [as wife]’), which describes the actual marital union. The social contract implied here was enforceable, and violation of engagement or sexual infidelity during betrothal was treated as adultery. Later translations sometimes render the term as 'espouse,' 'betroth,' or by the English term 'marriage,' but this can obscure the distinction between the binding pre-marital commitment and consummated marriage. The word is found rarely outside legal or narrative contexts on marriage customs, and its technical implications are preserved into later rabbinic law, where 'erusin' refers to the first stage of Jewish marriage (distinct from 'nissuin,' the second stage). The term is not used for post-exilic or later periods to describe the completed wedding ceremony, but only for the preliminary legally binding engagement.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
a primitive root; to engage for matrimony; betroth, espouse.
Bantu Hebrew
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ארשׂ (ʾ-r-ś) — engage, contract, betroth
Word Forms
7 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H781-07 |
וְ/אֵרַשְׂתִּ֥י/ךְ | veerasetikhe | HC/Vpq1cs/Sp2fs |
and I will betroth you | and I will betroth you | 3 |
H781-05 |
אֹרָ֖שָׂה | orasah | HVPp3fs |
betrothed | she was formally betrothed | 2 |
H781-03 |
הַ/מְאֹ֣רָשָׂ֔ה | hameorasah | HTd/VPsfsa |
the betrothed | the betrothed woman | 2 |
H781-06 |
תְאָרֵ֗שׂ | teares | HVpi2ms |
you will betroth | you will formally betroth | 1 |
H781-02 |
אֵרַ֣שְׂתִּי | eraseti | HVpp1cs |
I betrothed | I formally betrothed | 1 |
H781-04 |
מְאֹרָשָׂ֖ה | meorasah | HVPsfsa |
betrothed | formally betrothed woman | 1 |
H781-01 |
אֵרַ֤שׂ | eras | HVpp3ms |
has betrothed | he formally betrothed | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
11 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H781-05 |
Exodus 22:15 | אֹרָ֖שָׂה | orasah | HVPp3fs |
betrothed | she was formally betrothed |
H781-01 |
Deuteronomy 20:7 | אֵרַ֤שׂ | eras | HVpp3ms |
has betrothed | he formally betrothed |
H781-04 |
Deuteronomy 22:23 | מְאֹרָשָׂ֖ה | meorasah | HVPsfsa |
betrothed | formally betrothed woman |
H781-03 |
Deuteronomy 22:25 | הַ/מְאֹ֣רָשָׂ֔ה | hameorasah | HTd/VPsfsa |
who is betrothed | the betrothed woman |
H781-03 |
Deuteronomy 22:27 | הַ/מְאֹ֣רָשָׂ֔ה | hameorasah | HTd/VPsfsa |
the betrothed | the betrothed woman |
H781-05 |
Deuteronomy 22:28 | אֹרָ֔שָׂה | orasah | HVPp3fs |
betrothed | she was formally betrothed |
H781-06 |
Deuteronomy 28:30 | תְאָרֵ֗שׂ | teares | HVpi2ms |
you will betroth | you will formally betroth |
H781-02 |
2 Samuel 3:14 | אֵרַ֣שְׂתִּי | eraseti | HVpp1cs |
I betrothed | I formally betrothed |
H781-07 |
Hosea 2:21 | וְ/אֵרַשְׂתִּ֥י/ךְ | veerasetikhe | HC/Vpq1cs/Sp2fs |
and I will betroth you | and I will betroth you |
H781-07 |
Hosea 2:21 | וְ/אֵרַשְׂתִּ֥י/ךְ | veerasetikhe-2 | HC/Vpq1cs/Sp2fs |
and I will betroth you | and I will betroth you |