Marriage Contract
In the month of Tishri, that is Epeiph, year four of Darius the king, then in Elephantine the fortress, Ananiah son of Haggai, an Aramean of Elephantine the fortress of the detachment of Iddinnabu, said to Zaccur son of Meshullam, an Aramean of Syene of the same detachment, as follows:
I came to you in your house and asked you for the woman named…
This marriage contract is from 420 BCE; in it, Ananiah, son of Haggai, marries Jehoishma, the sister of Zaccur, declaring, “She is my wife and I am her husband from this day forever.” The contract includes penalties if either Ananiah or Jehoishma repudiates the marriage by declaration, by taking another spouse, or by refusing sexual relations.
Related Guide
The Ancient Near Eastern Background of Biblical Law
Biblical law was influenced by the legal collections of its powerful neighbors, especially the Babylonians and Assyrians.
