What's the difference between 'taking a wife'...?

Question

and consummating the marriage?

Answer 1

Semantics, Orac. Although, there could be another interpretation - 'taking a wife' could mean accepting a woman who has been offered by her parents (or more accurately her father). Consummation comes after the formality of ceremony, and is, and always has been, getting stuck into it like rabbits.

Answer 2

Back in the time of Lot and all of them taking a wife meant laying with her in bed as the two became one flesh and today it still means the same thing. Even the marriage ceremony(traditional) talks of the two becoming one. So it is that they are both the same it is just that there did not used to be the wedding ceremony.

Answer 3

its all about the culture. ofcourse many religons, especially chrisitanity believe the marriage isn't offical till the couple has sex. other cultures don't believe its official till the wife gives birth. in the story of persephone and hades, she had to eat the seeds to be connected to the underwold and hades. having sex is just a norm for some religions thats all. but in every culture/religion, the marriage must be made official somehow; food, sex, children, vos, ceremony, etc... all depends on your beliefs. i personally think a marriage is legit if the two agrees that its legit. how would a coulpe being offically married if one has aids, or some other scenerio where sex isn't an option?

Answer 4

You see, in the days when the Bible was written, men would go to what they called "Wife Pounds". They would look through the women and pick the cutest, most obedient one. They would then take her home, knock her up, and lock her in the house until she died. It says all this in the Bible.

Answer 5

consummating is when you have sex together. catholic marraiges can still be anulled if not consummated.

Answer 6

I suppose you could "take" her in the possessive or spiritual sense without actually "taking" her sexually.