Dictionary:חתן – התחתן/0

חתן / התחתן

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חתן / התחתן

Part of Speech	Verb
Occurrences	11
Possible Meanings	Contracting of a marital relationship
Related Words	חָתָן, חֹתֵן

Possible Meanings

1. Contracting of a marital relationship

The verb hitchaten (התחתן, the hitpael of חתן) denotes the contracting of a marital relationship. In Tanakh, the woman is not מתחתנת‎¹ but rather the parties who are mitchaten (מתחתן) are either:

• The חֹתֵן (father of the bride) and the חָתָן (son-in-law) – see Bereshit 34:9, Shemuel I 18:22-27, Melakhim I 3:1; or
• The חֹתֵן (father of the bride) and the father of the groom – see Devarim 7:3, Divrei HaYamim II 18:1.

• Biblical verses –
• Additional data –

Semantic Evolution

Intra-Biblical

Rabbinic Hebrew

Modern Hebrew

In Tanakh, in contrast to Modern Hebrew, hitchaten (התחתן) is not used to describe the forming of the marital relationship between the bride and groom (but rather נשא or לקח are used), as it was the father of the bride and not the bride herself who was the active party in the marital contract. This has ramifications for the Biblical meanings of חָתָן, חֹתֵן and חוֹתֶנֶת.

¹ See below that the Biblical verbs which refer to marrying a woman are לקח or נשא.