Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.
Matthew 1:18-19

If Joseph and Mary were only engaged and not married yet, how could Joseph divorce her?

In modern American culture, when two people get engaged to be married, either one of them can change their mind at any time and call the whole thing off. Biblical Hebrew culture is different. Betrothal is not the same as engagement. In fact, God treats engagement almost the same as marriage. If a man has relations with a woman who is betrothed to another man, the penalty is the same as if she were married: death. The only way to end a Biblical betrothal is through divorce.

From Jay Carper at American Torah, http://www.AmericanTorah.com.

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