Once thing that we see in Scripture, and indeed in many societies, is the entire concept of ‘bride price’ and ‘dowry’. These concepts are frequently reviled as ‘purchasing a bride’… casting the status of women down to something bought and sold. But for those of us who are dedicated to following Scripture where it leads, and not prejudging Scripture with our own cultural assumptions.
And Scripture clearly gives, at least as example, that the groom (or his father) are to come to the marriage with ‘a gift’ or ‘a dowry’; a ‘bride price’ (Strongs 4119).
The society wrought by God and illustrated in the Old Testament (however imperfectly) was a far different society from that of today. Instead of pervasive government involvement they had a government that was almost entirely out of the individuals life (the advent of a king increased his involvement). There was no ‘social security’ or ‘medicaid’. The family was what provided security for the individual. Thus when a father had sons, he had produced something which would continue his family line, and provide for him and his wife in their old age. (It is from this that you get some of the prejudices we see, for example, in China, where they kill the girl children).
The family with girls, on the other hand, was in a different position, with the girls faced with going away to their husbands families. Thus provision was made (in the law of God) for a ‘price’ that was paid from the groom (or his family) to the Brides family… making up (in small part) for the loss they would suffer of a productive member of their family. Indeed, in a family with all girls, they were faced with a catastrophe… the loss of the name of the father. This situation was to be resolved with the marriage of the widow (where possible) to a brother of the dead man, to raise up a son to the (dead) brothers name.[1] Or where this was not possible, then the inheritance was to pass through the daughters (or, where there were no daughters, to the closest male relative) so that the family name could continue.[2]


Reading in Proverbs 31 we read:
Pro 31:10 Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.

There is no way of translating this particular law and these customs to today’s society; which lacks so many pieces of a Biblical society (including Biblical land ownership and inheritance). But regardless, at the point of ‘proposal’ it would be appropriate for the father of the groom to announce any major ‘gift’ (ie. Not a toaster) that he proposes to give. Given our societal differences, it would perhaps not be inappropriate for him to give a gift of land, house, etc. to the new young couple, who, given the lack of societal supports, will have to form much more of a ‘household’ at the beginning of the marriage than did the patriarchs.[3]