Covenants also exist - we make agreements (verbal, written, and just generally understood). And people obviously make covenants to marry - a man and a woman make a conscious decision to marry. Sometimes money changes hands in a formal agreement. Sometimes there are vows. All sorts of covenants / agreements exist.
Here is a GREAT example...
(Genesis 29:18-30) And Jacob loved Rachel; and said, I will serve thee seven years for Rachel thy younger daughter. And Laban said, It is better that I give her to thee, than that I should give her to another man: abide with me. And Jacob served seven years for Rachel; and they seemed unto him but a few days, for the love he had to her. And Jacob said unto Laban, Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I may go in unto her. And Laban gathered together all the men of the place, and made a feast. And it came to pass in the evening, that he took Leah his daughter, and brought her to him; and he went in unto her. And Laban gave unto his daughter Leah Zilpah his maid for an handmaid. And it came to pass, that in the morning, behold, it was Leah: and he said to Laban, What is this thou hast done unto me? did not I serve with thee for Rachel? wherefore then hast thou beguiled me? And Laban said, It must not be so done in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn. Fulfil her week, and we will give thee this also for the service which thou shalt serve with me yet seven other years. And Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week: and he gave him Rachel his daughter to wife also. And Laban gave to Rachel his daughter Bilhah his handmaid to be her maid. And he went in also unto Rachel, and he loved also Rachel more than Leah, and served with him yet seven other years.
Oh Edward, I love you brother but what the hell was that discombobulated mish mash?
I love you too man. Remember, I can please some of the people some of the time, but I can't please all the people all of the time.
Did I detect a huge dollop of Creation Ideal in there?
NO!!! Stay on topic.
Your big problem though is that you skipped the part where divorce ends the one flesh.
No, because we are talking about what MAKES one flesh NOT what separates one flesh.
You skipped the part where every verse you quoted used the phrase the one flesh.
That is because sex is one flesh.
All sorts of Laws apply differently to the Levites but even so that passage says nothing about how a Levite forms a marriage with that virgin.
I quoted those verses because I said this... "We also know that a harlot was common in the Bible." Remember the verse says... Leviticus 21:14 A widow, or a divorced woman, or profane, or an harlot, these shall he not take: but he shall take a virgin of his own people to wife.
I would like to point out that YaHWeH was telling Moses to "Speak unto the priests the sons of Aaron" Leviticus 21:1
Also, does YaHWeH really need to SPELL IT OUT EVERWHERE?? Take a virgin hop in bed, and have sex with her so you will be married.
Almost no one is willing to challenge their Greco-Roman assumption that “marriage” must have a procession and a pagan rite attached to it.
True, BUT I am. But we do have this in the bible...
Genesis 29:22 And Laban gathered together all the men of the place, and made a feast.
Genesis 29:23 And it came to pass in the evening, that he took Leah his daughter, and brought her to him; and he went in unto her.
So we do have a BIG get-together here.
Almost no one is willing to go back to square one and start over.
I am.
In my reply, I said all of that "discombobulated mish mash" to point out that YaHWeH gave Eve to Abam v22 "and brought her unto the man." To be one flesh. Adam did NOT take Eve from YaHWeH. YaHWeH set an example for us, just like YaHWeH set an example on how to work, 6 days work 7th-day rest. Man IS following YaHWeH's example reread what I said to FollowingHim above.
YaHshua knew his Father's example, that's why he said what he said in Matthew 19:4-6 And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, (5) And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? (6) Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.