FOR Bible time, them de give bride-price to the woman family when the woman family and the man family don agree make the man and the woman marry. Part of the bride-price fit be any better thing, animals, or money. Sometimes, person de do work to pay for bride-price, like the example of Jacob. E agree to work for Rachel papa for seven years, so that e go fit marry Rachel. (Gen. 29:17, 18, 20) Why them de pay bride-price?

One person wey sabi this kind matter wey e name na Carol Meyers, talk say: “Bride-price fit balance for the work wey the daughter de do for the family before. And this one dey important if the main work for the family na farm work.” Since the marriage don make the two families dey close, the bride-price fit still help to make their friendship dey tight more. This tight friendship fit make the two families de help each other when things hard. Apart from that one, the bride-price de show say the woman don gree say e go marry the man, and say the woman no go dey under the care and protection of e papa again, but e go dey under e husband now.

The bride-price wey they pay no mean say they sell or buy the wife like property. One book wey talk about the way Israel people for old time de live their life, talk say: “Since person must pay money or any other thing to the girl family, this one de make-am be like say marriage for Israel na business. But, e be like say them de see the bride-price as something wey they give the woman family as they marry their pikin, and no be say they buy the woman.”

For some countries today, people still de pay bride-price. When papa and mama wey be servants of Jehovah de ask for bride-price, make they no ask for too much things. This one go show “everybody” say them “de do things with sense.” (Phil. 4:5; 1 Cor. 10:32, 33) If they do like this, them de show say they no “like money,” or get long-throat. (2 Tim. 3:2) Apart from that one, when papa and mama wey de serve Jehovah no ask for bride-price wey too much, the man wey want marry their pikin no go feel say e must shift the marriage go front until e don gather enough money to pay for the bride-price. Or the man no go feel say e must stop to pioneer because e need to work full-time to gather the money wey e go use pay for that kind big bride-price.

For some place them for the world, they get law wey de control how bride-price go be. If na so e be for your area, papa and mama wey de serve Jehovah must obey this laws. Why? Bible talk say make Christians “de obey people wey get authority to rule,” and make they obey laws wey no dey against God law.—Rom. 13:1; Acts 5:29.