The consumation of marriage scene
I found the scene where David and Michal consumated thier marriage while thier parents watched to be too bizarre for words.
Was this standard practice among the people of Israel?
Actually it was just a bad explanation of what was going on. Before the marriage, Saul made David bring him the foreskin of 100 Philistines hoping he would die in battle but David brought him 200 foreskins. Saul was on the verge of going insane and his mind he thought that he could stop the consumation from happening by staying in the room. David and Michal did the deed anyway as Jonathan pleaded with Saul to leave. Hope that helps.
shareSteelBullet,
It is true that Saul required 100 Philistine foreskins from David as the price for marrying Michal, and that Saul hoped that David would be killed in the process, and the David brought back 200 Philistine foreskins instead. This is found in I Samuel 18.
However, nowhere in the Bible does it say that Saul remained in the room as David & Michal consummated their marriage while Jonathan begged his father to leave, nor does it appear in the movie. Where are you getting this information from?
As to the original poster’s question, I am not aware of this practice taking place in any culture in the Near & Middle East at any time, but even if it was, I don’t think that it is very likely to have happened in Ancient Israel. However, the parents of the bride & groom were shown the bedsheet after the marriage was consummated, and hopefully it had a little spot of blood on it to prove that the bride was a virgin prior to the marriage.
I would say that SteelBullet’s explanation might make sense for why such a thing appeared within the context of the movie, but it doesn’t really add up. Saul, his wife, and Jonathan are all three quietly standing there watching the couple undress in front of the bed. However, it doesn’t appear that they stayed in the room the entire time that the couple was consummating the marriage.
Cherie Lunghi in that movie (as Michal) is pretty cute too. In her nice little see through gown. Wonder if they had those nice sheer gowns back then?...hmmm?
And then she turns to Gere and keeping a poker face asks: "Did I please you my lord?"
hmmm... wonder what she'd done if he turned and improvised "Nah I've had better!!!!" ;>....mwhahahahahahaha
Talking of Cherie Lunghi, if it's 'cute' you want she was much more so in John Boorman's "Excalibur" from four years previous. She's a talented actress indeed, if you contrast her winsome Guinevere with the haughty Michal. Royal figures both - seen in two very separate shades of the spectrum. And well-colored, really!
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