In the Bible, how old was Mary when she married?

In the Bible, there is very little information about the age of Mary when she married Joseph. However, scholars have been able to piece together some clues from the historical and cultural context of the time to make an educated guess about Mary’s age when she became engaged and later married Joseph.

In Jewish tradition, it was customary for girls to marry at a young age, usually between the ages of 12 and 14. This was partly due to the fact that life expectancy was much lower in ancient times, and young marriages were seen as a way to ensure that a girl would be taken care of and provided for in the event of her husband’s death.

Based on this tradition, it is possible that Mary was around 12 to 14 years old when she became engaged to Joseph. However, it is important to note that engagement in Jewish culture was not the same as marriage. Engagement was a formal agreement between two families to marry their children, but the actual wedding ceremony could take place several years later, when the couple was older.

Some scholars believe that Mary may have been closer to 16 or 17 years old when she married Joseph, based on the fact that this was a more common age for marriage in ancient Israel. However, there is no definitive answer to this question, and it is possible that Mary’s age at the time of her marriage will always remain a mystery.

It is worth noting that while the idea of a young girl marrying an older man may seem unusual to us today, it was not uncommon in ancient times. Marriages were often arranged by families for the purpose of creating alliances or securing financial stability, and the age of the bride and groom was not always a significant factor in the decision-making process.