The Hebrew verb aras means to betroth — to formally pledge a woman in marriage, a legal act that created a binding covenant relationship even before the consummation of marriage. A betrothed woman was considered legally as a wife, and violation of betrothal was treated as adultery.
The betrothal concept underlies one of Scripture's richest metaphors: God's covenant with Israel as a marriage pledge. Hosea's prophecy of re-betrothal (Hosea 2:19-20) uses this verb to describe God's renewed covenant commitment — 'I will betroth you to me forever.' This language of divine betrothal shapes New Testament imagery of Christ as the bridegroom and the church as His bride, making aras part of the vocabulary of redemption itself.