In Bible times, marriage had little to do with love and everything to do with babies.

Procreation was the whole point of marriage, as it was only through offspring that a Jewish couple would be remembered.

As part of the preparation for a wedding, the family of the bride would gather together in order to bless her. They would declare their happiness for her and then wish her many children, as in the case of Rebekah: "Our sister, may you become the mother of thousands of ten thousands" (Gen.24:60)

Although parents were happy to have a daughter, they all hoped their newborn would be a son. This is because men stayed with the family and increased its size and wealth by bringing in their own wives, and still more children, whereas girls were raised only to leave, becoming wives in other families.