...over daughters - Chapter 1
Numbers 30 (especially verse 5) teaches that a husband or father can ratify or veto a wife’s or daughter’s vows or commitments, when he hears of it. This applies to a daughter’s commitment to a suitor. Numbers 30 also teaches by implication that there is no period of independence for a young woman between being under her father’s authority and then getting married. Exception: widows and divorcees are independent of their fathers. The Bible speaks of women as “given in marriage” (Ps 78:63; Luke 20:34; Matt 24:38), which means someone (dad) has the authority to give her.
Romance is a blessing from God, but can't be the foundation of a relationship - it is the window dressing. Dad's authority extends over his daughter's romantic, emotional, spiritual and physical attachments to young men. Deuteronomy 22:13-21 and Exodus 22:16-17 teach that dad is responsible for his daughter's sexual purity, and can decide whether or not to give her in marriage, AFTER sexual activity has taken place. "How much more does the father have the authority to say NO when there is nothing more than mild emotional or sexual interest?"
Courting activity is connected to the daughter's family, but in dating the couple's privacy is paramount.
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