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At many weddings that I have attended when the kallah (bride) first walks into the reception room, the band plays / people sing a tune that combines two apparently unrelated verses:

It starts with the verse from Devarim 33:5:

ויהי בישורון מלך בהתאסף ראשי עם יחד שבטי ישראל

and is followed by a compilation from Yirmiyahu 33:10-11.

עוד ישמע בערי יהודה ובחזצות ירושלים קול ששון וקול שמחה קול חתן וקול כלה

I can see the relationship of the Yirmiyahu verse as it mentions the bride and groom. But, what is the connection of the bride to the Devarim verse? And what is the relationship of the Devarim verse to the Yirmiyahu verse?

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  • I’d check Kaplan’s Jewish marriage book, it’d seem that he’d write about this.
    – Dr. Shmuel
    Commented Jun 17, 2019 at 16:57
  • @Dr.Shmuel If there's an online link to this, please inform me. I'm absolutely unfamiliar with this book.
    – DanF
    Commented Jun 17, 2019 at 16:58
  • I don’t think there is, but I hope look at it later, anyhow the book is call ‘made in heaven’, it’s a compressive book in English on what makes up a Jewish wedding by Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan z’l.
    – Dr. Shmuel
    Commented Jun 17, 2019 at 17:00

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While I have no source for this, I had always assumed it was based on Pirkei d’Rebbi Eliezer ch. 16:

החתן דומה למלך מה המלך הכל מקלסין אותו שבעת ימי המשתה כך חתן הכל מקלסין אותו שבעת ימי המשתה מה המלך לובש בגדי כבוד כך החתן לובש בגדי כבוד מה המלך שמחה ומשתה לפניו כל הימים כך החתן שמחה ומשתה לפניו כל שבעת ימים מה המלך אינו יוצא לשוק לבדו כך החתן אינו יוצא לשוק לבדו מה המלך פניו מאירות כאור החמה כך חתן פניו מאירות כאור החמה שנ' והוא כחתן יוצא מחופתו:

The groom is like a king. Just as a king is praised by everybody during seven days of feasting, so is the groom praised by everybody during seven days of feasting. Just as a king is dressed in garments of glory, so the bridegroom is dressed in garments of glory. Just as a king is rejoicing, with feasts in his presence, all his days, so the groom is rejoicing and has feasts before him all the seven days of the banquet. Just as the king does not go into the market-place alone, likewise the groom does not go into the market-place alone. Just as the face of a king is shining like the light of a sun, so the face of the bridegroom is shining like the light of a sun, as it is said, "And he is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoicing to run his course.”

As we see that a groom is compared to a king, we sing at the wedding, “And there was in Yeshurun a king with the gathering of the heads of the people.”

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  • It's an interesting source, but it's not really addressing the question. This idea would suggest that it should be sung when the chattan shows up for the badeken, perhaps. But, they sing this tune when the bride appears.
    – DanF
    Commented Jun 17, 2019 at 17:06
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    @DanF My experience doesn’t seem to match yours - at weddings I’ve been to, these Pesukim are sung when the chassan is brought to the head table to begin the meal, often with קול ששון being sung responsively between the chassan and the guests. Perhaps in your version, he’s only considered a chassan - and therefore comparable to the king - only once there’s a kallah?
    – DonielF
    Commented Jun 17, 2019 at 17:08

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