1Timothy 1:20

Ὑμέναιος, originally the god of marriage invoked in the nuptial song (Eur. Med. 1037; AP 6.145.1), by metonymy came also to denote the wedding song itself. Later it functioned as a personal name (e.g., 1 Tim 1:20; 2 Tim 2:17). Ancient lexica often derived the name from ὑμήν (“membrane, virginity, marriage”), but some philologists suggest an alternative Indo-European root *h₁eym- / *syu-men- (“to tie, bind”), which could also underlie both ὑμήν and ὕμνος, thus linking Ὑμέναιος not with “membrane” but with the semantic field of binding and union.

In Greek mythology, Ὑμέναιος (Hymenaios) is the personification and divine figure associated with marriage and the wedding ceremony. He is not a major Olympian but a minor god invoked in wedding songs (hymenaios) to bless the union. Brides and grooms—or the chorus at weddings—would call upon him to ensure a harmonious and fruitful marriage.