What is the biblical meaning of concubine?

Background of the Concubine It is usually translated into English as “concubine” and understood to refer to a wife or sexual partner of secondary status. Although certain men in the Hebrew Bible have both wives and concubines, no wives or additional concubines are referred to in Judges 19.

What was the role of a concubine in biblical times?

The main function of concubinage was producing additional heirs, as well as bringing males pleasure. Children of concubines had lower rights in account to inheritance, which was regulated by the Dishu system.

What is the legal definition of a concubine?

CONCUBINE. A woman who cohabits with a man as his wife, without being married.

Is a concubine married?

concubinage, the state of cohabitation of a man and a woman without the full sanctions of legal marriage. The word is derived from the Latin con (“with”) and cubare (“to lie”).

What is concubine in Hebrew?

Pilegesh (Hebrew: פִּילֶגֶשׁ‎) is a Hebrew term for a concubine , a marital companion of social and legal status inferior to that of a wife. Among the Israelites, men commonly acknowledged their concubines, and such women enjoyed the same rights in the house as legitimate wives.

Does a concubine have rights?

A concubine is wife without title. Although a concubine serves the functions of a legal wife, she does not enjoy any rights in a family or any spiritual comforts. A concubine is denied certain legal protections.

What is the meaning of concubine in the Bible?

Answer: In the Bible, a concubine is a woman who lives with a man as if she were a wife, but without having the same status as a wife. Concubines in the patriarchal age and beyond held an inferior rank—they were “secondary” wives.

What is the difference between a concubine and a wife?

The difference between wife and concubine was less marked among the Hebrews than among us, owing to the absence of moral stigma. The difference probably lay in the absence of the right of the bill of divorce, without which the wife could not be repudiated.

Did God approve of marriage to involve concubines?

God did not approve of marriage to involve concubines. The fact that legal provisions were made for concubines does not mean that God approved of this marital model. – In Genesis 2:22-24, God clearly designed marriage to be a union of one man and one woman.

Did free Hebrew women ever become concubines?

Free Hebrew women also might become concubines.” In situations of dire poverty, women had very few options. A woman could avoid prostitution and homelessness by choosing to sell herself to one man as his concubine. Although a rare practice, it was considered a parental right to sell one’s child as a slave.