Easton's Bible Dictionary
In the Bible denotes a female conjugally united to a man, but in a relation inferior to that of a wife. Among the early Jews, from various causes, the difference between a wife and a concubine was less Marked than it would be amongst us. The concubine was a wife of secondary rank. There are various laws recorded providing for their protection (
Exodus 21:7;
Deuteronomy 21:10-14), and setting limits to the relation they sustained to the household to which they belonged (
Genesis 21:14;
25:6). They had no authority in the family, nor could they share in the household government.
The immediate cause of concubinage might be gathered from the conjugal histories of Abraham and Jacob (Genesis 16;30). But in process of time the custom of concubinage degenerated, and laws were made to restrain and regulate it (Exodus 21:7-9).
Christianity has restored the sacred institution of marriage to its original character, and concubinage is ranked with the sins of fornication and adultery (Matthew 19:5-9; 1 Corinthians 7:2).
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
1. (
n.) A woman who cohabits with a man without being his wife; a paramour.
2. (n.) A wife of inferior condition; a lawful wife, but not united to the man by the usual ceremonies, and of inferior condition. Such were Hagar and Keturah, the concubines of Abraham; and such concubines were allowed by the Roman laws. Their children were not heirs of their father.
Greek
28. Hagar -- Hagar, a concubine of Abraham ... Hagar, a
concubine of Abraham. Part of Speech: Proper Noun, Indeclinable
Transliteration: Hagar Phonetic Spelling: (ag'-ar) Short Definition: Hagar Definition
... //strongsnumbers.com/greek2/28.htm - 6kStrong's Hebrew
6370. pilegesh -- concubine... 6369, 6370. pilegesh or pilegesh. 6371 .
concubine. Transliteration: pilegesh
or pilegesh Phonetic Spelling: (pee-leh'-ghesh) Short Definition:
concubine.
... /hebrew/6370.htm - 6k 3904. lechenah -- a concubine
... 3903, 3904. lechenah. 3905 . a concubine. Transliteration: lechenah Phonetic
Spelling: (lekh-ay-naw') Short Definition: concubines. ... concubine. ...
/hebrew/3904.htm - 5k
7532. Ritspah -- concubine of Saul
... 7531b, 7532. Ritspah. 7533 . concubine of Saul. Transliteration: Ritspah
Phonetic Spelling: (rits-paw') Short Definition: Rizpah. ...
/hebrew/7532.htm - 6k
7208. Reumah -- concubine of Nahor
... 7207, 7208. Reumah. 7209 . concubine of Nahor. Transliteration: Reumah
Phonetic Spelling: (reh-oo-maw') Short Definition: Reumah. ...
/hebrew/7208.htm - 6k
1090a. Bilhah -- a concubine of Jacob
... 1090, 1090a. Bilhah. 1090b . a concubine of Jacob. Transliteration: Bilhah
Short Definition: Bilhah. Word Origin of uncertain derivation ...
/hebrew/1090a.htm - 5k
1090. Bilhah -- a concubine of Jacob
... 1089, 1090. Bilhah. 1090a . a concubine of Jacob. Transliteration: Bilhah
Phonetic Spelling: (bil-haw') Short Definition: Bilhah. Bilhah ...
/hebrew/1090.htm - 5k
2912. tachan -- to grind
... grinder. A primitive root; to grind meal; hence, to be a concubine (that being their
employment) -- grind(-er). 2911b, 2912. tachan. 2913 . Strong's Numbers
/hebrew/2912.htm - 6k
49. Abishag -- "my father is a wanderer," an Israelite woman
... woman NASB Word Usage Abishag (5). Abishag. From 'ab and shagah; father of error
(ie Blundering); Abishag, a concubine of David -- Abishag. see HEBREW 'ab. ...
/hebrew/49.htm - 6k
Library
Whether it was ever Lawful to have a Concubine?
... OF PLURALITY OF WIVES (FIVE ARTICLES) Whether it was ever lawful to have a concubine? ...
Therefore it has also been lawful to have a concubine. ...
/.../aquinas/summa theologica/whether it was ever lawful 2.htm
Whether it is against the Natural Law to have a Concubine?
... OF PLURALITY OF WIVES (FIVE ARTICLES) Whether it is against the natural
law to have a concubine? Objection 1: It would seem that ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/aquinas/summa theologica/whether it is against the 2.htm
Whether it is a Mortal Sin to have Intercourse with a Concubine?
... OF PLURALITY OF WIVES (FIVE ARTICLES) Whether it is a mortal sin to have
intercourse with a concubine? Objection 1: It would seem ...
//christianbookshelf.org/aquinas/summa theologica/whether it is a mortal 3.htm
Meanwhile My Sins were Being Multiplied, and My Concubine Being ...
... Book VI Chapter XV Meanwhile my sins were being multiplied, and my concubine
being torn from my side as? Meanwhile my sins were ...
/.../augustine/the confessions of saint augustine/chapter xv meanwhile my sins.htm
Of Sarah's Handmaid, Hagar, whom She Herself Wished to be ...
... Book XVI. Chapter 25."Of Sarah's Handmaid, Hagar, Whom She Herself Wished
to Be Abraham's Concubine. And here follow the times ...
/.../augustine/city of god/chapter 25 of sarahs handmaid hagar.htm
Whether it May have Been Lawful by Dispensation to Put Away a Wife ...
... Objection 2: Further, a concubine differs from a wife especially in the fact
that she is not inseparably united. But by no dispensation ...
//christianbookshelf.org/aquinas/summa theologica/whether it may have been.htm
Whether Irregularity is Contracted by Marrying one who is not a ...
... Also that the synagogue was first united to Christ as a concubine; so that the
sacrament loses nothing of its signification if the bridegroom previously had a ...
/.../aquinas/summa theologica/whether irregularity is contracted by.htm
Of Plurality of Wives (Five Articles)
... (3) Whether it is against the natural law to have a concubine? (4) Whether
it is a mortal sin to have intercourse with a concubine? ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/aquinas/summa theologica/of plurality of wives five.htm
Letter clxvii . To Rusticus, Bishop of Gallia Narbonensis, with ...
... law had its beginning. And so a wife is different from a concubine, even
as a bondwoman from a freewoman. For which reason also ...
/.../leo/writings of leo the great/letter clxvii to rusticus.htm
Chapter xxv
... This wife is listed in v.6 as having been only on the level of a "concubine,"
so also 1 Chronicles 1:32. That raises the much discussed ...
//christianbookshelf.org/leupold/exposition of genesis volume 1/chapter xxv.htm
Thesaurus
Concubine (21 Occurrences)... Among the early Jews, from various causes, the difference between a wife
and a
concubine was less Marked than it would be amongst us.
.../c/concubine.htm - 15kAiah (7 Occurrences)
... (2) Father of Rizpah, a concubine of Saul, about whom ... 2 Samuel 21:11 It was told
David what Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, the concubine of Saul, had done. ...
/a/aiah.htm - 9k
Gibeah (52 Occurrences)
... It was here that the terrible outrage was committed on the Levite's concubine which
led to the almost utter extirpation of the tribe of Benjamin (Judges 19; 20 ...
/g/gibeah.htm - 30k
Ishbosheth (13 Occurrences)
... come to a close until Abner, angry on account of the rebuke he suffered from
Ish-Bosheth for his unlawful intimacy with Rizpah, Saul's concubine, joined David ...
/i/ishbosheth.htm - 14k
Rizpah (4 Occurrences)
... 2 Samuel 3:7 Now Saul had a concubine, whose name was Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah:
and Ishbosheth said to Abner, "Why have you gone in to my father's concubine...
/r/rizpah.htm - 10k
Maachah (19 Occurrences)
... (5) Concubine of Caleb, son of Hezron (1 Chronicles 2:48). ... (KJV DBY WBS YLT). 1
Chronicles 2:48 Maachah, Caleb's concubine, bare Sheber, and Tirhanah. ...
/m/maachah.htm - 16k
Concubinage (1 Occurrence)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (n.) The cohabiting of a man and a woman who
are not legally married; the state of being a concubine. ...
/c/concubinage.htm - 7k
Ai'ah (5 Occurrences)
... 2 Samuel 3:7 Now Saul had a concubine, whose name was Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah:
and Ishbosheth said to Abner, "Why have you gone in to my father's concubine...
/a/ai'ah.htm - 7k
Ish-bosheth (14 Occurrences)
... come to a close until Abner, angry on account of the rebuke he suffered from
Ish-Bosheth for his unlawful intimacy with Rizpah, Saul's concubine, joined David ...
/i/ish-bosheth.htm - 15k
Polygamy
... The prisoner of war becomes property and passes from hand to hand by gift or sale.
So woman-the weaker party-endures what comes to her as slave, concubine. ...
/p/polygamy.htm - 19k
Resources
What can we learn from the story of the Levite and his concubine? | GotQuestions.orgWhat is a concubine? Why did God allow men to have concubines in the Bible? | GotQuestions.orgHow many wives did Abraham have? | GotQuestions.orgConcubine: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.comBible Concordance •
Bible Dictionary •
Bible Encyclopedia •
Topical Bible •
Bible Thesuarus
