Concubine

A concubine in the ancient biblical world was a woman who lived with a man in a recognized sexual relationship subordinate to that of a legal wife. The Hebrew term pilegesh designates this status, which was legally acknowledged but socially inferior to full marriage. Concubines had some legal protections — they could not simply be dismissed without provision (Exodus 21:7–11; Deuteronomy 21:10–14) — and their children could inherit if the father so designated, as Abraham's sons by Hagar and Keturah illustrate (Genesis 21:14; Genesis 25:6).

The institution was practiced by the patriarchs — Abraham with Hagar, Jacob with Bilhah and Zilpah — and by the kings of Israel. Solomon famously had three hundred concubines (1 Kings 11:3). The Levite's concubine in Judges 19–20 and Saul's concubine Rizpah (2 Samuel 3:7; 21:8–11) are narratively significant figures in Israel's history. The New Testament does not address concubinage directly, as it assumes the monogamous marriage covenant that Jesus affirms in the Sermon on the Mount and in his teaching on divorce.