[Solomon] had 700 wives who were princesses and 300
concubines, and they turned his heart away from the Lord. (1 Kings 11:3, Holman Christian Standard Bible)
When you read a passage like the above in the
Bible, does it ever leave you with questions as to what a concubine’s duties
were, did they have any rights, and do they exist today? The word “concubine” comes from the Latin
prefix com-, which means “with,” and cubara, “to lie down.”
In the Bible, a concubine was a woman
acquired by a man as a secondary wife. Her purposes were to provide a male heir
in the case of a barren wife, to provide more children in general to enhance
the family’s workforce and wealth, and to satisfy the man’s sexual desires. A
concubine was endowed with rights and protections by Hebrew law but was not
equal in status to a wife. In the Bible, the rights of a concubine included:
· A woman’s status as a concubine was higher than a
slave but lower than a wife.
· Concubines were entitled to proper food and
clothing.
· Concubines could not get a bill of divorce like a
wife could.
· A concubine’s children were legitimate, but they may
have been socially considered secondary to the children born from a wife. They
were not legally entitled to an inheritance but were sometimes included in
their father’s will (Genesis 25:6).
A woman living as a concubine was more common
in Israel during the patriarchal period of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob than in
later periods, but it still happened among the wealthy and especially royalty
like King David and his son by Bathsheba, King Solomon. A concubine would
usually be either:
1.
A
Hebrew girl sold by her father (Exodus 21:7)
2.
A
Gentile captive taken in war (Deuteronomy
21:10-14)
3.
A
purchased foreign slave
4.
A
Canaanite woman (debt bondage or free)
The rights of the first two women were
protected by the law. The third was unrecognized and the fourth prohibited.
Free Hebrew women also might become concubines in several ways. In situations
of dire poverty, 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. According to the law, a Hebrew
slave would be set free after 6 years of service unless they decided to stay in
the household as a slave (Deuteronomy
15:12-17).
A man who bought a Hebrew girl as a concubine
must commit to provide for her for life, sell her to another man who would
provide for her as his concubine, or return the girl to her father without
demanding payment for her (Exodus
21:7-11). These provisions afforded a considerable protection to the
slave-concubine, who might otherwise have been liable to grievous wrong and
oppression.
If God did not introduce or approve of this
marital model, why didn’t He step the Israelites from continuing in this evil
arrangement. We see God’s dream for humanity beginning in the Garden of Eden
with a relationship with Him. Since the first humans chose sin over God, He
allowed them to have the “freedom” Satan convinced them they wanted.
Poverty was not part of God’s original plan
for Adam and Eve, but because sin was now involved, God made laws (Deuteronomy
15:1-18) to protect the poor from further oppression. He knew a wicked
Earth would always include poverty (Deuteronomy
15:11, John 12:8).
Today legally, when a man and a woman live
permanently as husband and wife without the benefit of marriage, the woman gets
the status of a “concubine,” and the man is called a “concubius.” Concubinage
(or common law) has no legal value. It does not have legal consequences. This
type of union does not create any community of property among the two unmarried
individuals.
“When a defining moment comes along, you define the moment, or the moment defines you.” (Kevin Costner)[i]
[i] Adapted from:
· “Bonded Labor” by End Slavery Now
· “Concubine Law and Legal Definition
“by USLegal, Inc
· “DIVISION OF PROPERTY IN CONCUBINAGE,
DE FACTO UNIONS OR COMMON LAW” by Morillo Suriel
· “Were there concubines today? What
countries?” by Quora
· “What Is a Concubine? Why Did God Allow Men to Take
Concubines in the Bible?” by Emily Hall
· “What is a Concubine? "by 
Mary McMahon
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