I'm going to research my books a bit more (I don't have access to them at the moment), but does anyone know how the concubine system worked?

Were concubines mistresses? Girlfriends?

What was the legal difference between a wife and a concubine? Why would a man keep one?

Is that something we could do today, biblically, since the patriarchs did it? Or was that a local custom?

GAIL
it must have been custom, now if it was a pagan custom
that the isrealites addapted or it was also their custom
as well. I JUST look up concubines in the concordance
and there were 22 listings of concubine and 17 listings
of concubines all in the old testament.

the definition of concubine is 1: a women who cohabits with
a man although not legally married to him. 2: in certain
polygamous socities, a secondary wife, of inferior social
and legal status.

so now we have are home work cut our for us.

dgrimm60

According to the Theological Wordbook of the OT, a concubine was a true wife but of secondary rank

Gerry

So was a concubine a good thing or a bad thing? Would I have been proud to have been one, if I had lived back then?

from the Bible Encyclopaedia, via Google -

Concubine
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 (Ex. 21:7; Deut. 21:10-14), and setting limits to the relation they sustained to the household to which they belonged (Gen. 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 (Gen. 16). But in process of time, the custom of concubinage degenerated, and laws were made to restrain and regulate it (Ex. 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 (Matt. 19:5-9; 1 Cor. 7:2).



Don't think it would have been my first choice for an existence, but if there was a scarcity of males - eg after a series of wars - I guess it would provide a socially acceptable role for women. Presumably only those capable of supporting them, took on concubines.

That would depend on your point of view. With all the wars going on back then that killed so many men, there just wasn't enough men to go around. So, you could stay single and not be a secondary wife, or be a secondary or even a tertiary wife, but enjoy some semblance of security. People's social security until recent times depended on having children to take care of them in their old age. That can't happen being single. There was/is onus on illegitimate children.

Gerry

The SDA commentary dictionary gives this insight:

"Concubines were sometimes taken from among slaves (Gen 16:2,3) and could be divorced more easily than regular wives (ch 21:10-14). Their sons were also considered inferior to those born to the full-fledged wives (Gen.25:6; Jgs 8:31)"

So it seems that the practice was established to help provide some physical security to single women, as has been pointed out

Gail, I am sure that provided some justfication for the practice. It would be interesting to know whether that was the reason the practice began, or whether the male of the species was giving an excuse for wandering eyes. Guess that is a rather cynical view point though.

Cynical maybe -- but I bet it was true! Just think of Solomon -- 1000 women! The mind boggles! What else did he do with his time?

I think that was just one of those things that God "tolerated". I don't recall anywhere where He condoned it!

Beryl