What are concubines?

Redemption The Bible Things in the Bible

TL;DR:

Concubines were women in secondary marital-like relationships in the Old Testament. Having a concubine was outside God's design for marriage and often led to tension and brokenness.

Concubines were women in secondary, unequal marital-like relationships in the Old Testament that were culturally practiced but never part of God’s original design for marriage (Genesis 16:1–4; 2:24). They often led to jealousy, tension, and broken family relationships, showing the cost of moving outside God’s intent for covenant love (Genesis 16:4–6; 29–30). Scripture records them in the lives of figures like Abraham, Jacob, and David but never presents them as the ideal or command (Genesis 30:3–12; 2 Samuel 5:13). God’s design for marriage consistently points back to one man and one woman in lifelong unity (Genesis 2:24). Jesus reaffirmed this design, calling marriage a permanent, exclusive covenant (Matthew 19:4–6). Further, the New Testament reinforces sexual faithfulness within marriage and rejects sexual immorality outside it (Hebrews 13:4; 1 Thessalonians 4:3–5). The reality of concubines in the Old Testament and the issues they brought emphasize that God’s design for marriage is exclusive, faithful, and meant to reflect Christ’s committed love for His people (Ephesians 5:25–32).

from the old testament

Concubines were secondary women in a household relationship with a man, often having marital-like status but lower legal standing than a wife (Genesis 16:1–4; 30:3–12). They were part of the household and could bear children, but had fewer inheritance and legal protections than wives.
Concubinage appears among the patriarchs, including Abraham, Jacob, and later Israel’s kings (Genesis 16:1–4; Genesis 30:3–12; 2 Samuel 5:13; 1 Kings 11:3).
Having a concubine was culturally common in the ancient Near East but is not part of God’s establishment of marriage. God’s creation design consistently points back to monogamous covenant marriage—one man and one woman for life (Genesis 2:24).
Having a concubine frequently produced relational conflict, jealousy, and family division (Genesis 16:4–6; Genesis 21:9–10; Genesis 29–30).

from the new testament

Concubinage is not practiced or endorsed in the New Testament. Jesus reaffirmed God’s original design for marriage as a lifelong union between one man and one woman (Matthew 19:4–6).
Sexual intimacy is reserved for covenant marriage, and sexual immorality outside that covenant is forbidden (Hebrews 13:4; 1 Thessalonians 4:3–5). Even if it was culturally normal to have a concubine, it was still a sin.
Church leadership standards emphasize marital faithfulness and integrity within a one-spouse model (1 Timothy 3:2, 12; Titus 1:6).
Marriage is used as a picture of Christ’s exclusive, faithful relationship with the church (Ephesians 5:25–32), so having a concubine distorts this picture.
We are consistently called to purity and to honor marriage as a sacred covenant relationship (Hebrews 13:4; Ephesians 5:31–32).

implications for today

It’s easy to read about concubines and distance yourself from it as something ancient and irrelevant, but the deeper issue it exposes is still very current: the temptation to treat marriage as something less than a covenant, less than committed, and more about self and pleasure than faithfulness. God designed intimacy, commitment, and love to be protected inside a lifelong covenant, not fragmented across convenience or cultural practices.

How do you view marriage? How do you approach dating that leads to marriage? Do you treat them casually or honor them? Where are you tempted to treat relationships as optional, conditional, or disposable? That might look like dating just for fun, avoiding commitment because it feels restrictive, or even emotionally investing in ways that don’t honor God or the other person. God’s design isn’t about restriction—it’s about guarding something deeply valuable. He calls us away from relational patterns that are casual, self-fulfilling, or sinful and toward relationships that reflect His faithful, covenant love.

understand

Concubines were secondary, unequal marital-like relationships in the Old Testament.
Concubines were never part of God’s design for marriage.
Concubines often led to relational conflict.

reflect

How does the reality of concubines in the time of the Old Testament challenge you?
How does God’s design for marriage challenge the way you think about dating, commitment, and relationships today?
How do you seek to uphold marriage instead of treating it casually?

engage

Why would the Bible record the practice of concubinage if it was not part of God's design for marriage?
How does understanding God’s design for marriage help us evaluate modern cultural views of relationships and commitment?
In what ways does marriage reflect Christ’s relationship with the church, and why is that important for us to uphold marriage highly?

More Resources

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