Concubine

(2 Sam. 16:22)—in Holy Scripture this word occurs not infrequently. Some of the most devout patriarchs, such as Abraham and Jacob, had concubines: Hagar, Keturah, and others. Similar examples occur also in the times under the Law, of the Judges and the Kings, such as Manasseh, Caleb, Gideon, Saul, David, Solomon, and others (1 Chron. 7:14, 1 Chron. 2:46, 48, Judg. 8:31, 2 Sam. 3:7, 2 Sam. 5:13, 1 Kings 11:3). “By the determination of the rabbis,” writes His Eminence Metropolitan Philaret, “a concubine is a wife taken from among bondwomen without a marriage contract and betrothal, whose children are entitled to gifts but not to inheritance.” And concerning concubinage among the Hebrews he writes: “The Hebrews, not only before the Law but also under the Law, permitted themselves concubines.

It is likely that in this custom the example of the patriarchs Abraham and Jacob was turned into a rule of behavior. The patriarchs themselves, as far as can be observed, partly followed a custom accepted before them, and partly yielded to an impatience to have offspring already blessed by God, which impatience was especially manifest in their wives” (Notes on the Book of Genesis, Metropolitan Philaret, part II, pp. 150, 289–290). Thus concubinage appears as a weakness, permitted by the ancient patriarchs partly by a custom accepted before them, and partly by an impatience to have offspring the sooner (Gen. 16:1–2, 30:3).

God bore with this weakness. But the example of the patriarchs gives no justification for it. On the contrary, Holy Scripture in many places shows now a limitation of this weakness, now the harmful consequences of it for domestic peace, the well-being of society, and the purity of morals, and finally, direct prohibitions of it as conduct not in accord with the original institution of marriage and the will of God. Thus the Gospel gives an indication of the sacred institution of marriage and its original high significance (Gen. 2:24, Matt. 19:5, 1 Cor. 7:2), and in its spirit concubinage is now considered a grave sin, equal to fornication and adultery.