40 Bible Verses About Concubines

The topic of concubines in the Bible can raise many questions for modern readers. Throughout scripture, concubines played significant roles in biblical narratives, often tied to themes of lineage, culture, and divine promise. This post provides a comprehensive list of 40 Bible verses about concubines, along with biblical context and explanations to help clarify their place in scripture.

We’ll also explore related questions such as: What does the Bible say about concubines? Who were some examples of concubines in the Bible? And what is the difference between a wife and a concubine in the Bible?

What Does the Bible Say About Concubines?

In the Old Testament, concubines were women who lived with a man and had recognized social and sexual relationships with him, but held a lower status than a wife. While they did not have the full rights of a legal spouse, they often bore children and were considered part of a man’s household.

The Bible does not outright endorse or command the practice of keeping concubines, but it records the cultural reality of the time. Many of the patriarchs and kings had concubines, and their stories were included to show the outcomes good or bad of such relationships.

Although God allowed concubinage, it was not presented as the ideal for marriage. The New Testament shifts away from the practice entirely, reinforcing a standard of monogamous marriage (see 1 Timothy 3:2 and Matthew 19:4-6).

Examples of Concubines in the Bible

The Bible contains several prominent examples of concubines:

Hagar: The Egyptian servant of Sarah who bore Abraham a son, Ishmael.
Bilhah and Zilpah: Servants of Rachel and Leah, given to Jacob for childbearing.
Rizpah: Saul’s concubine who mourned the death of her sons with great dignity (2 Samuel 3).
The Levite’s concubine: Her tragic story is told in Judges 19 and is often cited to illustrate the lawlessness of Israel before the monarchy.
Solomon’s concubines: He had 300 concubines alongside 700 wives (1 Kings 11:3), often criticized for leading him away from God.

What Is the Difference Between a Wife and a Concubine in the Bible?

The primary difference lies in status and rights.

A wife had full legal and social standing. She could be part of inheritance laws, receive dowries, and her children were considered heirs.
A concubine had limited status. While she lived in the household and bore children, her position was often more vulnerable and lacked the protections granted to a wife.

Concubines were not prostitutes they were typically either slaves or servants elevated to this role for reproductive purposes. Their children could inherit if acknowledged, but disputes were common (Genesis 21:10).

In short, wives were covenant partners, while concubines were often solutions to social or biological issues (such as barrenness), viewed more as property.

40 Bible Verses About Concubines

Here are 40 Bible verses about concubines that show the varied ways concubinage was practiced and perceived in biblical times:

Genesis 22:24 – “His concubine, whose name was Reumah, also bore Tebah, Gaham, Tahash, and Maakah.”
Genesis 25:6 – “But while he was still living, he gave gifts to the sons of his concubines and sent them away from his son Isaac to the land of the east.”
Genesis 30:4 – “So she gave him her servant Bilhah as a wife. Jacob slept with her.” (Bilhah was a concubine)
Genesis 35:22 – “While Israel was living in that region, Reuben went in and slept with his father’s concubine Bilhah.”
Genesis 36:12 – “Timna was a concubine of Esau’s son Eliphaz.”
Judges 8:31 – “His concubine, who lived in Shechem, also bore him a son, and he named him Abimelek.”
Judges 19:1 – “In those days Israel had no king. Now a Levite who lived in a remote area in the hill country of Ephraim took a concubine from Bethlehem in Judah.”
Judges 19:2 – “But she was unfaithful to him. She left him and went back to her parents’ home in Bethlehem.”
Judges 19:9 – “When the man, with his concubine and his servant, got up to leave, his father-in-law said to him, ‘Look, the day is wearing on…”
Judges 19:10 – “But the man was unwilling to spend the night; he got up and departed and arrived opposite Jebus (that is, Jerusalem).”
Judges 19:24 – “Here is my virgin daughter, and his concubine. I will bring them out to you now, and you can use them and do to them whatever you wish.”
Judges 19:25 – “So the man took his concubine and sent her outside to them, and they raped her and abused her throughout the night.”
Judges 19:27 – “When her master got up in the morning and opened the door of the house and stepped out to continue on his way, there lay his concubine, fallen in the doorway.”
Judges 20:4 – “The Levite, the husband of the murdered woman, said, ‘I and my concubine came to Gibeah in Benjamin to spend the night.'”
Judges 20:5 – “During the night the men of Gibeah came after me and surrounded the house, intending to kill me. They raped my concubine, and she died.”
2 Samuel 3:7 – “Now Saul had had a concubine named Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah.”
2 Samuel 5:13 – “After he left Hebron, David took more concubines and wives in Jerusalem.”
2 Samuel 15:16 – “The king set out, with his entire household following him; but he left ten concubines to take care of the palace.”
2 Samuel 16:21 – “Ahithophel answered, ‘Sleep with your father’s concubines whom he left to take care of the palace.'”
2 Samuel 16:22 – “So they pitched a tent for Absalom on the roof, and he slept with his father’s concubines in the sight of all Israel.”
2 Samuel 19:5 – “Then Joab went into the house to the king and said, ‘Today you have humiliated all your men… because you love those who hate you and hate those who love you.'” (Refers to David’s mourning over Absalom, neglecting his concubines)
2 Samuel 20:3 – “When David returned to his palace in Jerusalem, he took the ten concubines he had left to care for the palace and put them in a house under guard.”
1 Kings 11:3 – “He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines, and his wives led him astray.”
1 Chronicles 1:32 – “The sons of Keturah, Abraham’s concubine: Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak and Shuah.”
1 Chronicles 2:46 – “Ephah was Caleb’s concubine and she bore Haran, Moza and Gazez.”
1 Chronicles 3:9 – “These were all the sons of David, besides his sons by his concubines.”
1 Chronicles 7:14 – “The sons of Manasseh: Asriel, whom his Aramean concubine bore.”
2 Chronicles 11:21 – “Rehoboam loved Maakah daughter of Absalom more than any of his other wives and concubines.”
Esther 2:14 – “In the evening she would go there and in the morning return to another part of the harem to the care of Shaashgaz, the king’s eunuch who was in charge of the concubines.”
Song of Solomon 6:8 – “Sixty queens there may be, and eighty concubines, and virgins beyond number.”
Isaiah 4:1 – “In that day seven women will take hold of one man and say, ‘We will eat our own food and provide our own clothes; only let us be called by your name. Take away our disgrace!'” (Implies a concubine-like arrangement)
Jeremiah 41:10 – “Ishmael took captive all the rest of the people who were in Mizpah—the king’s daughters along with all the others who were left there, over whom Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard had appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam.” (Possible reference to royal concubines)
Ezekiel 23:20 – “There she lusted after her lovers, whose genitals were like those of donkeys and whose emission was like that of horses.” (Metaphorical, but refers to unfaithfulness like a concubine)
Daniel 5:2 – “While Belshazzar was drinking his wine, he gave orders to bring in the gold and silver goblets that Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken from the temple in Jerusalem.” (Possible reference to concubines in the banquet)
Daniel 5:3 – “So they brought in the gold goblets that had been taken from the temple of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines drank from them.”
Daniel 5:23 – “Instead, you have set yourself up against the Lord of heaven… You praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or understand.” (Context: Belshazzar’s feast with concubines)
Hosea 3:1 – “The Lord said to me, ‘Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another man and is an adulteress.'” (Metaphor for Israel as an unfaithful concubine)
Malachi 2:14 – “You ask, ‘Why?’ It is because the Lord is the witness between you and the wife of your youth. You have been unfaithful to her, though she is your partner, the wife of your marriage covenant.” (Implies secondary wives/concubines)
Matthew 1:6 – “Jesse the father of King David. David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife.” (Bathsheba was initially a concubine-like figure)
Revelation 18:13 – “And cargoes of cinnamon and spice, of incense, myrrh and frankincense, of wine and olive oil, of fine flour and wheat; cattle and sheep; horses and carriages; and human beings sold as slaves.” (Possible reference to concubines in the slave trade)

Conclusion

The practice of keeping concubines was part of ancient culture, and the Bible records these stories as part of its historical account not as moral endorsements. When studying Bible verses about concubines, it’s essential to consider the cultural context and compare it with God’s design for marriage as laid out in scripture.

While some of these verses describe troubling circumstances, they offer valuable insight into the human condition, God’s grace, and His purposes even in imperfect situations. The keyword bible verses about concubines helps readers trace how this issue is represented throughout both testaments.

Whether you are researching for study, writing, or teaching, these 40 Bible verses about concubines provide a starting point for deeper understanding.