Marriage in the Bible: an introduction

 

         

                                                NOTE:  All texts are from the online Hebrew - English Bible / Mechon-Mamre .                        Any RED lettering is my highlighting.

 

In the following 7 blogs, marriages as recorded in the Bible will be examined, and patterns highlighted.

 

The following patterns emerge:

1.   In the ancient world, marriage was not just the formal union of a man and woman but far more importantly, the union of two families and even clans and kingdoms.

 

2.   As such, marriages are arranged by the parents.

3. The Mesopotamian legal norms re: marriage, as recorded in the Code of Hammurabi, were carefully followed by Abraham, his brother Nachor and Isaac. Namely, only one wife, but if she is childless, a second wife (concubine) could be added and her son deemed the legal heir of the father -- even if the first, 'full wife' has a son thereafter.

This rule was relaxed somewhat in Jacob's case.  He ended up with 2 wives and 2 concubines while living in Mesopotamian Haran.

4. Under Mesopotamian law and culture, av concubine gets the status of full wives once she bears an offspring – preferably a son.

5. A concubine's son(s), is, if the father declares him "My son", is legally a full heir equal to any later son(s) by the 'first wife'.

4. Esau, living continuously in Canaan, followed local custom and married multiple wives: 3 women as co-wives.  

5. By the time of the Book of Judges, having numerous 'full wives' was accepted, as displayed by the story of Gideon's 70 'full' sons.

6. The story also reveals that by now, a concubine relationship and offspring, are no longer considered as 'equal' and 'official'. 

 

Hence the fratricide by Gideon's concubine son, Abimelech.

King Saul had one wife as queen, and a second, concubine spouse in Rizpah, who gave birth to at least 2 sons by Saul. but she and her offspring are never listed in   1 Chronicles ch. 3 'official' genealogy,

She and her offspring would have remained 'unknown' but for the fact she and her 2 sons appear in a most dramatic and tragic event.

Similarly, the concubines of King David and their offspring remain anonymous, and so too those of King Solomon.

This change from patriarch earlier times re: concubines sand their children, may well be due to the fact polygamy, i.e., having multiple 'full wives' was now the accepted norm.

 

King Solomon had, according to 1 Kings 11:3, 700 'full wives' and 300 concubines  (= 1000), all or nearly all, apparently politically motived unions; beginning with Solomon's marriage – as the text literally states - with Pharoah via a union with Pharoah's daughter (I Kings 3:1).

 

 

Conclusion

The minimalist marriages of the early patriarchs, with rare concubines as 'surrogate' child bearing spouses – with both concubine and her offspring deemed of equal status,  as per Hammurabi's Code, eventually  dissolved as multiple wives became the accepted norm.

And now concubines and their offspring become deemed "the wrong side of the bed".