What was the role of a concubine in biblical times?

In reality, a concubine was a genuine wife. She was not a woman who cohabited with a man while unmarried to him. In the family the concubine held an intermediate place between the wife of first rank and an ordinary slave. In most cases she was a slave raised to a higher dignity by marriage to the master (Gn 16.3).

What is the difference between a wife and a concubine in the Bible?

The position of the concubine was generally inferior to that of the wife. Although a concubine could produce heirs, her children would be inferior in social status to a wife’s children, although they were of higher status than illegitimate children.

What is the moral of judges 19?

In Judges 19, we are introduced to a man from the hill country of Ephraim who is said to have taken a concubine from Bethel in Judah. To summarize Judg 19:2-10 we learn that, the concubine is unfaithful[3] to him and she then leaves to return to her father’s house.

What was the responsibility of the Levites?

Levites’ principal roles in the Temple included singing Psalms during Temple services, performing construction and maintenance for the Temple, serving as guards, and performing other services. Levites also served as teachers and judges, maintaining cities of refuge in biblical times.

How were concubines treated?

Naturally, concubines were strictly forbidden from having sex with anyone other than the emperor. Most of their activities were overseen and monitored by the eunuchs, who wielded great power in the palace. Concubines were required to bathe and be examined by a court doctor before the emperor visited their bed chamber.

What is a concubine in Judges?

Background of the Concubine It is usually translated into English as “concubine” and understood to refer to a wife or sexual partner of secondary status. Although certain men in the Hebrew Bible have both wives and concubines, no wives or additional concubines are referred to in Judges 19.

What is a Levite in the Bible?

Levite, member of a group of clans of religious functionaries in ancient Israel who apparently were given a special religious status, conjecturally for slaughtering idolaters of the golden calf during the time of Moses (Ex. 32:25–29).

What are the duties of a concubine?

Concubines had their own rooms and would fill their days applying make-up, sewing, practising various arts and socialising with other concubines. Many of them spent their entire lives in the palace without any contact with the emperor.

Where did the Levite and his concubine spend the night?

Judges 19:9-15 tells us the Levite and his concubine left the house. They passed by Jebus (Judges 19:11), the ancient name for Jerusalem, and stopped at Gibeah or Ramah to spend the night (Judges 19:13). Judges 19:15-26 describes what happened the night the couple stayed in Gibeah, a city of the Benjamites.

Did a Levite take a second class wife for himself?

In verse 1 we are told that a Levite had taken a concubine, a second class wife, for himself. Now it came about in those days, when there was no king in Israel, that there was a certain Levite staying in the remote part of the hill country of Ephraim, who took a concubine for himself from Bethlehem in Judah.

Why did the old man refuse to send out the Levite?

Judges 19:22-24 (NASB) The worthless fellows wanted the old man to send out the Levite so that they could engage in sexual activity with him. But the old man refused and offered the crowd of men his virgin daughter and the Levite’s concubine.

How long did the Levite stay in the father-in-law’s House?

Verses 4-8 tell us that the Levite remained in the home of the father-in-law for five days. Judges 19:9-15 tells us the Levite and his concubine left the house. They passed by Jebus (Judges 19:11), the ancient name for Jerusalem, and stopped at Gibeah or Ramah to spend the night (Judges 19:13).