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פִּילֶגֶשׁ

𐤐𐤉𐤋𐤂𐤔

pîylegesh

H6370 noun

SILEX Entry

Root uncertain uncertain; possible meanings include 'companion,' 'partner,' or 'to divide/employ for secondary relationship,' but these are not clearly derivable from a known Semitic root

Definition

A woman in a recognized, secondary relationship with a man, typically lacking the full legal status or ceremonial rights of a primary wife. While having a defined domestic and sexual relationship, a pîylegesh was distinguished from a wife (אִשָּׁה, ishah) by differences in dowry, inheritance, and social standing; the term may also, more rarely, denote a male paramour or extramarital consort in poetic or figurative contexts. The primary sense is a 'concubine' in the societal framework of ancient Israel. The semantic range includes: secondary wife, concubine, recognized domestic partner of lower status than a wife, sometimes (in rare, non-biblical contexts) paramour.

Semantic Range

concubine, secondary wife, recognized domestic partner of lower status than a wife, paramour (rare, poetic)

Root / Etymology

Root uncertain. The word פִּילֶגֶשׁ (pîylegesh) seems to have no attested Semitic root and is possibly a loanword. Suggestions have included an Akkadian (pilaggu), Hittite, or Greek etymology, but none is definitive. The reduplicated form פִּילֶגֶשׁ occurs alongside the shorter form פִּלֶגֶשׁ, with no discernable difference in usage.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the Hebrew Bible, פִּילֶגֶשׁ most commonly refers to a woman with whom an Israelite man maintains an ongoing sexual and domestic relationship outside the full institution of marriage. Such relationships, commonly referred to in English as 'concubinage,' involved responsibilities and social recognition but fell short of the protections and rights of formal marriage. Concubines could bear children recognized by the household, but inheritance rights for their offspring were often less certain than those of primary wives. No explicit marriage contract (ketubbah) is implied for a pîylegesh, and the legal or ceremonial standing of such unions is not specified in biblical law. Notably, patriarchs (e.g., Abraham, Jacob) and monarchs (e.g., David, Solomon) are described as having concubines in addition to wives, reflecting their wealth or status. The term may be used poetically or figuratively in wisdom literature (e.g., Song of Songs 6:8), where distinctions are drawn between queens, wives, and concubines as categories of women in a royal court. English translations often use 'concubine' for pîylegesh, a term which, while helpful, does not fully capture the ancient Israelite social and legal nuances. The term is distinct from זונה (zonah, 'prostitute'), which denotes an unregulated, commercial sexual relationship rather than a recognized and ongoing domestic association. In post-biblical texts, the status and rights of a pîylegesh continued to be debated. Later Jewish tradition often distinguished sharply between the wife, with all legal protections, and the concubine, whose position was less secure. Anachronistic translations rendering pîylegesh as 'mistress' or 'paramour' may obscure the structured but subordinate role the term had in the biblical social order.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

or פִּלֶגֶשׁ; of uncertain derivation; a concubine; also (masculine) a paramour; concubine, paramour.

Bantu Hebrew

No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.

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Root Family

uncertain (uncertain) — secondary partner, companion, concubine (etymology uncertain)

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1085 בִּלְדַּד Bildad
H1095 בֵּלְטְשַׁאצַּר Belteshatsar
H1114 בִּלְשָׁן Bilshan
H1150 בִּנְעָא Bin'a
H116 אֱדַיִן and then

Word Forms

18 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H6370-13 פִּילֶ֣גֶשׁ pilegesh HNcfsc concubine secondary wife 7
H6370-11 פִּֽלַגְשִׁ֤ים pilageshim HNcfpa concubines concubines 4
H6370-18 וּ/פִֽילַגְשׁ֖/וֹ ufilagesho HC/Ncfsc/Sp3ms and his concubine and his secondary-wife 4
H6370-17 וּ/פִֽלַגְשִׁ֖ים ufilageshim HC/Ncfpa and concubines and concubines 3
H6370-06 הַ/פִּֽילַגְשִׁים֙ hapilageshim HTd/Ncfpa of the concubines the concubines 2
H6370-05 פִילֶ֗גֶשׁ filegesh HNcfsa concubine secondary wife 2
H6370-02 בְּ/פִ֣ילַגְשׁ֔/וֹ befilagesho HR/Ncfsc/Sp3ms his concubine with his concubine 2
H6370-12 פִּֽילַגְשׁ֔/וֹ pilagesho HNcfsc/Sp3ms his concubine his concubine 2
H6370-07 פִּלַגְשֵׁ֣י pilageshey HNcfpc concubines concubines of 2
H6370-08 פִּֽלַגְשֵׁי/הֶ֑ם pilagesheyhem HNcfpc/Sp3mp their paramours their concubines 1

Occurrences in Scripture

37 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H6370-18 Genesis 22:24 וּ/פִֽילַגְשׁ֖/וֹ ufilagesho HC/Ncfsc/Sp3ms his concubine and his secondary-wife
H6370-06 Genesis 25:6 הַ/פִּֽילַגְשִׁים֙ hapilageshim HTd/Ncfpa of the concubines the concubines
H6370-13 Genesis 35:22 פִּילֶ֣גֶשׁ pilegesh HNcfsc concubine secondary wife
H6370-05 Genesis 36:12 פִילֶ֗גֶשׁ filegesh HNcfsa concubine secondary wife
H6370-18 Judges 8:31 וּ/פִֽילַגְשׁ/וֹ֙ ufilagesho HC/Ncfsc/Sp3ms and-his-concubine and his secondary-wife
H6370-05 Judges 19:1 פִילֶ֔גֶשׁ filegesh HNcfsa concubine secondary wife
H6370-12 Judges 19:2 פִּֽילַגְשׁ֔/וֹ pilagesho HNcfsc/Sp3ms his concubine his concubine
H6370-18 Judges 19:9 וּ/פִילַגְשׁ֖/וֹ ufilagesho HC/Ncfsc/Sp3ms and his concubine and his secondary-wife
H6370-18 Judges 19:10 וּ/פִילַגְשׁ֖/וֹ ufilagesho HC/Ncfsc/Sp3ms and his concubine and his secondary-wife
H6370-15 Judges 19:24 וּ/פִֽילַגְשֵׁ֗/הוּ ufilageshehu HC/Ncfsc/Sp3ms and his concubine and his secondary-wife
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