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פִּילֶגֶשׁ

𐤐𐤉𐤋𐤂𐤔

pîylegesh

H6370 noun

SILEX Entry

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.

Translation Consistency

primary "concubine" 36 occurrences

Concubine best matches the primary, historical sense in the SILEX definition — a recognized secondary domestic partner of lower status than a wife — and is the most frequent rendering in the attested forms. It is natural English, concise, and will provide consistent terminology across all forms; rarer poetic senses (e.g., 'paramour' or 'secondary wife') can be handled in context-specific notes or variants.

Alternatives (1 occurrence):
"paramours" (1x)

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 recorded for this word yet.

Root Family

uncertain (Baleadan) — uncertain

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
Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1002 בִּירָה the citadel
H105 אֲגַרְטָל bowls of
H1081 בַּלְאֲדָן Baladan
H1085 בִּלְדַּד Bildad
H1095 בֵּלְטְשַׁאצַּר Belteshatsar

Word Forms

18 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H6370-13 פִּילֶ֣גֶשׁ pilegesh HNcfsc concubine secondary wife concubine of 7
H6370-11 פִּֽלַגְשִׁ֤ים pilageshim HNcfpa concubines concubines concubines 4
H6370-18 וּ/פִֽילַגְשׁ֖/וֹ ufilagesho HC/Ncfsc/Sp3ms and his concubine and his secondary-wife and his concubine 4
H6370-17 וּ/פִֽלַגְשִׁ֖ים ufilageshim HC/Ncfpa and concubines and concubines and concubines 3
H6370-02 בְּ/פִ֣ילַגְשׁ֔/וֹ befilagesho HR/Ncfsc/Sp3ms his concubine with his concubine his concubine 2
H6370-05 פִילֶ֗גֶשׁ filegesh HNcfsa concubine secondary wife concubine 2
H6370-06 הַ/פִּֽילַגְשִׁ֑ים hapilageshim HTd/Ncfpa of the concubines the concubines the concubines 2
H6370-07 פִּלַגְשֵׁ֣י pilageshey HNcfpc concubines concubines of the concubines of 2
H6370-12 פִּֽילַגְשׁ/וֹ֙ pilagesho HNcfsc/Sp3ms his concubine his concubine his concubine 2
H6370-01 בְּ/פִֽילַגְשִׁ/י֙ befilageshi HR/Ncfsc/Sp1cs of my concubine with my concubine with my concubine 1

Occurrences in Scripture

37 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H6370-18 Genesis 22:24 וּ/פִֽילַגְשׁ֖/וֹ ufilagesho HC/Ncfsc/Sp3ms his concubine and his secondary-wife and his concubine
H6370-06 Genesis 25:6 הַ/פִּֽילַגְשִׁים֙ hapilageshim HTd/Ncfpa of the concubines the concubines the concubines
H6370-13 Genesis 35:22 פִּילֶ֣גֶשׁ pilegesh HNcfsc concubine secondary wife concubine of
H6370-05 Genesis 36:12 פִילֶ֗גֶשׁ filegesh HNcfsa concubine secondary wife concubine
H6370-18 Judges 8:31 וּ/פִֽילַגְשׁ/וֹ֙ ufilagesho HC/Ncfsc/Sp3ms and-his-concubine and his secondary-wife and his concubine
H6370-05 Judges 19:1 פִילֶ֔גֶשׁ filegesh HNcfsa concubine secondary wife concubine
H6370-12 Judges 19:2 פִּֽילַגְשׁ֔/וֹ pilagesho HNcfsc/Sp3ms his concubine his concubine his concubine
H6370-18 Judges 19:9 וּ/פִילַגְשׁ֖/וֹ ufilagesho HC/Ncfsc/Sp3ms and his concubine and his secondary-wife and his concubine
H6370-18 Judges 19:10 וּ/פִילַגְשׁ֖/וֹ ufilagesho HC/Ncfsc/Sp3ms and his concubine and his secondary-wife and his concubine
H6370-15 Judges 19:24 וּ/פִֽילַגְשֵׁ֗/הוּ ufilageshehu HC/Ncfsc/Sp3ms and his concubine and his secondary-wife and his concubine
H6370-02 Judges 19:25 בְּ/פִ֣ילַגְשׁ֔/וֹ befilagesho HR/Ncfsc/Sp3ms his concubine with his concubine with his concubine
H6370-04 Judges 19:27 פִֽילַגְשׁ֗/וֹ filagesho HNcfsc/Sp3ms his concubine his concubine his concubine
H6370-02 Judges 19:29 בְּ/פִֽילַגְשׁ֔/וֹ befilagesho HR/Ncfsc/Sp3ms on his concubine with his concubine his concubine
H6370-16 Judges 20:4 וּ/פִֽילַגְשִׁ֖/י ufilageshi HC/Ncfsc/Sp1cs and my concubine and my concubine and my concubine
H6370-10 Judges 20:5 פִּילַגְשִׁ֥/י pilageshi HNcfsc/Sp1cs my concubine my concubine my concubine
H6370-01 Judges 20:6 בְּ/פִֽילַגְשִׁ/י֙ befilageshi HR/Ncfsc/Sp1cs of my concubine with my concubine with my concubine
H6370-13 2 Samuel 3:7 פִּלֶ֔גֶשׁ pilegesh HNcfsa concubine secondary wife concubine of
H6370-13 2 Samuel 3:7 פִּילֶ֥גֶשׁ pilegesh-2 HNcfsc concubine-of secondary wife concubine of
H6370-11 2 Samuel 5:13 פִּֽלַגְשִׁ֤ים pilageshim HNcfpa concubines concubines concubines
H6370-11 2 Samuel 15:16 פִּֽלַגְשִׁ֖ים pilageshim HNcfpa concubines concubines concubines
H6370-07 2 Samuel 16:21 פִּלַגְשֵׁ֣י pilageshey HNcfpc concubines concubines of the concubines of
H6370-07 2 Samuel 16:22 פִּֽלַגְשֵׁ֣י pilageshey HNcfpc concubines concubines of the concubines of
H6370-09 2 Samuel 19:6 פִּלַגְשֶֽׁי/ךָ pilagesheykha HNcfpc/Sp2ms your concubines your concubines your concubines
H6370-11 2 Samuel 20:3 פִּלַגְשִׁ֡ים pilageshim HNcfpa concubines concubines concubines
H6370-13 2 Samuel 21:11 פִּלֶ֥גֶשׁ pilegesh HNcfsc the concubine secondary wife concubine of
H6370-17 1 Kings 11:3 וּ/פִֽלַגְשִׁ֖ים ufilageshim HC/Ncfpa and concubines and concubines and concubines
H6370-08 Ezekiel 23:20 פִּֽלַגְשֵׁי/הֶ֑ם pilagesheyhem HNcfpc/Sp3mp their paramours their concubines their paramours
H6370-11 Song of Songs 6:8 פִּֽילַגְשִׁ֑ים pilageshim HNcfpa concubines concubines concubines
H6370-17 Song of Songs 6:9 וּ/פִֽילַגְשִׁ֖ים ufilageshim HC/Ncfpa and concubines and concubines and concubines
H6370-06 Esther 2:14 הַ/פִּֽילַגְשִׁ֑ים hapilageshim HTd/Ncfpa the concubines the concubines the concubines
H6370-13 1 Chronicles 1:32 פִּילֶ֣גֶשׁ pilegesh HNcfsc concubine secondary wife concubine of
H6370-13 1 Chronicles 2:46 פִּילֶ֣גֶשׁ pilegesh HNcfsc concubine secondary wife concubine of
H6370-13 1 Chronicles 2:48 פִּלֶ֤גֶשׁ pilegesh HNcfsc concubine secondary wife concubine of
H6370-03 1 Chronicles 3:9 פִֽילַגְשִׁ֖ים filageshim HNcfpa the concubines concubines the concubines
H6370-12 1 Chronicles 7:14 פִּֽילַגְשׁ/וֹ֙ pilagesho HNcfsc/Sp3ms his concubine his concubine his concubine
H6370-14 2 Chronicles 11:21 וּ/פִ֣ילַגְשָׁ֔י/ו ufilageshayv HC/Ncfpc/Sp3ms and his concubines and his concubines and his concubines
H6370-17 2 Chronicles 11:21 וּ/פִֽילַגְשִׁ֖ים ufilageshim HC/Ncfpa and concubines and concubines and concubines
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