In Mexico, Peru, Japan and China a man only possesses one legitimate wife, but has several concubines whose children are considered as legitimate as those of his wife.
The Koran allows them four wives and as manyconcubines as they please.
The Greek hetairas were concubines of high position, no doubt prostitutes of a kind and giving themselves for money; but they became the friends or companions of great men.
The concubines were formerly often slaves, possessed by men in high positions, in addition to their wives.
In some countries, such as Japan, the children of concubines are considered by the husbands as legitimate, and have the same rights as those of his wife; this gives concubinage the character of marriage of the second rank.
Living in luxury, especially at the time of Pericles and later, several of them became celebrated; statues were raised to them and they became the concubines of kings.
The fate of the children of venal concubinesis generally very sad.
In many countries the courtesans and concubines were held in high esteem, and are so even at the present day, more than is supposed; but this again is not a question of promiscuity.
The father of the Hebrew nation was unquestionably a polygamist, and the general history of patriarchal life shows that a plurality of wives and concubineswere national customs.
And the king went forth, and all his household on foot: and the king left ten women his concubines to keep the house: Concubines.
And David took more concubines and wives of Jerusalem, after he was come from Hebron: and there were born to David other sons also and daughters: David took more concubines and wives of Jerusalem.
So they spread a tent for Absalom on the top of the house, and he went in to his father's concubines before all Israel.
And to the children of the concubines he gave gifts, and separated them from Isaac his son, while he yet lived, to the east country.
And Achitophel said to Absalom: Go in to the concubines of thy father, whom he hath left to keep the house: that when all Israel shall hear that thou hast disgraced thy father, their hands may be strengthened with thee.
There were now nine wives and two concubines living in the harem of the Prophet.
Shortly afterwards some of his concubines observed that his behaviour towards them had changed, and one of them said: 'My lord, what is this?
Of the dancing girls who exhibit at public entertainments, the first in rank and the most skilful in their profession are the concubines of the sovereign and of the hereditary prince.
Such a relation as this in Hindu society would imply that many Mahar women held the position of concubines to their Kunbi masters, and would therefore account for the resemblance of the Mahar to Hindus rather than the forest tribes.
On the other hand he used constantly to see the numerous concubines of Idris, who was rich, while he was but a poor man.
Numbers of women had also joined the Abyssinian army; they were, for the most part, the wives and concubines of the soldiers, and many others had fled from their parents to follow their lovers to battle.
Two of the girls, one an Abyssinian and the other a black, became concubines of the Mahdi.
She was the acknowledged head of the female apartments or Gynaeceum, and the concubines recognized her dignity by actual prostration.
Concubines had somewhat more freedom, appearing sometimes at banquets, when they danced, sang, and played to amuse the guests of their master.
The concubines were not unfrequently Greeks, if we may judge by the case of the younger Cyrus, who took two Greek concubines with him when he made his expedition against his brother.
It would seem that wives did not ordinarily accompany their husbands, when these went on military expeditions, but that concubines were taken to the wars by most Persians of consideration.
The concubines seem to have occupied a distinct part of the Gynaeceum, called "the second house of the women.
The Persian was allowed to marry several wives, and might maintain in addition as many concubines as he thought proper.
Hence, too, the law which made it a capital offence to address or touch one of the royal concubines or even to pass their litters upon the road.
Allah Almighty had bestowed upon him all that his heart could desire, save the boon of a child, for though he had lovely wives within his harem-door and concubines galore [far too many, no doubt!
And David took him more concubines and wives out of Jerusalem, after he was come from Hebron: and there were yet sons and daughters born to David.
So they spread Absalom a tent upon the top of the house; and Absalom went in unto his father's concubines in the sight of all Israel.
In his hunting expeditions the king rode forth preceeded by a host of harlots and concubines dressed in male attire and wherever he went the people lost their horses and cattle and whatever else the royal escort took a fancy to.
He was ordered to send away one of his concubineswho had formerly been a monk’s slave but he replied “If she goes I go.
He put a stop to the evil practice of letting concubines and eunuchs meddle with state affairs, for when one of his concubines asked him to give one of her relatives official position he promptly banished her from the palace.
He abolished the “Woman Bureau” which looked after the procuring of concubines for the King.
When the king passed through the streets with Pa-gyu in his retinue the women would point to the latter and say “There goes the man who would makeconcubines of us all.
One of his favorite concubines followed him and asked what they were to do at home, but he did not answer.
Two concubines of the deceased King were still living and when they were accused to the King of having brought about his mother’s death, he sent for them and killed them on the spot.
Kyŭn-whŭn had many concubines and more than ten sons.
A hundred and twenty concubines were liberated and sent to their homes.
Like Haroun al Raschid he went forth at night and roamed the streets in disguise accompanied by concubines and eunuchs.
She was a woman of jealous disposition and violent temper and her hatred of the other concubines led her into trouble.
The king should let each man take several wives and should remove the restrictions under which the sons of concubines labor.
In his preaching at Tournay he counselled the people to drag the concubines and their priests from their houses with shame and derision; he affirmed that it was a mortal sin to listen to the masses of concubinary priests.
The example of maternal incontinence was copied by the king of Italy; and the three favorite concubines of Hugo were decorated with the classic names of Venus, Juno, and Semele.
A mother and a step-mother ranked equally with the eldest son for that purpose, each receiving two parts; younger sons received one part, and concubines and female children received one-half of a part.
That no distinction was made between wives and concubines has been alleged, but is not confirmed by the annals.
The concubines merely laughed at Sun Tzu until he had the head cut off the head concubine.
When the answer was yes, the king challenged Sun Tzu to turn the royal concubines into a marching troop.
At Ahithophel's advice Absalom first took the precaution of asserting his claim to the throne by seizing his father's concubines (cf.
Abraham gave all he had, and dismissed the sons of his concubines to the lands outside Palestine; they were thus regarded as less intimately related to Isaac and his descendants (xxv.
The rest of the concubines heard it and envied her lot; and the tidings reached Omar son of Al-Nu'uman, who was glad and rejoiced at the excellent news.
But after the priests had submitted to celibacy they ostensibly took the concubines of which, alas!
The Spanish codes of the middle ages were often concerned with the rights of the concubines of priests (mancebas de los clerigos) and these chosen ones of the chosen ones of the Lord invariably appeared worthy of envy.
High officials, and a few wealthy people who are not satisfied with one wife, are allowed by the law of the land to keep as many concubines as their means allow them.
In some of these nunneries strict clausura is enforced, but in most of them the Lamas are allowed free access, with the usual result, that the nuns become the concubines of the Lamas.
She replied, "O Commander of the Faithful, thou hast here a handmaid, one of thy concubines and the bosom friend of Naomi who will neither eat nor drink without her.
Not only did the soldiers live at free quarters, but they had 'their dogs and their concubines all the whole year along in the poor farmers' houses, paying in effect nothing for all the same.
After the battle of Issus, 329 concubines of the last Darius were discovered among the captives.
Even at night, when the king retired to rest, the concubinesplayed and sang by the light of burning lamps.
If the meal was followed by any drinking, the queen-mother and the queen retired, before the concubines entered to play and sing.
Any one who touched one of the concubines was put to death, and even any one who approached their waggons, or passed through the train.
The above list will hopefully give you a few useful examples demonstrating the appropriate usage of "concubines" in a variety of sentences. We hope that you will now be able to make sentences using this word.
