'Wife' in the Bible

(Therefore a man will leave his father and his mother and cling to his wife, and they will become one flesh.)

Even though both the man and his wife were naked, they were not ashamed about it.

Whenthey heard the voice of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden during the breeze of the day, the man and his wife concealed themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.

He told the man, "Because you have listened to what your wife said, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, "You must not eat from it,' cursed is the ground because of you. You'll eat from it through pain-filled labor for the rest of your life.

Now Adam had named his wife "Eve," because she was to become the mother of everyone who was living.

The LORD God fashioned garments from animal skins for Adam and his wife, and clothed them.

Later, Adam had sexual relations with his wife Eve. She became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, "I have given birth to a male child the LORD."

Later, Cain had sexual relations with his wife. She became pregnant and gave birth to Enoch. Cain founded a city and named it after his son Enoch.

Later on, after Adam had sexual relations with his wife, she gave birth to a son and named him Seth, because "God granted me another offspring to replace Abel, since Cain murdered him."

However, I will establish my own covenant with you, and you are to enter the ark you, your sons, your wife, and your sons' wives.

Noah, his sons, his wife, and his sons' wives entered the ark with him before the flood waters arrived.

On that very day, Noah entered the ark with his sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth, Noah's wife, his sons' three wives with them,

"It's time for you, your wife, your sons, and your sons' wives who are with you to leave the ark.

So Noah, his sons, his wife, and his sons' wives emerged.

Abram and Nahor took wives for themselves. The name of Abram's wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor's wife was Milcah. She was the daughter of Haran, who was the father of Milcah and Iscah.

Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot (Haran's son), and his daughter-in-law Sarai, his son Abram's wife, and they journeyed together from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to the land of Canaan. But when they had gone as far as Haran, they settled there,

Abram took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated, and the servants he had acquired while living in Haran. Then they set out to go to the land of Canaan. When they arrived in the land of Canaan,

When he was about to enter Egypt, he told his wife Sarai, "Look, I'm aware that you're a beautiful woman.

When the Egyptians see you, they will say, "She is his wife.' Then they'll kill me, but allow you to live.

But the LORD afflicted Pharaoh and his household with severe plagues because of Sarai, Abram's wife.

Pharaoh summoned Abram and asked, "What have you done to me! Why didn't you tell me that she was your wife?

Why did you say, "She is my sister,' so that I took her as a wife for myself? Now, here is your wife! Take her and get out!"

So Pharaoh assigned men to Abram, and they escorted him, his wife, and all that he had out of the country.

Abram traveled from Egypt, along with his wife and everyone who belonged to his household including Lot to the Negev.

Now Abram's wife Sarai had not borne a child for him. She had an Egyptian servant girl whose name was Hagar.

Abram listened to Sarai's suggestion, so Abram's wife Sarai took her Egyptian servant, Hagar, and gave her as a wife to her husband Abram. This took place ten years after Abram had settled in the land of Canaan.

God told Abraham, "As for Sarai your wife, you are not to call her Sarai any longer, because her name is to be Sarah.

But God replied, "No, but your wife Sarah will give birth to your son, and you are to name him Isaac. I'll confirm my covenant with him as an eternal covenant for his descendants.

The men asked him, "Where is your wife Sarah?" "There, in the tent," he replied.

Then one of them said, "I will certainly return to you in about a year's time. By then, your wife Sarah will have borne a son."

As dawn was breaking, the angels pressured Lot. "Get going!" they told him. "Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be engulfed by the devastation that's coming to this city."

But Lot kept lingering in the city, so the men grabbed his hand and the hands of his wife and two daughters (because of the LORD's compassion for him!), brought them out of the city, and left them outside.

But Lot's wife looked back as she lingered behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.

because Abraham kept saying about his wife Sarah, "She is my sister," King Abimelech of Gerar summoned them and took Sarah into his household.

But God came to Abimelech in a dream during the night and spoke to him, "Pay attention! You're about to die, because the woman you have taken is a man's wife!"

Now then, return the man's wife. As a matter of fact, he's a prophet and can intercede for you so you'll live. But if you don't return her, be aware that you and all who are yours will certainly die."

"I thought that there's no fear of God in this place," Abraham replied, "and that they would kill me because of my wife.

Besides, she really is my sister she's my father's daughter, but not my mother's daughter so she could become my wife.

So Abimelech took some sheep and oxen, and some male and female servants, gave them to Abraham, returned his wife Sarah to him,

Then Abraham interceded with God, and God healed Abimelech, his wife, and his female servants so they could bear children,

since the LORD had made all the women barren in Abimelech's household on account of Abraham's wife Sarah.

Later he settled in the desert area of Paran, and his mother chose a wife for him from the land of Egypt.

Then Abraham stood up from beside his dead wife and addressed the Hittites. He said,

After this, Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave at the field of Machpelah, east of Mamre (that is, in Hebron) in the land of Canaan.

as a promise to the LORD, the God of heaven and earth, that you won't acquire a wife for my son from the Canaanite women among whom I'm living.

Instead, you are to go to my country and to my family and acquire a wife for my son Isaac."

"The LORD God of heaven, who brought me from my father's house and from my family's land, who spoke to me and promised me "I will give this land to your descendants,' will send his angel ahead of you, and you are to acquire a wife for my son from there.

Before he had finished speaking, Rebekah appeared. She was a daughter of Milcah's son Bethuel. (Milcah was the wife of Abraham's brother Nahor.) She approached the well, carrying a jug on her shoulder.

My master's wife Sarah gave birth to my master's son in her old age, and Abraham has given him everything that belongs to him.

My master made me swear this oath: "You are not to select a wife for my son from among the daughters of the Canaanites in this land where I live.

Instead, you are to go to my father's household, to my relatives, and choose a wife for my son there.'

"Abraham told me, "The LORD, who is with me wherever I go, will send his angel with you to make your journey successful. So you are to choose a wife for my son from my family, from my father's household.

So here's Rebekah she's right in front of you. Take her and go, so she can become a wife for your master's son, just as the LORD has decreed."

Abraham had taken another wife whose name was Keturah.

This was the same field that Abraham had bought from the Hittites, where Abraham and his wife Sarah were buried.

Later, Isaac prayed to the LORD on behalf of his wife, since she was unable to conceive children, and the LORD responded to him his wife Rebekah became pregnant.

Later on, the men of that place asked about his wife, so he replied, "She's my sister," because he was afraid to call her "my wife." He kept thinking, ""otherwise, the men around here will kill me on account of Rebekah, since she's very beautiful."

After he had been there awhile, Abimelech, king of the Philistines, looked out through a window and saw Isaac caressing his wife Rebekah.

So Abimelech called Isaac and confronted him. "She is definitely your wife!" he accused him, "So why did you claim, "She's my sister?'" Isaac responded, "Because I had thought ""otherwise, I'll die on account of her.'"

"What have you done to us?" Abimelech asked. "Any minute now, one of the people could have had sex with your wife and you would have caused all of us to be guilty."

So he issued this order to everyone: "Whoever touches this man or his wife is to be executed."

Later, Isaac called Jacob and blessed him, instructing him, "Don't marry a wife from the local Canaanite women.

Esau noticed that after Isaac had blessed Jacob as he was sending him off to Paddan-aram to marry a wife from there, he had instructed Jacob, "Don't marry a Canaanite woman."

Eventually, Jacob told Laban, "Bring me my wife, now that my time of service has been completed, so I can go be with her."

So Jacob completed another seven years' work, and then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel to be his wife.

So Rachel gave Jacob her woman servant Bilhah to be his wife, and Jacob had sex with her.

When Leah saw that she had stopped bearing children, she took her woman servant Zilpah and gave her to Jacob as a wife.

Then Leah said, "God has paid me for giving my servant to my husband as his wife." So she named him Issachar.

Then Shechem told his father Hamor, "Get this young woman for me to be my wife."

But Hamor said this: "My son is deeply attracted to your daughter. Please give her to him as his wife.

No matter how big or how extensive your demands are for a dowry and wedding presents from me, I'll provide whatever you ask. Only give me the young lady to be my wife."

The names of Esau's sons were Eliphaz (the son of Esau's wife Adah) and Reuel (the son of Esau's wife Basemath).

Reuel's sons were Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. These were the sons of Esau's wife Basemath.

These were the sons of Esau's wife Oholibamah, the daughter of Anah, who was the daughter of Zibeon. She bore Jeush, Jalam, and Korah for Esau.

These were the descendants of Esau's son Reuel: tribal leaders Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. These were the tribal leaders who descended from Reuel in the territory of Edom. These were the sons of Esau's wife Basemath.

These were the descendants of Esau's wife Oholibamah: tribal leaders Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. These tribal leaders descended from Esau's wife Oholibamah, Anah's daughter.

Judah found a wife for his oldest son Er. Her name was Tamar.

So Judah instructed Onan, "You are to have sexual relations with your dead brother's wife, performing the duty of a brother-in-law with her, and have offspring for your brother."

But Onan knew that the offspring wouldn't be his own heir, so whenever he had sexual relations with his brother's wife, he would spill his semen on the ground to avoid fathering offspring for his brother.

Some years later, Shua's daughter (that is, Judah's wife) died. As Judah was grieving, he visited the shearers of his flock in Timnah, accompanied by his Adullamite friend Hirah.

So she took off her mourning apparel, covered herself with a shawl, and concealed her outward appearance. Then she went out and sat at the entrance of Enaim, which is on the way to Timnah, because she knew that even though Shelah had grown up, she wasn't being given to him as his wife.

Now Joseph was well built and good looking. That's why, sometime later, Joseph's master's wife looked straight at Joseph and propositioned him: "Come on! Let's have a little sex!"

But he refused, telling his master's wife, "Look! My master doesn't have to worry about anything in the house with me in charge, and he has entrusted everything into my care.

No one has more authority in this house than I do. He has withheld nothing from me, except you, and that's because you're his wife. So how can I commit such a horrible evil? How can I sin against God?"

Pharaoh also changed Joseph's name to Zaphenath-paneah and gave Asenath, daughter of Potiphera, the priest of On, to him as his wife. And that's how Joseph gained authority over the land of Egypt.

"Then your servant, our father, told us, "You know my wife bore me two sons.

Jacob's wife Rachel's sons were Joseph and Benjamin.

It's where Abraham and his wife Sarah were buried, where Isaac and his wife Rebekah were buried, and where I buried Leah.

So Moses took his wife and sons, put them on donkeys, and headed back to the land of Egypt. Moses took the staff of God in his hand.

Now Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, had taken back Moses' wife Zipporah after she had been sent away,

Moses' father-in-law Jethro, together with Moses' two sons and his wife, came to Moses in the desert where he was camped at the mountain of God.

He told Moses, "I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you along with your wife and her two sons."

"You are not to desire your neighbor's house, nor your neighbor's wife, his male or female servant, his ox, his donkey, nor anything else that pertains to your neighbor."

If he came in by himself, he is to go out by himself. If he was married, his wife is to go out with him.

If his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the wife and children belong to her master, and he is to go out by himself.

But if the servant, in fact, says, "I love my master, my wife, and my children, and I won't go out a free man,'

"When a man seduces a virgin who is not engaged to be married and has sexual relations with her, he must pay her bride price, and she is to become his wife.

"You are not to have sexual relations with your father's wife. It's your own father's nakedness.

"You are not to have sexual relations with the daughter of your father's wife. Born of your father, she's your sister, so you are not to have sexual relations with her.

"You are not to expose the nakedness of your father's brother by having sexual relations with his wife. She's your aunt.