'Wives' in the Bible
Lamech took two wives for himself; the name of the first was Adah, and the name of the second was Zillah.
Lamech said to his wives, "Adah and Zillah! Listen to me! You wives of Lamech, hear my words! I have killed a man for wounding me, a young man for hurting me.
the sons of God saw that the daughters of humankind were beautiful. Thus they took wives for themselves from any they chose.
but I will confirm my covenant with you. You will enter the ark -- you, your sons, your wife, and your sons' wives with you.
Noah entered the ark along with his sons, his wife, and his sons' wives because of the floodwaters.
On that very day Noah entered the ark, accompanied by his sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth, along with his wife and his sons' three wives.
"Come out of the ark, you, your wife, your sons, and your sons' wives with you.
Noah went out along with his sons, his wife, and his sons' wives.
And 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, the father of both Milcah and Iscah.
So Esau went to Ishmael and married Mahalath, the sister of Nebaioth and daughter of Abraham's son Ishmael, along with the wives he already had.
Let me take my wives and my children whom I have acquired by working for you. Then I'll depart, because you know how hard I've worked for you."
If you mistreat my daughters or if you take wives besides my daughters, although no one else is with us, realize that God is witness to your actions."
During the night Jacob quickly took his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven sons and crossed the ford of the Jabbok.
Intermarry with us. Let us marry your daughters, and take our daughters as wives for yourselves.
Then we will give you our daughters to marry, and we will take your daughters as wives for ourselves, and we will live among you and become one people.
"These men are at peace with us. So let them live in the land and travel freely in it, for the land is wide enough for them. We will take their daughters for wives, and we will give them our daughters to marry.
They captured as plunder all their wealth, all their little ones, and their wives, including everything in the houses.
Esau took his wives from the Canaanites: Adah the daughter of Elon the Hittite, and Oholibamah the daughter of Anah and granddaughter of Zibeon the Hivite,
Esau took his wives, his sons, his daughters, all the people in his household, his livestock, his animals, and all his possessions which he had acquired in the land of Canaan and went to a land some distance away from Jacob his brother
This is the account of Jacob. Joseph, his seventeen-year-old son, was taking care of the flocks with his brothers. Now he was a youngster working with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father's wives. Joseph brought back a bad report about them to their father.
You are also commanded to say, 'Do this: Take for yourselves wagons from the land of Egypt for your little ones and for your wives. Bring your father and come.
Then Jacob started out from Beer Sheba, and the sons of Israel carried their father Jacob, their little children, and their wives in the wagons that Pharaoh had sent along to transport him.
All the direct descendants of Jacob who went to Egypt with him were sixty-six in number. (This number does not include the wives of Jacob's sons.)
He said to the people, "Be ready for the third day. Do not go near your wives."
and my anger will burn and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives will be widows and your children will be fatherless.
So Aaron said to them, "Break off the gold earrings that are on the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me."
Why has the Lord brought us into this land only to be killed by the sword, that our wives and our children should become plunder? Wouldn't it be better for us to return to Egypt?"
So they got away from the homes of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram on every side, and Dathan and Abiram came out and stationed themselves in the entrances of their tents with their wives, their children, and their toddlers.
Our children, our wives, our flocks, and all our livestock will be there in the cities of Gilead,
But your wives, children, and livestock (of which I know you have many) may remain in the cities I have given you.
Furthermore, he must not marry many wives lest his affections turn aside, and he must not accumulate much silver and gold.
Suppose a man has two wives, one whom he loves more than the other, and they both bear him sons, with the firstborn being the child of the less loved wife.
your infants, your wives, and the foreigners living in your encampment, those who chop wood and those who carry water --
Your wives, children and cattle may stay in the land that Moses assigned to you east of the Jordan River. But all you warriors must cross over armed for battle ahead of your brothers. You must help them
They took the Canaanites' daughters as wives and gave their daughters to the Canaanites; they worshiped their gods as well.
Gideon fathered seventy sons through his many wives.
He had thirty sons. He arranged for thirty of his daughters to be married outside his extended family, and he arranged for thirty young women to be brought from outside as wives for his sons. Ibzan led Israel for seven years;
How can we find wives for those who are left? After all, we took an oath in the Lord's name not to give them our daughters as wives."
The leaders of the assembly said, "How can we find wives for those who are left? After all, the Benjaminite women have been wiped out.
When their fathers or brothers come and protest to us, we'll say to them, "Do us a favor and let them be, for we could not get each one a wife through battle. Don't worry about breaking your oath! You would only be guilty if you had voluntarily given them wives.'"
The Benjaminites did as instructed. They abducted two hundred of the dancing girls to be their wives. They went home to their own territory, rebuilt their cities, and settled down.
He had two wives; the name of the first was Hannah and the name of the second was Peninnah. Now Peninnah had children, but Hannah was childless.
David had also married Ahinoam from Jezreel; the two of them became his wives.
David settled with Achish in Gath, along with his men and their families. David had with him his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelite and Abigail the Carmelite, Nabal's widow.
When David and his men came to the city, they found it burned. Their wives, sons, and daughters had been taken captive.
David's two wives had been taken captive -- Ahinoam the Jezreelite and Abigail the Carmelite, Nabal's widow.
David retrieved everything the Amalekites had taken; he also rescued his two wives.
But all the evil and worthless men among those who had gone with David said, "Since they didn't go with us, we won't give them any of the loot we retrieved! They may take only their wives and children. Let them lead them away and be gone!"
So David went up, along with his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelite and Abigail, formerly the wife of Nabal the Carmelite.
David married more concubines and wives from Jerusalem after he arrived from Hebron. Even more sons and daughters were born to David.
I gave you your master's house, and put your master's wives into your arms. I also gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if all that somehow seems insignificant, I would have given you so much more as well!
This is what the Lord says: 'I am about to bring disaster on you from inside your own household! Right before your eyes I will take your wives and hand them over to your companion. He will have sexual relations with your wives in broad daylight!
So Joab visited the king at his home. He said, "Today you have embarrassed all your servants who have saved your life this day, as well as the lives of your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your concubines.
He had 700 royal wives and 300 concubines; his wives had a powerful influence over him.
When Solomon became old, his wives shifted his allegiance to other gods; he was not wholeheartedly devoted to the Lord his God, as his father David had been.
He built high places for all his foreign wives so they could burn incense and make sacrifices to their gods.
He said to him, "This is what Ben Hadad says, 'Your silver and your gold are mine, as well as the best of your wives and sons.'"
The messengers came again and said, "This is what Ben Hadad says, 'I sent this message to you, "You must give me your silver, gold, wives, and sons."
The king of Israel summoned all the leaders of the land and said, "Notice how this man is looking for trouble. Indeed, he demanded my wives, sons, silver, and gold, and I did not resist him."
He deported Jehoiachin from Jerusalem to Babylon, along with the king's mother and wives, his eunuchs, and the high-ranking officials of the land.
Ashhur the father of Tekoa had two wives, Helah and Naarah.
According to the genealogical records of their families, they had 36,000 warriors available for battle, for they had numerous wives and sons.
Shaharaim fathered sons in Moab after he divorced his wives Hushim and Baara.
In Jerusalem David married more wives and fathered more sons and daughters.
Rehoboam loved Maacah daughter of Absalom more than his other wives and concubines. He had eighteen wives and sixty concubines; he fathered twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters.
He wisely placed some of his many sons throughout the regions of Judah and Benjamin in the various fortified cities. He supplied them with abundant provisions and acquired many wives for them.
Abijah's power grew; he had fourteen wives and fathered twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters.
All the men of Judah were standing before the Lord, along with their infants, wives, and children.
So look, the Lord is about to severely afflict your people, your sons, your wives, and all you own.
They attacked Judah and swept through it. They carried off everything they found in the royal palace, including his sons and wives. None of his sons was left, except for his youngest, Ahaziah.
Jehoiada chose two wives for him who gave him sons and daughters.
The Israelites seized from their brothers 200,000 wives, sons, and daughters. They also carried off a huge amount of plunder and took it back to Samaria.
Look, our fathers died violently and our sons, daughters, and wives were carried off because of this.
and to all the infants, wives, sons, and daughters of the entire assembly listed in the genealogical records, for they faithfully consecrated themselves.
Indeed, they have taken some of their daughters as wives for themselves and for their sons, so that the holy race has become intermingled with the local residents. Worse still, the leaders and the officials have been at the forefront of all of this!"
Then Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, "You have behaved in an unfaithful manner by taking foreign wives! This has contributed to the guilt of Israel.
Now give praise to the Lord God of your fathers, and do his will. Separate yourselves from the local residents and from these foreign wives."
and on the first day of the first month they finished considering all the men who had married foreign wives.
It was determined that from the descendants of the priests, the following had taken foreign wives: from the descendants of Jeshua son of Jozadak, and his brothers: Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib, and Gedaliah.
(They gave their word to send away their wives; their guilt offering was a ram from the flock for their guilt.)
All these had taken foreign wives, and some of them also had children by these women.
When I had made an inspection, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials, and the rest of the people, "Don't be afraid of them. Remember the great and awesome Lord, and fight on behalf of your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your families!"
Then there was a great outcry from the people and their wives against their fellow Jews.
"Now the rest of the people -- the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, the temple attendants, and all those who have separated themselves from the neighboring peoples because of the law of God, along with their wives, their sons, and their daughters, all of whom are able to understand --
So I entered a complaint with them. I called down a curse on them, and I struck some of the men and pulled out their hair. I had them swear by God saying, "You will not marry off your daughters to their sons, and you will not take any of their daughters as wives for your sons or for yourselves!
Was it not because of things like these that King Solomon of Israel sinned? Among the many nations there was no king like him. He was loved by his God, and God made him king over all Israel. But the foreign wives made even him sin!
Should we then in your case hear that you do all this great evil, thereby being unfaithful to our God by marrying foreign wives?"
When you see a thief, you join him; you associate with men who are unfaithful to their wives.
Their children will be smashed to pieces before their very eyes; their houses will be looted and their wives raped.
I am as full of anger as you are, Lord, I am tired of trying to hold it in." The Lord answered, "Vent it, then, on the children who play in the street and on the young men who are gathered together. Husbands and wives are to be included, as well as the old and those who are advanced in years.
Their houses will be turned over to others as will their fields and their wives. For I will unleash my power against those who live in this land," says the Lord.
So I will give their wives to other men and their fields to new owners. For from the least important to the most important of them, all of them are greedy for dishonest gain. Prophets and priests alike, all practice deceit.
The people to whom they are prophesying will die through war and famine. Their bodies will be thrown out into the streets of Jerusalem and there will be no one to bury them. This will happen to the men and their wives, their sons, and their daughters. For I will pour out on them the destruction they deserve."
So let their children die of starvation. Let them be cut down by the sword. Let their wives lose their husbands and children. Let the older men die of disease and the younger men die by the sword in battle.
Marry and have sons and daughters. Find wives for your sons and allow your daughters get married so that they too can have sons and daughters. Grow in number; do not dwindle away.
This will happen to them because they have done what is shameful in Israel. They have committed adultery with their neighbors' wives and have spoken lies while claiming my authority. They have spoken words that I did not command them to speak. I know what they have done. I have been a witness to it,' says the Lord."
We and our wives and our sons and daughters have obeyed everything our ancestor Jonadab commanded us. We have never drunk wine.
"All your wives and your children will be turned over to the Babylonians. You yourself will not escape from them but will be captured by the king of Babylon. This city will be burned down."
Have you forgotten all the wicked things that have been done in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem by your ancestors, by the kings of Judah and their wives, by you and your wives?