Meat Virgins or bridesmaids

[Verifyveritas76]

The parable of the virgins indicate that they entered the marriage simultaneously. There’s also a verse that talks about Solomon “in the day of his espousals”

 

[tps26]

King Solomon made himself a chariot [bed] of the wood of Lebanon. He made the pillars thereof of silver, the bottom thereof of gold, the covering of it of purple, the midst thereof being paved with love, for the daughters of Jerusalem. Go forth, O ye daughters of Zion, and behold king Solomon with the crown wherewith his mother crowned him in the day of his espousals, and in the day of the gladness of his heart.
Song of Solomon 3:9‭-‬11 KJV

Go and cry in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the Lord ; I remember thee, the kindness of thy youth, the love of thine espousals, when thou wentest after me in the wilderness, in a land that was not sown.
Jeremiah 2:2 KJV

 

[rockfox]

While it would, the word “overkill” comes to mind.

No, overkill would be stoning the harlots on their fathers doorsteps as the Bible directs. Literally.

I can see how to the modern church causing feelbads on that scale would seem like overkill. But I'd love to hear about effective alternative ideas. Besides the current approach of pretending all is fine while marriage dies out.

Oh, I see now you did have a suggestion...

What is needed is a change of heart, a return to holiness. Without a reverent, holiness mindset, people are just playing the religion game. Creating rules for the game just isn’t going to solve the heart problems.

That won't happen. For that to happen people need to be called to repentance. Which requires calling a spade a spade, or a whore a whore. But you objected to that approach already.

Titus 2, Matthew 18...social pressure works and is a tool of the kingdom.

This shows that "concubine" is simply a subset of "wife" ("woman"). All concubines are wives (but not all wives are concubines), and it is entirely appropriate to call a concubine a wife, because she is a wife.

Not because a concubine is a wife, but because a concubine is a human female. They had no construct called 'wife'. She was a human female, hence called woman. And she belonged to Jacob, hence 'his woman'. But she was a slave given to him, so she was referred to as a concubine as well.

 

[steve]

That won't happen. For that to happen people need to be called to repentance. Which requires calling a spade a spade, or a whore a whore. But you objected to that approach already.

You can call people to repentance every day of the week and twice on Sundays, but without revival it’s just a method of shaming them without producing anything righteous.

 

[PeteR]

Finally got around to reading this whole thread. Great discussion, lots of good points and many belly laughs.

One thought late in the discussion,

Bilhah is labeled as both in different passages... Gen. 30:4 and Gen. 35:22 Although it would be the other way around first labeled as his woman and later as his concubine...

I don't recall Zilpah being called a concubine. Is it possible that Bilhah was 'demoted' because she lay with Reuben? Jacob could not return to her so he demoted her and let her stay in the house...

 

[Julia Mykaele]

Eve and most of today's wives are concubines?