Hebrew Rulers with Two Wives

Alice C. Linsley

Many Hebrew rulers had two wives. Among them were Lamech the Elder, Terah, Abraham, Isaac, Esau the Elder, Amram, Jesse, Elkanah, Ashur, and Joash. Abraham's two wives were Sarah (his half-sister) and Keturah (his patrilineal cousin). They resided in separate settlements in Hebron and Beersheba. 

In 1 Chronicles 4:5, we read that "Ashur, the father of Tekoa, had two wives, Helah and Naarah."

In 1 Chronicles 4:17-18, we read that Mered had two wives, and one was "Pharaoh’s daughter Bithiah, whom Mered had married."

In 2 Chronicles 24:1–3 we read:

"Joash was seven years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem forty years. His mother’s name was Zibiah; she was from Beersheba. Joash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord all the years of Jehoiada the priest. Jehoiada chose two wives for him, and he had sons and daughters.

Caleb fathered children by his wives Azubah and Jerioth (1 Chronicles 2:18,19). From Caleb came Hur and Salma, both of Bethlehem. From them came Elimelech who married Naomi. Their kinsman was Boaz who married Ruth. Their son was Obed, the father of Jesse, the father of David.

The antiquity of the custom of ruler's having two wives is evident in the case of Hor-Aha (c. 2925–c. 2775 BC). His wives' names were Benerib and Khenthap. Khenthap is said to be the mother of King Hor Djer in the Cairo Annals Stone. 

A Custom for Rulers Only

Having two wives pertained only to Hebrew men who ruled over territories. The custom was a sign of the man's status as a ruler. The settlements of the two wives were at the borders of the ruler's territory. Abraham's territory was between Sarah's settlement at Hebron and Keturah's settlement at Beersheba. 

None of the marriages of the Hebrew rulers can be called "biblical" and therefore cited as models for Bible believers because this pattern pertains only to Hebrew ruler-priests, the "first lords of the earth". It is not a biblical pattern for marriage. It is a pattern for royal Hebrew persons beginning long before Judaism emerged. These were regnal marriages involving a bride and a groom from related Hebrew clans or between half-siblings (endogamy). Royal marriages are prone to irregularities because of the necessity of a proper heir, and political complexities.

Related reading: The Pattern of Two Wives, The Social Structure of the Biblical Hebrew; The Marriage and Ascendancy Pattern of the Horite Hebrew; The Wives' Settlements Mark the Boundaries; Understanding "Biblical" Marriage Practices