לְחֵנָה
𐤋𐤇𐤍𐤄
lᵉchênâh
H3904 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A female of secondary marital status, typically residing in a man's household without the full legal or social standing of a wife; generally understood as a concubine—i.e., a woman who cohabits with a man as part of his extended family structure but lacks the formal standing and inheritance rights of a principal wife. In the contexts attested, it refers specifically to this kind of relationship, and is not simply synonymous with 'wife' but indicates a recognized yet inferior social status within polygynous households.
Semantic Range
concubine, woman of secondary marital standing; woman in a king's or noble's household sharing in his household but lacking the full rights of a wife
Root / Etymology
etymology uncertain. לְחֵנָה is attested in Biblical Aramaic and is not well-connected to any securely attested Hebrew or Aramaic root. The form suggests derivation from an otherwise unrecorded root (perhaps *לחן or similar), but this is speculative. The word appears as a technical term in Aramaic legal or narrative contexts.
Historical & Contextual Notes
לְחֵנָה occurs only in Aramaic sections of the Hebrew Bible (notably Daniel 5:2–3, 23), where it designates secondary women associated with a king's household, alongside 'wives' (נשין; nashin). The term parallels the Hebrew פילגש (pîlegesh), but appears restricted to Aramaic contexts. While later translations such as the KJV render the term as 'concubine,' the social status and exact legal rights of such women were determined by ancient Near Eastern custom and might differ from Greco-Roman or later medieval understandings. The use of לְחֵנָה in Daniel indicates Persian/Hellenistic courtly practices, reflecting the stratified nature of royal households. The English term 'concubine' sometimes suggests illicit or quasi-legal status, but in its biblical context, לְחֵנָה refers to a recognized social role with limited yet formal rights, distinct from prostitution or mere cohabitation. The term is not used in earlier Israelite narrative or law.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
(Aramaic) from an unused root of uncertain meaning; a concubine; concubine.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
לחן (uncertain) (l-ḥ-n (uncertain)) — uncertain; possibly to lodge, to dwell; secondary marital status
Word Forms
2 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H3904-02 |
וּ/לְחֵנָתֵֽ/הּ | ulechenateh | AC/Ncfsc/Sp3ms |
and his concubines | and his concubine | 2 |
H3904-01 |
וּ/לְחֵנָתָ/ךְ֮ | ulechenatakhe | AC/Ncfpc/Sp2ms |
your concubines | your concubines | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
3 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H3904-02 |
Daniel 5:2 | וּ/לְחֵנָתֵֽ/הּ | ulechenateh | AC/Ncfsc/Sp3ms |
and-his-concubines | and his concubine |
H3904-02 |
Daniel 5:3 | וּ/לְחֵנָתֵֽ/הּ | ulechenateh | AC/Ncfpc/Sp3ms |
and his concubines | and his concubine |
H3904-01 |
Daniel 5:23 | וּ/לְחֵנָתָ/ךְ֮ | ulechenatakhe | AC/Ncfpc/Sp2ms |
your concubines | your concubines |