The practice of polygamy, where a man marries multiple wives, is seen several times throughout the Old Testament. Some major biblical figures like Abraham, Jacob, David and Solomon had multiple wives. So why did God allow this practice if Christianity later condemned it? There are a few potential reasons.
First, in Old Testament times, polygamy was commonly practiced by many cultures and peoples. The taking of multiple wives was seen as a reflection of wealth, power and status. As the patriarch of the family, more wives allowed a man to have more children, which provided him with more labor and expanded his lineage. So polygamy was an accepted part of the culture that God was working within.
Second, God may have allowed polygamy because people’s hardness of heart and sin nature made it impossible to restrict marriage to one man and woman at that time (Matthew 19:8). God regulates and guides human behavior in the direction of His ideal, but the process is progressive. The Law of Moses provided concessions to human weakness, but pointed toward a higher standard of morality.
Third, polygamous marriages in the Bible usually led to favoritism, jealousy, rivalry and divisions, which were sources of grief and regret. For example, Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah (Genesis 29:30), and Elkanah’s wives Peninnah and Hannah were rivals (1 Samuel 1:6-7). By recording the problems resulting from these marriages, the Bible subtly discourages polygamy even without explicitly prohibiting it.
Fourth, the Bible shows God’s ideal as the union of one man and one woman for life. God could have created many wives for Adam, but made only one Eve as his helpmate and partner (Genesis 2:18). Though polygamy was practiced by the biblical patriarchs, the text points to monogamy as the plan from the beginning. The Song of Solomon also celebrates the intimacy and love between one husband and one wife.
Fifth, the biblical texts already provide hints about restricting uncontrolled polygamy. Deuteronomy 17:17 says that a future king “must not take many wives for himself.” 1 Timothy 3 limits church overseers to having one wife. So there is a trajectory in Scripture moving away from unregulated polygamy and towards monogamy.
Sixth, the advent of Christianity explicitly affirmed God’s ideal of monogamy. Jesus restored marriage to its original state, saying “at the beginning, the Creator made them male and female…For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. So they are no longer two, but one flesh” (Matthew 19:4-6). The teaching of Scripture moved decisively toward monogamous marriage.
In summary, polygamy was an accommodation to human weakness that God allowed and regulated in Old Testament times. But Scripture points toward the Edenic ideal of monogamy from the beginning of creation. God’s ultimate plan is revealed in the progressive trajectory of the Bible, moving God’s people away from sinful practices and toward His standards of morality and conduct.
Looking at key passages on polygamy in the Bible:
1. Practiced by the Patriarchs
Many major figures in the Book of Genesis took multiple wives. Some examples:
- Abraham married Sarah, but he also took Hagar as a second wife (Genesis 16:3).
- Jacob married both Leah and Rachel, along with their servants Bilhah and Zilpah (Genesis 29:15-30, 30:4, 9).
- Esau had three wives – Judith, Basemath and Mahalath (Genesis 26:34, 36:2-3).
Having multiple wives was culturally acceptable and a demonstration of prosperity. However, it also introduced favoritism and jealousies into households. Abraham’s taking of Hagar led to friction between Sarah and Hagar (Genesis 16:5). Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah, which made Leah unloved (Genesis 29:30). Elkanah’s wives Peninnah and Hannah were rivals, with Peninnah provoking Hannah’s anger (1 Samuel 1:6-7). So polygamous marriages carried built-in problems.
2. Codified in the Law of Moses
The Mosaic Law included stipulations about polygamous marriages, seeking to protect the rights of women in such unions:
- A man had a duty to continue marital relations with his first wife even after taking another (Exodus 21:10).
- The inheritance rights of the firstborn were not to be affected by a father’s preference for a later wife’s son (Deuteronomy 21:15-17).
- Brothers were obligated to marry a childless widow to provide her children and security (Deuteronomy 25:5-6). This was precedence over taking another wife.
These laws did not explicitly condemn or prohibit polygamy. But they showed that taking multiple wives presented complications that required regulation. By setting constraints, they subtly undermined the practice without banning it outright.
3. Practiced by Kings of Israel
Having a large harem was considered a royal privilege and status symbol. But kings’ polygamy violated the standards for leadership and led to disastrous results.
- Though forbidden for future kings (Deuteronomy 17:17), David took many wives and it contributed to problems in his household and kingdom (2 Samuel 3:2-5, 5:13, 16:21-22).
- Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines (1 Kings 11:3). His foreign wives turned his heart to worship their gods.
- Rehoboam foolishly proclaimed his intent to expand his harem (2 Chronicles 11:21), leading to unrest.
Instead of relying on God and pursuing just rule, kings trusted in military might and alliances through marriage with foreign women. Deuteronomy 17:17 was prophetic in warning future kings against unrestrained polygamy.
4. Polygamy as an illustration of God’s Covenant
The Old Testament prophets used the concept of polygamy as a metaphor for the relationship between God and His people – God as the “husband” of the nation Israel. Some examples:
- Isaiah said that due to her sins, God has “forsaken” unfaithful Jerusalem like a husband divorces his wife (Isaiah 50:1).
- Jeremiah spoke of Israel’s and Judah’s spiritual adultery with false gods in spite of being married to God (Jeremiah 3:6-10).
- Ezekiel compared Israel and Judah to two unfaithful sisters, Oholah and Oholibah, both guilty of religious prostitution (Ezekiel 23:2-49).
- Hosea married the prostitute Gomer as an object lesson of God’s patience with adulterous Israel (Hosea 1:2-9). Despite her infidelity, Hosea took her back.
This Biblical imagery depends on monogamy as the norm to illustrate how shameful and wrong it is for God’s people to “commit adultery” by being unfaithful to their covenant Lord. Polygamy was the metaphorical “adultery” that contradicted God’s ideal of exclusive loyalty.
5. Explicit Condemnation in the New Testament
While polygamy was regulated but tolerated previously, the New Testament outright condemns it as adultery and a wrongful indulgence of lust:
- Jesus affirmed God’s Genesis model of marriage as a lifelong union of one man and one woman (Matthew 19:4-6). This endorsed monogamy and excluded polygamy.
- Church leaders like elders and deacons were prohibited from polygamy and required to be husbands of only one wife (1 Timothy 3:2,12).
- 1 Corinthians 7:2 says each man should have his own wife and each wife her own husband. One-to-one pairings were now mandated.
The movement of Scripture is toward asserting monogamy as God’s ideal and prohibiting all other forms of plural marriage as sinful distortions of His design for marriage.
6. The Mystery of Christ and the Church
Ephesians 5:22-33 reveals that the theological basis for monogamous marriage is Christ’s exclusive relationship with the Church:
- Christ is the “husband” of the Church, His “bride.” This reflects the intimacy and exclusivity of the marriage union.
- The marriage union models the self-sacrificial love that Christ showed for the Church in dying for her.
- Polygamy is incompatible with this mystery of Christ’s singular devotion to only one “bride” – the Church.
The true meaning of marriage can only be fulfilled through monogamous, devoted love between one husband and wife, mirroring Christ’s love for the Church. Polygamy contradicts this mystery.
In 2000-4000 words, summarize the key points:
The Old Testament contains examples of respected biblical figures like Abraham, Jacob and David marrying multiple wives. Though polygamy was culturally accepted and even regulated in the Mosaic Law, there is a trajectory within Scripture that increasingly reveals God’s ideal to be monogamous marriage between one man and woman.
Reasons God may have temporarily allowed polygamy include: it was firmly ingrained in the surrounding cultures; the hardness of people’s hearts made enforcing monogamy unrealistic; its problems demonstrated it was not God’s perfect will; Scripture points back to God’s Edenic model of one man and wife; the Law imposed constraints on the practice; prophets used it as a metaphor for spiritual “adultery.”
But the biblical narrative increasingly discloses God’s disapproval of polygamy. The Law warned future kings against taking many wives. Solomon’s foreign wives turned his heart from God. Hosea illustrated Israel’s adultery with false gods through marrying Gomer. And the New Testament explicitly prohibited polygamy for church leaders and affirmed one man should have only one wife.
Most importantly, the theology of marriage is grounded in the mystery of Christ’s singular, exclusive devotion to the Church as His “bride.” This spiritual analogy only makes sense in the context of monogamous marriage. So the united biblical witness across both Testaments pronounces polygamy as contradicting God’s plan from creation.
In summary, polygamy was a temporary accommodation permitted due to human weakness under the old covenant, but increasingly discouraged until explicitly rejected under the new covenant. Through progressive revelation and increasing moral clarity, Scripture reveals God’s ideal as monogamous marriage from Genesis to Revelation.