Polygamy in the Old Testament

Polygamy

In recent months the practice of polygamy has become a major issue because of the court case involving members of the Latter Day Saints and their polygamists' practices. Although this practice has come to the forefront in recent years, polygamy is not a new practice. In fact it is discussed at length in the Old Testament. The purpose of this discussion is to examine polygamy as it pertains to Old Testament text. The research will focus on two schools of thought regarding polygamy in the Old Testament. Let us begin by defining polygamy.

Defining Polygamy

Polygamy is defined as a "marriage in which a spouse of either sex may have more than one mate at the same time." In many places around the world, particularly in west, polygamy is illegal; however; it is legal in many countries in the east. The legality of polygamy has much to do with religious beliefs. For instance, those who are of the Islamic faith believe that there is nothing wrong with polygamy; therefore in many Muslim countries polygamy is legal. Even though the practice is legal in these countries there are still laws that govern the practice. For instance men are allowed to have more than two wives but women can only have one husband. In addition some countries have policies that only allow men to have as many wives as he can provide for. This in particular is a tenet of the Islamic faith. Although today Muslims and Mormons are best known for the practice of polygamy, the ancient Kings of Israel were also notorious for their polygamist practices. The next section of this discussion will focus on the practice of polygamy in the Old Testament.

Polygamy in the Old Testament

There are two schools of thought concerning polygamy in the Old Testament. The first school of thought asserts that god allowed polygamy in the Old Testament but rejected it the New Testament. The second school of thought asserts that God never allowed polygamy and those that practiced it in the Old Testament were not doing so with the blessing of God. Let us begin by addressing the first school of thought.

God allowed Polygamy in the Old Testament

The idea that God permitted polygamy in the Old Testament has long been held by many. This argument is based on the fact that some of the most prominent individuals in the Old Testament had multiple wives including two of the most prominent figures, David and Solomon. God described David as a man after his own heart and Solomon as the wisest man who ever lived. In addition to Solomon and David, Saul also had many wives. With this understood those who believe that God allowed polygamy in the Old Testament often point to the polygamist practices of these men.

Indeed it is obvious through the reading of the Old Testament that both David and Solomon practiced polygamy. As it pertained to David, his legal or first wife appears to have been Michal. Following his marriage to Michal he took several other wives and concubines. All of David's wives and concubines lived in the same household. Eventually David had an affair with and married Bathsheba. The first child that they had together died as a punishment for David's sin of having sex with Bathsheba (who was married) and having her husband killed.

In addition to David, Solomon was also a polygamist, on a grand scale. Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines. Although King Solomon had originally married a daughter of the pharaoh, the bible explains that "1 King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women besides Pharaoh's daughter -- Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians and Hittites. 3 He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines... " This particular passage makes it seem as if Solomon could not help himself as it pertained to the gathering of wives and concubines. It is important to remember that Solomon was extremely wealthy. During this particular time in history his wealth and his position in society afforded him the ability to marry so many women and have so many concubines. It would have seemed abnormal for someone with so much wealth to not practice polygamy.

Because this was the case many suppose that God approved of polygamy. In addition there are scriptures in the Old Testament that speak of God giving Saul's wives to David following the death of Saul. It is unclear as to whether or not God intended for David to only provide food and shelter for these women or to actually take them as his wives. The customs of the times might have dictated that the ascending King would take the wives of his predecessor.

Whatever the case, God was aware of the fact that these men had multiple wives and it was allowed for many years. For some God's knowledge of the practices of these men translate into the notion that God condoned their behavior because he allowed it to continue. In some cases people who subscribe to this school of thought do believe that under the new covenant polygamy was explicitly prohibited. However, others assert that not only did God condone polygamy but that he still condones it and it is a man's right to have more than one. Various religious groups who refer to themselves as Christians hold these beliefs including the Fundamentalist Church of the Latter Day Saints.

This first school of thought has been prevalent for many years, but there is also another school of thought related to the practice of polygamy in the Old Testament. This school of thought asserts that God was against the practice. The next section of this discussion will provide a clear picture concerning this school of thought.

God Forbade Polygamy

The second school of thought asserts that God never condoned polygamy even though there were those that had many wives and/or concubines. Those who subscribe to this school of thought assert that God never intended for men to have more than one wife but because men have free will and because polygamy was socially acceptable during their lifetimes some men chose to have polygamous relationships. In an article entitled "Here's the Plain Truth About Old Testament Polygamy" the author explains "It is of course true that it was a worldly custom, in patriarchal times, and in the days of the Kingdom of Israel, for kings and wealthy men to take plural wives. A harem was one of the symbols of royalty."

So then did God ever truly forbid polygamy in the Old Testament? The answer to this question can be found in Deuteronomy 17;14-17. These particular verses establish God's commandments concerning marriage, particularly as it pertains to Israeli kings. The scriptures state

When you come to the land which the LORD your God is giving you, and possess it and dwell in it, and say, 'I will set a king over me like all the nations that are around me,' 15 you shall surely set a king over you whom the LORD your God chooses; one from among your brethren you shall set as king over you; you may not set a foreigner over you, who is not your brother. 16 but he shall not multiply horses for himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt to multiply horses, for the LORD has said to you, 'You shall not return that way again.' 17 Neither shall he multiply wives for himself, lest his heart turn away; nor shall he greatly multiply silver and gold for himself.

The passage is clear in the manner in which God instructs the kings of Israel. It is obvious that God understands that it is the custom of other Kings to have multiple wives but he explicitly forbids this for the King's of Israel. In verse 17 God explains why he does not approve of plural marriage stating that multiple wives would cause the heart of a King to turn away.

Although polygamy was a custom for kings at this time God was not pleased with their decisions to have multiple wives. In fact the bible and many scholars have suggested that both David and Solomon were punished for having plural wives. As it pertains to David, he eventually repented of his polygamists' ways following the death of the child he had with Bathsheba. He understood the death of his child to be punishment from god not only for having sex with another man's wife, but also for having multiple wives which violated the laws God had established for the King's of Israel. God also threatened to exact other punishments upon David for his disobedience. For instance in 2 Samuel 12 the prophet Nathan warns David

11 "This is what the LORD says: 'Out of your own household I am going to bring calamity upon you. Before your very eyes I will take your wives and give them to one who is close to you, and he will lie with your wives in broad daylight. 12 You did it in secret, but I will do this thing in broad daylight before all Israel."

David then repented and ultimately he put away all of his wives and concubines. He took physical care of them but he no longer had sex with any of them. It is believed that his first wife had died and only Bathsheba was left and they bore another son named Solomon. It is obvious throughout the text that David understood that his various marriages and sexual relationships with women were detestable in the eyes of God.

The punishment for polygamy exacted by God can also be seen in the life of Solomon. Solomon's heart was led astray because not only did he have multiple wives, but he took wives who worshipped other gods after he and the Israelites in general had be warned against intermarriage.

They were from nations about which the LORD had told the Israelites, "You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods." Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love. 4 as Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father had been." 5 He followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molech the detestable god of the Ammonites. 6 So Solomon did evil in the eyes of the LORD; he did not follow the LORD completely, as David his father had done.

His disobedience to gods commands concerning intermarriages and polygamy turned him astray, just as God had warned in Deuteronomy 17 when he explained that having multiple wives would turn the hearts of the Kings of Israel. The passage above it is clear that he became enthralled with the gods that his wives worshipped and as such his heart was not totally devoted to the God of Israel who had ordained him and gave him wisdom and wealth. As a result of his disobedience many of the things God intended for Solomon did not come to pass because Solomon ignored the commands of God.

This school of thought also asserts that some of the men who are often cited as being polygamous were not polygamous but did commit adultery. These men include Abraham and Isaac. For instance in the case of Abraham, he never had another wife while Sarah was still alive. Following her death he was free to marry again. Although Abraham did commit adultery and bore a son with Hagar, Hagar was never referred to in the bible as his wife. Hagar was brought to Abraham by Sarah because Sarah could not have children. Abraham did indeed sin because he had sex with a woman that was not his wife, but he was never a polygamist. This is the belief that many hold concerning the actions of Abraham as it pertained to Hagar. However, others contend that Abraham was indeed a polygamist. However those who believe he was polygamist often defend his actions stating "Abraham's polygamy was moved not by lust but sheerly by desire for offspring, and also the contrast commonly drawn between Abraham's union with Sarah and his mere use of the concubine, Hagar." However, whether or not Abraham practiced polygamy or adultery, God had established laws against both.