Polygamy Condemnation in the Old Testament Context
The Old Testament, while recording instances of polygamy, consistently presents monogamy as the original and ideal form of marriage, established at creation [1, 4]. The institution of marriage in Paradise involved one man and one woman, with the declaration that "they two shall be one flesh" (Genesis 2:24), a principle later affirmed by Jesus [1, 8]. This foundational understanding implies that polygamy deviates from the divine institution [8, 12].
The first recorded instance of polygamy appears with Lamech in Genesis 4:19, which is identified as a transgression of the original law of marriage and a source of corruption and misery [13]. Despite this, polygamy became prevalent in the patriarchal age, with figures like Abraham, Jacob, and David having multiple wives or concubines [1, 2]. The Mosaic Law, while not explicitly prohibiting polygamy, regulated it [2]. For example, Deuteronomy 21:15 addresses the inheritance rights of children from a man with two wives, one beloved and one "hated" [5]. Some interpretations suggest this passage refers to a situation where one wife has died, rather than legislating for simultaneous polygamy [10]. Similarly, the law for kings in Deuteronomy 17:17 warns against accumulating many wives, not as a prohibition of polygamy itself, but as a guideline to moderate and regulate the practice, recognizing that kings often married for political alliances [11].
The Old Testament also contains laws against adultery, defining it as a married woman lying with a man who is not her husband, with both parties facing the death penalty [3, 6]. Josephus notes that Moses entirely forbade adultery, emphasizing the importance of children being known as genuine [7]. While the Mosaic Law regulated aspects of marriage, including the rights of wives [2], the underlying principle of marriage as a bond between two persons remained [8, 12]. The practice of having more than one wife is considered contrary to the divine will, even if the Levitical code did not explicitly forbid it [9].
Sources
- Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Marriage — Was instituted in Paradise when man was in innocence (Gen. 2:18-24). Here we have its original charter, which was confirmed by our Lord, as the basis on which all regulations are to be framed (Matt. 19:4, 5). It is evident that monogamy was the original law of marriage (Matt. 19:5; 1 Cor. 6:16). This law was violated in after times, when corrupt usages began to be introduced (Gen. 4:19; 6:2). We meet with the prevalence of polygamy and concubinage in the patriarchal age (Gen. 16:1-4; 22:21-24; 28:8, 9; 29:23-30, etc.). Polygamy was acknowledged in the Mosa”
- Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Wife — The ordinance of marriage was sanctioned in Paradise (Gen. 2:24; Matt. 19:4-6). Monogamy was the original law under which man lived, but polygamy early commenced (Gen. 4:19), and continued to prevail all down through Jewish history. The law of Moses regulated but did not prohibit polygamy. A man might have a plurality of wives, but a wife could have only one husband. A wife's legal rights (Ex. 21:10) and her duties (Prov. 31:10-31; 1 Tim. 5:14) are specified. She could be divorced in special cases (Deut. 22:13-21), but could not divorce her husband. Divorce wa”
- Smith's Bible Dictionary “Smith's Bible Dictionary: Adultery — (Exodus 20:14) The parties to this crime, according to Jewish law, were a married woman and a man who was not her husband. The Mosaic penalty was that both the guilty parties should be stoned, and it applied as well to the betrothed as to the married woman, provided she were free. (22:22-24) A bondwoman so offending was to be scourged, and the man was to make a trespass offering. (Leviticus 19:20-22) At a later time, and when owing, to Gentile example, the marriage tie became a looser bond of union, public feeling in regard to adultery changed, and the pena”
- Smith's Bible Dictionary “Smith's Bible Dictionary: Marriage — + Its origin and history .--The institution of marriage dates from the time of man's original creation. (Genesis 2:18-25) From (Genesis 2:24) we may evolve the following principles: (1) The unity of man and wife, as implied in her being formed out of man. (2) The indissolubleness of the marriage bond, except on; the strongest grounds, Comp. (Matthew 19:9) (3) Monogamy, as the original law of marriage (4) The social equality of man and wife. (5) The subordination of the wife to the husband. (1 Corinthians 11:8,9; 1 Timothy 2:13) (6) The respective duties of ”
- Deuteronomy “If a man has two wives, the one beloved, and the other hated, and they have borne him children, both the beloved and the hated; and if the firstborn son is hers who was hated; -- Deuteronomy 21:15”
- Deuteronomy “If a man is found lying with a woman married to a husband, then they shall both die, the man who lay with the woman and the woman. So you shall remove the evil from Israel. -- Deuteronomy 22:22”
- Project Gutenberg “Flavius Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, CHAPTER 12, section 1: . Several Laws. 1. As for adultery, Moses forbade it entirely, as esteeming it a happy thing that men should be wise in the affairs of wedlock; and that it was profitable both to cities and families that children should be known to be genuine. He also abhorred men's lying with their mothers, as one of the greatest crimes; and the like for lying with the father's wife, and with aunts, and sisters, and sons' wives, as all instances of abominable wickedness. He also forbade a man to lie with his wife when she was defiled by her nat”
- CCEL (Reformed) “Calvin, Commentary on Genesis, Vol. 1 (Gen 1-23), section 6.40: forcibly: ‘They two shall be into one flesh,’ and thus Christ cites the place in Matthew 19:5 . But though here no mention is made of two , yet there is no ambiguity in the sense; for Moses had not said that God has assigned many wives, but only one to one man; and in the general direction given, he had put the wife in the singular number. It remains, therefore, that the conjugal bond subsists between two persons only, whence it easily appears, that nothing is less accordant with the divine institution than polygamy. Now, when Chr”
- Leviticus (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Leviticus 18:18: Neither shalt thou take a wife to her sister, to vex her--The original is rendered in the Margin, "neither shalt thou take one wife to another to vex her," and two different and opposite interpretations have been put upon this passage. The marginal construction involves an express prohibition of polygamy; and, indeed, there can be no doubt that the practice of having more wives than one is directly contrary to the divine will. It was prohibited by the original law of marriage, and no evidence of its lawfulness under the Levitical code can be discov”
- Deuteronomy (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Deuteronomy 21:15: If a man have two wives, one beloved, and another hated--In the original and all other translations, the words are rendered "have had," referring to events that have already taken place; and that the "had" has, by some mistake, been omitted in our version, seems highly probable from the other verbs being in the past tense--"hers that was hated," not "hers that is hated"; evidently intimating that she (the first wife) was dead at the time referred to. Moses, therefore, does not here legislate upon the case of a man who has two wives at the same ti”
- Deuteronomy (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Deuteronomy 17:17: 17:17 many wives: Polygamy is neither prohibited nor sanctioned here. This guideline was meant to moderate and regulate the practice. In the ancient world, kings married many wives to cement political alliances with other kingdoms, showing trust in human power rather than God’s provision. David (2 Sam 5:13; 12:11) and Solomon (1 Kgs 11:3-4) both ignored this warning to their own great harm and that of the nation. • must not accumulate: The amassing of wealth was another sign of dependence on human resources.”
- CCEL (Reformed) “Calvin, Commentary on Genesis, Vol. 1 (Gen 1-23), section 20.4: variance with the will of God and the legitimate order of nature. God designed that the human race should be propagated by sacred marriage. Sarai perverts the law of marriage, by defiling the conjugal bed, which was appointed only for two persons. Nor is it an available excuse, that she wished Abram to have a concubine and not a wife; since it ought to have been regarded as a settled point, that the woman is joined to the man, ‘that they two should be one flesh.’ And though polygamy had already prevailed among many; yet it was nev”
- Genesis (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Genesis 4:19: Lamech took unto him two wives--This is the first transgression of the law of marriage on record, and the practice of polygamy, like all other breaches of God's institutions, has been a fruitful source of corruption and misery.”