Polygamy in the Bible: Definition and Context

Polygamy, the practice of having more than one spouse simultaneously, is evident throughout the biblical narrative, though it stands in contrast to the original divine institution of marriage ^{[1, 2]}. The term "polygamy" itself refers to a marital state involving multiple spouses, while "concubinage" describes a relationship where a woman is conjugally united to a man but holds an inferior status to a wife ^[6].

The institution of marriage, as established in Genesis 2:18-25, emphasizes a monogamous union: "Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh" (Genesis 2:24) ^{[4, 5]}. Jesus affirmed this original design, stating, "So they are no longer two but one flesh" (Matthew 19:5-6), indicating that marriage was intended for "the two," and no more ^{[2, 10]}. John Calvin notes that Moses' account of creation specifies "one wife to one man," and the singular use of "wife" in the general direction given implies that the conjugal bond is between two persons only ^[9]. Charles Hodge further argues that monogamy is foundational to human nature, and polygamy is unnatural, destructive to the divinely constituted relationship between husband and wife ^[7].

Despite this original design, polygamy began early in human history, with Lamech in Genesis 4:19 being the first recorded polygamist ^{[2, 3]}. The practice continued among the patriarchs, such as Abraham, Jacob, and David, who had multiple wives and concubines ^{[2, 11]}. The Mosaic Law, while regulating marriage, did not prohibit polygamy outright ^[3]. For instance, it addressed the rights of wives in polygamous households (Exodus 21:10) and specified conditions for divorce ^[3]. However, the law did forbid marrying two sisters while both were alive, as seen in the prohibition against taking "a woman to her sister" (Leviticus 18:18), a phrase that idiomatically means "one to another" in other contexts ^{[15, 16]}.

By the time of Christ, monogamy was almost universal among Jews, as inferred from passages in the New Testament ^[13]. The New Testament consistently upholds monogamy, and there is no record of polygamists being admitted to the Christian church ^[8]. The requirement for bishops to be "the husband of one wife" (1 Timothy 3:2) is not an implication that others could have multiple wives, but rather a standard for leadership that aligns with Christ's prohibition against polygamy ^{[8, 12]}. Tertullian, an early Church Father, also addressed the issue, noting that while patriarchs practiced polygamy, this did not make it lawful for Christians, as the command to "grow and multiply" had been superseded by new commands ^[14].

Sources

Smith's Bible Dictionary “Smith's Bible Dictionary: Polygamy — [[981]Marriage]”
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: 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 ”
Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Marriage — Divinely instituted -- Ge 2:24. A covenant relationship -- Mal 2:4. Designed for The happiness of man. -- Ge 2:18. Increasing the human population. -- Ge 1:28; 9:1. Raising up godly seed. -- Mal 2:15. Preventing fornication. -- 1Co 7:2. The expectation of the promised seed of the woman an incentive to, in the early age -- Ge 3:15; 4:1. Lawful in all -- 1Co 7:2,28; 1Ti 5:14. Honourable for all -- Heb 13:4. Should be only in the Lord -- 1Co 7:39. Expressed by Joining together. -- Mt 19:6. Making affinity. -- 1Ki 3:1. Taking to wife. -- Ex 2:1. Giving daughte”
Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Concubine — In the Bible denotes a female conjugally united to a man, but in a relation inferior to that of a wife. Among the early Jews, from various causes, the difference between a wife and a concubine was less marked than it would be amongst us. The concubine was a wife of secondary rank. There are various laws recorded providing for their protection (Ex. 21:7; Deut. 21:10-14), and setting limits to the relation they sustained to the household to which they belonged (Gen. 21:14; 25:6). They had no authority in the family, nor could they share in the household gov”
CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 3, section 49: why jealousy in man or woman is the fiercest of all 384 human passions. It involves a sense of injury; of the violation of the most sacred rights; more sacred even than the rights of property or life. Conjugal love, therefore, cannot by possibility exist except between one man and one woman. Monogamy has its foundation in the very constitution of our nature. Polygamy is unnatural, and necessarily destructive of the normal, or divinely constituted relation between husband and wife. Secondly, in another aspect, the union involved in marriag”
CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 3, section 49: marriage. There is no instance recorded in the New Testament, of the admission of a polygamist to the Christian Church. It has, indeed, been inferred from 1 Timothy iii. 2 , where the Apostle says, a bishop must be “the husband of one wife,” that a private member of the Church might have more wives than one. But this is in itself a very precarious inference; and being inconsistent with Christ’s express prohibition, it is altogether inadmissible. The meaning of the passage has been much disputed. What the Apostle requires is that a bishop ”
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”
CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 3, section 49: his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife and they shall be one flesh.” ( Gen. ii. 23, 24 .) Or, as our Lord quotes and expounds the passage, “They twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh.” ( Mark x. 8 .) “The two,” and no more than two, become one. This was not only the language of unfallen Adam in Paradise, but the language of God uttered through the lips of Adam, as appears not only from the circumstances of the case, but also from our Lord’s attributing to them divine authority, as He ev”
1 Samuel (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on 1 Samuel 25:43: And David also took Ahinoam of Jezreel,.... A city in the tribe of Judah, Jos 15:56; that is, he took her to wife, and as it seems before Abigail became his wife; see Sa2 3:2, and they were also both of them his wives; polygamy, though not agreeably to the law of nature, nor the law of God, was a custom which prevailed in those times, which good men gave into, though not to be commended for it.”
CCEL (Reformed) “Calvin, Commentary on 1-2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, section 13.6: reminds every one of those who aspire to that rank, to institute a careful examination of himself and of his life. The husband of one wife . It is a childish fancy to interpret this as meaning “the pastor of a single church.” Another other exposition has been more generally received, that the person set apart to that office must be one who has not been more than once married, that one wife being since dead, so that now he is not a married man. But both in this passage and in Titus 1:6 , the words of the apostle are, “Who is,” an”
CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 3, section 49: ; xxxi. 10 ff. ) The apocryphal books contain clear evidence that after the exile monogamy was almost universal among the Jews; and it may be inferred from such passages as Luke i. 5 ; Acts v. 1 , and many others, that the same was true at the time of the advent of Christ. With regard to the toleration of polygamy under the Mosaic law, it is to be remembered that the seventh commandment belongs to the same category as the sixth and eighth. These laws are not founded on the essential nature of God, and therefore are not immutable. They are”
Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “ANF Vol 4: Tertullian IV, Minucius Felix, Commodian, Origen — CHAP, VI.--THE OBJECTION FROM THE POLYGAMY: OF THE PATRIARCHS ANSWERED. "But withal the blessed patriarchs," you say, "made mingled alliances not only with more wives (than one), but with concubines likewise." Shall that, then, make it lawful for us also to marry without limit? I grant that it will, if there still remain types--sacraments of something future--for your nuptials to figure; or if even now there is room for that command, "Grow and multiply;"[8] that is, if no other command has yet supervened: "The time is already wound ”
CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 3, section 49: so that this law forbids a man’s marrying the sister of his wife while the latter is living. It is certain that the words in question have in several places the idiomatic sense ascribed to them. In Exodus xxvi. 3 , “Five curtains shall be coupled together one to another,” literally, “a woman to her sister;” so in verse 5 , the loops take hold, “a woman and her sister;” ver. 6 , the taches of gold unite the curtains, “a woman and her sister.” Also in ver. 17 . Thus also in Ezekiel i. 9 , it is said, “their wings were joined one to another,”
Genesis (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Genesis 29:28: And Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week,.... The week of the days of the feast of Leah, as the Targum of Jonathan adds; he agreed to it; during which time he cohabited with Leah as his wife, and which confirmed the marriage: how justifiable this was, must be left. The marrying of two sisters was forbidden by the law of Moses, Lev 18:18; and polygamy was not allowed of in later times, and yet both were dispensed with in times preceding; and there seems to be an overruling Providence in this affair, which oftentimes brings good out of evil, since the Messiah was to s”

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