Topical Bible: Marriage: The Jews: Sometimes Guilty of Polygamy

◄ Marriage: The Jews: Sometimes Guilty of Polygamy ►

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In the context of ancient Israelite society, marriage was a foundational institution ordained by God, intended to reflect the covenantal relationship between God and His people. However, the practice of polygamy, though not in alignment with the original divine design for marriage, was sometimes observed among the Jews.

Biblical Instances of Polygamy

The Old Testament provides several accounts of polygamous relationships among key figures. One of the earliest examples is Lamech, a descendant of Cain, who took two wives, Adah and Zillah (Genesis 4:19). This early instance sets a precedent for the practice, although it is not portrayed positively.

Abraham, the patriarch of Israel, took Hagar as a secondary wife at the behest of his first wife, Sarah, due to her barrenness (Genesis 16:1-4). This decision led to familial strife and is depicted as a deviation from God's promise to provide an heir through Sarah.

Jacob, another patriarch, was married to Leah and Rachel, as well as their maidservants, Bilhah and Zilpah, resulting in a complex family dynamic (Genesis 29:23-30; 30:4-9). The narrative highlights the tensions and rivalries that arose from this polygamous arrangement.

King David, a man after God's own heart, had multiple wives, including Michal, Abigail, and Bathsheba, among others (1 Samuel 18:27; 1 Samuel 25:42-43; 2 Samuel 11:27). His polygamous relationships often led to personal and political complications, as seen in the rebellion of his son Absalom.

Solomon, David's son, is perhaps the most notable example of polygamy in the Bible. He had 700 wives and 300 concubines, which ultimately led him astray from God (1 Kings 11:3-4). The text explicitly states that his many wives turned his heart after other gods, illustrating the spiritual dangers of such practices.

Theological Reflections

While polygamy is documented in the Old Testament, it is important to note that these accounts often highlight the negative consequences of such arrangements. The original design for marriage, as established in Genesis, is monogamous: "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh" (Genesis 2:24). This foundational principle underscores the unity and exclusivity intended in the marital relationship.

The Mosaic Law, while regulating certain aspects of polygamy, does not endorse it as ideal. Deuteronomy 17:17 warns Israelite kings not to "multiply wives for himself, lest his heart turn away," indicating a divine preference for monogamy.

New Testament Perspective

The New Testament reaffirms the monogamous ideal. Jesus, when questioned about marriage, refers back to the Genesis account, emphasizing the "one flesh" union (Matthew 19:4-6). The Apostle Paul also upholds monogamy, particularly in his instructions for church leaders, stating that an overseer must be "the husband of but one wife" (1 Timothy 3:2).

In summary, while polygamy was practiced by some Jews in the Old Testament, it is consistently portrayed as falling short of God's original design for marriage. The biblical narrative, through both direct instruction and implicit consequences, points towards monogamy as the divine standard for marital relationships.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

1 Kings 11:1,3
But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites:
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

The Golden Eagle is Cut to Pieces. Herod's Barbarity when He was ...
... and their forefathers, the patriarchs, to have sometimes more wives ... to be of kin
to the Jews, and derived ... as to Pheroras's divorce and other marriage, all so ...
/.../chapter 33 the golden eagle.htm

Letter Lxix. To Oceanus.
... on the body and the soul are sometimes so deep ... the church we are to understand Jews,
heretics and ... find nothing to censure except a marriage contracted before ...
/.../jerome/the principal works of st jerome/letter lxix to oceanus.htm

Essay
... To which others answer, that the Jews never understood these expressions ... This is
sometimes called Adam's prophecy. ... the sexes to each other in the marriage state ...
/.../an essay on the mosaic account of the creation and fall of man/essay.htm

The Second Helvetic Confession, AD 1566.
... Ceremonies."The ceremonial law of the Jews was a ... a part of his book on Christian
marriage into Greek ... fatalism and determinism which has sometimes been charged ...
/.../ 55 the second helvetic.htm

Faustus States his Objections to the Morality of the Law and the ...
... with me in condemning the Jews for injuring ... was enraged sometimes against his enemies,
sometimes against his ... in sacrilegious profanation of his marriage, he on ...
/.../faustus states his objections to.htm

English Version of the Second Helvetic Confession, AD 1566.
... John 17:5). Also elsewhere it is written in the Gospel, 'The Jews sought how ... and
before the judgment-seat of God convicted of ungodliness, and guilty of death. ...
/.../english version of the second.htm