Mutliple wives in the Old Testament?

[GirlieGirl]

Anyone have any thoughts on this? Why is it that great Biblical figures like Abraham, Solomon, David, and more have wives and cocubines? Isn't this practice offensive to God?

And if it's not, what does that say about how God thinks about women? In my mind, it would give the impression he thinks we're a dime a dozen. This has never settled right with me.

What do you think?

 

[Mr.Cheese]

Well, if you look at Abraham, he only took hagar in order to have a child, which was the common practice of those times. Even then the relationship between the two women was bad.
David's escapades with women were anything but healthy.
Solomon's wives led him into such apostasy that by the end of his reign he had allowed altars to Molech to stand, who required child sacrifice.
Many of these marriages represented treaties with foreign powers, another ancient political practice. A daughter of Pharaoh to seal the deal and such.
If you study polygamy in the OT you'll see that it is cast in a negative light.
The attitudes regarding women mentioned in the OT are the attitudes of the Ancient Near East. This is different from what the OT itself has to say about women. Considering the times in which it was written, the OT is revolutionary in how it depicts women.
Girl Power!

 

[Jenna]

I'm with Mr. Cheese on this one. While multiple wives exists in the OT, it is shown in a negative light and as leading to strife. When I take that understanding and pair it with the union of 'one flesh' as spoken of in the NT, I think that it is pretty clear that marriage is meant for one man and one woman.

 

[Tangnefedd]

There is quite a lot of stuff in the Bible that is not acceptable today!

 

[mina]

I 've always thought that it shows how man messed up a good thing. God created one woman for one man and I believe that was His intention. but humans messed that up and it caused lots of problems.

 

[E-beth]

Women were pretty much property in the OT. The goal of the day was to have lots and lots of boy babies, and each woman had to have a boy in order to have security for the future. So girls were pretty much just baby factories.

Thankfully, alot has changed since then!

 

[SDSUMarcus01]

.

 

[Cordy]

I don’t think all women in the Old Testament were treated like property. Yes, some were, and that still continues on many levels today. There was sin then and there was sin now. I think the mistreatment of women is a consequence of the fall. I think, as others have mentioned, that the initial relationship between man and woman through Adam and Eve demonstrates the way our Creator wants marriage to be.

 

[Silent Enigma]

There is a rule in the OT regarding how kings are not to "multiply wives unto yourself" - one of the many rules regarding kings that Solomon broke. (It wasn't just the pagan altars, his pride and lust for more more more led up to that.)

 

[sarah marie]

There is quite a lot of stuff in the Bible that is not acceptable today!

There is quite a lot of stuff today that is not acceptable in the Bible!

 

[Whitestone]

There is quite a lot of stuff in the Bible that is not acceptable today!

There is quite a lot of stuff today that is not acceptable in the Bible!

Well said /takes hat off.

My wife and i have discussed this issue at length...we came to the similar reason that it was the best way for the Israelites to have population growth.

 

[Cordy]

My wife and i have discussed this issue at length...we came to the similar reason that it was the best way for the Israelites to have population growth.

Woudn't the best way be God's way? Is there anywhere in the OT that God states that plural marraiges is how Israel should populate?