Polygamy in the Old Testament vs New Testament

[Pavel Mosko]

Perhaps like eating meat?

Exactly like eating meat after Noah and the Flood, except their exists a lot allegorical symbolism around the Koshur animals vs. unclean animals.

And God didn't seem to speak against having more than one wife at a time in the OT.

Well besides Adam and Eve example, you were actually responsible to feed and support all the children from such relationships. And their would be many children seeing how modern birth control not invented. And even if it did, would not have fit the culture. The good news is child labor was embraced and children would earn their keep at least on the farm.

But the Jewish Encyclopedia addresses this topic, your average Jew could not afford multiple wives, it tended to be a rarity for the most affluent nearly dying out except for the very wealthy living in Muslim lands.


MONOGAMY - JewishEncyclopedia.com

 

[Kenny'sID]

Well I thought God didn't change so why does he permit polygamy in the OT but not in the NT? (my explanation is that the Greek and Roman culture forced polygamy to stop)

God made several changes in the rules, but he himself didn't change. Study up on the scripture about God not changing, as it seems many Christians miss the context on that, so not surprising anyone listening to them would get it wrong as well.

That or you got it out of context on your own.

 

[Pavel Mosko]

But Cain himself didn't do it. And many of the dozens of examples in the OT included Abraham, Jacob, Moses, David, etc.

Cain was a pariah! He was a marked man. Be careful not to read too much into that example!


"That the ideal state of human society, in the mind of the primitive Israelite, was a monogamous one is clearly evinced by the fact that the first man (Adam) was given only one wife, and that the first instance of bigamy occurred in the family of the cursed Cain (Gen. iv. 19). Noah and his sons also are recorded as having only one wife each (ib. vi. 7, 13). Abraham had only one wife; and he was persuaded to marry his slave Hagar (ib. xvi. 2, 3; see Pilegesh) only at the urgent request of his wife, who deemed herself barren. Isaac had only one wife. Jacob married two sisters, because he was deceived by his father-in-law, Laban (ib. xxix. 23-30). He, too, married his wives' slaves at the request of his wives, who wished to have children (ib. xxx. 4, 9). The sons of Jacob as well as Moses and Aaron seem to have lived in monogamy. Among the Judges, however, polygamy was practised, as it was also among the rich and the nobility (Judges viii. 30; comp. ib. xii. 9, 14; I Chron. ii. 26, iv. 5, viii. 8). Elkanah, the father of Samuel, had two wives, probably because the first (Hannah) was childless (I Sam. i. 2). The tribe of Issachar was noted for its practise of polygamy (I Chron. vii. 4). Caleb had two concubines (ib. ii. 46, 48). David and Solomon had many wives (II Sam. v. 13; I Kings xi. 1-3), a custom which was probably followed by all the later kings of Judah and of Israel (comp. I Kings xx. 3; also the fact that the names of the mothers of most of the kings are mentioned). Jehoiada gave to Joash two wives only (II Chron. xxiv. 3).

see Husband and Wife), even after he had taken another wife; and if they were withheld from her, she had to be set free (Ex. xxi. 9-11; see Slaves). One who lived in bigamy might not show his preference for the children of the more favored wife by depriving the first-born son of the less favored one of his rights of inheritance (Deut. xxi. 15-17; see Inheritance). The king should not "multiply wives" (ib. xvii. 17; comp. Sanh. 21a, where the number is limited to 18, 24, or 48, according to the various interpretations given to II Sam. xii. 8); and the high priest is, according to the rabbinic interpretation of Lev. xxi. 13, commanded to take one wife only (Yeb. 59a; comp. Yoma 2a)."

POLYGAMY - JewishEncyclopedia.com

 

[2PhiloVoid]

But Cain himself didn't do it. And many of the dozens of examples in the OT included Abraham, Jacob, Moses, David, etc.

Yes, and this is precisely why I said "the line of Cain." My saying this wasn't done to indicate that Cain himself had more than one wife. Rather, I said it to point out the fact that it was through the line of Cain a whole host of sins are introduced among humanity in the spiritual genealogical narrative at the beginning of Genesis. It was the barbarous Lamech who decided he'd abruptly claim two wives, no matter what anyone else thought or said (Genesis 4:16-24).

Of course, after Noah, we see the narrative in Genesis expand, and polygamy is represented therein, reflecting some of the historical conditions that existed among men and women thousands of years ago.

What might seem strange to us is that in the biblical narrative, God doesn't just strike down every Tom, Dick, and Ricky with a lightning bolt when they sin. What we do see is that the writers include into the stories the fact that there were serious problems involved in marriages that had more than one wife or concubine. It wasn't just all "hunky dory, ain't this swell, Jim" types of situations. And that's how the O.T. often portays its social and spiritual lessons.

 

[JohnClay]

Yes, and this is precisely why I said "the line of Cain." My saying this wasn't done to indicate that Cain himself had more than one wife. Rather, I said it to point out the fact that it was through the line of Cain a whole host of sins are introduced among humanity at the beginning of the spiritual geneological narrative at the beginning of Genesis. It was the barbarous Lamech who decided he'd abruptly claim two wives, no matter what anyone else thought or said (Genesis 4:16-24).

Here six descendants of Cain are listed:
Descendants of Cain
Apparently only one of them (Lamech) was guilty of polygamy. I think that is a stretch to roughly say that since one of Cain's descendents was polygamous and Cain was bad therefore polygamy is bad....
It is possible that more of Cain's descendants were polygamous though that just shows that it was more normal/accepted...
I looked at Genesis 4:16-24 and I can't find anything looking down on Lamech for marrying two women....
(Note there are two Lamechs [and Enochs])

What might seem strange to us is that in the biblical narrative, God doesn't just strike down every Tom, Dick, and Ricky with a lightning bolt when they sin.

Using the OT please show that polygamy is a sin....

What we do see is that the writers include into the stories the fact that there were serious problems involved in marriages that had more than one wife or concubine.

What serious problems did Solomon have that were caused by extreme polygamy? I think some of them worshipped other gods but a man can be lead astray in a similar way with a single wife.... I'd say that only having one wife would make her more influential...

 

[2PhiloVoid]

Here six descendants of Cain are listed:
Descendants of Cain
Apparently only one of them (Lamech) was guilty of polygamy. I think that is a stretch to roughly say that since one of Cain's descendents was polygamous and Cain was bad therefore polygamy is bad....

... personally, I think it's a literary device, John. By showing that there were problems of various kinds in the line of Cain (starting with Cain's murder of his brother, Abel), the writer is setting the line of Cain apart from the line of Seth, implying a 'spiritual difference' between the two as a typology for the reader (or hearer) to reflect upon. And according to the table provided by David T. Lamb--and what a usual full reading of Genesis provides anyway--we see that the next person in the ongoing narrative to take more than one wife (or concubine) is Abraham. And that relationship is represented to have unnecessary problems, but God blessed Abraham and Sarah in spite of themselves.

Using the OT please prove that polygamy is a sin....

Oh, did I say above that it was a sin? Or did I imply that it was those who were sinful who tended to do this?

What serious problems did Solomon have that were caused by extreme polygamy? I think some of them worshipped other gods but a man can be lead astray in a similar way with a single wife....

Worshipping other gods was the main one. But in that narrative, it wasn't simply that Solomon had broken the law on having more women than Hugh Hefner likely ever had. It was also the fact that Solomon had taken specifically "foreign wives." Then later, at the end of the O.T. historicized narratives in Ezra and Nehemiah, we see Solomon imputed as the cause of the fall of Israel and of Exile into Bablyon. Why? For taking foreign wives (which was also against the Law of Moses). So, Solomon sinned in more ways that one.

Reference

Lamb, David T. (2015). Prostitutes and polygamists. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

 

[JohnClay]

Oh, did I say above that it was a sin? Or did I imply that it was those who were sinful who tended to do this?

So polygamy isn't necessarily a sin?
BTW I looked at Genesis 4:16-24 and I couldn't find anything looking down on Lamech for marrying two women...

 

[2PhiloVoid]

So polygamy isn't necessarily a sin?
BTW I looked at Genesis 4:16-24 and I couldn't find anything looking down on Lamech for marrying two women...

You have to look at 'how' they are portrayed, John. Lamech is portrayed as a rebel rouser, one who instigates violence (revenge even). This is to put him in contrast to the Noahide Laws that are later presented a few chapters later.

Remember, even though we're reading 'religious' books, this doesn't mean the writer(s) didn't use any literary devices (like allusion, typology, metonymny, etc.) in order to convey a spiritual meaning. Cain and Lamech are set at the beginning of the narrative and serve as type of murderous individuals (representing in the actions the typology of 'sinners at their worst.')

Again, the O.T. meanings aren't all going to punch us in the face. A number of the lessons about what "not to do" come in the form of life narratives that show the problems people caused for themselves through the choices they made. Polygamy is one of the problematic choices. Just because it's not described as some stiff seated, hardcore 'sin' doesn't mean that God was looking down with a smile from heaven on all of it. NO, we know by the context of the narratives that polygamy is seen as problematic, even if it's not outright prohibited.

 

[Moral Orel]

I always wanted to be a polygamist. But maybe I just watch too much fan-service anime.