Marriage: Polygamy And The Bible

 

Marriage: Polygamy And The Bible

Brett A. Todd

How does one explain the common idea held by many Christians that in the Bible there is one single view of marriage, when in fact there is not?  Actually, the idea that marriage is between one man and one woman, sanctioned by the church and state, is not even found in the Bible.    

Let’s take a look at one form of marriage in the Bible that is not accepted by most Christians today.

As some Bible readers are aware, in the Bible, many of the Hebrew patriarchs were polygamists.  In other words, they had more than one wife, and some had many wives.  It is reported in the Bible  that Solomon had seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines.”  All in all, the practice of polygamy in the Bible seemed to be common and it even continued into Jesus’ day and beyond.  The Jewish historian, Josephus (37-100 CE), writes, “For it is our ancestral custom that a man have several wives at the same time” (Ant. 17.14; J.W. 1.477).

Laying aside wayward patriarchism for a moment, we must admit that polygamy was for some time an accepted form of marriage.  In Genesis 4:19, Lamech had two wives, Abram had children with his wife and his maid (Genesis 16:2-3), Jacob had two wives (Genesis 29), Gideon we are told had many wives and a concubine (Judges 8:30-31), David was given (into his bosom) Saul’s wives (2 Samuel 12:8), and let’s not forget Bathsheba. 

It wasn’t until later that this form of marriage, polygamy, was frowned upon, especially with Roman control of Judea and with the influx of Roman citizens into early Christianity. By the 2nd to 3rd century, monogamy became the standard of Christian marriage.  Augustine of Hippo, better known as Saint Augustine, shared these words concerning monogamous and polygamous marriages in the second half of the 4th century:

That the good purpose of marriage, however, is better promoted by one husband with one wife, than by a husband with several wives…

Once again I share all of this to help you understand that there is no one single view on marriage in the Bible.  Both polygamy and monogamy were options.  Of course, this is only one of the many differences you will find in the Bible when it comes to marriage.

In our next study, we will talk about divorce and the Bible.