Polygamy

As we study the book of 2nd Samuel and the story of David, we understand that David had multiple wives. So, what does the Bible tell us about polygamy? and was it considered as a sin? (in case of David like his murder and adultery) and was it a widespread practice during Jesus days? and what about the early church and Christians how did they deal with it? ~ Zeyad Shamoee

Great questions, Zeyad! Here’s my best shot at some answers…

Description vs Prescription

First of all, it’s good to remember that the books of Samuel are descriptive, not prescriptive. That is, they describe historical events to us without saying ‘go and do likewise’.

I once heard a preacher justifying behaviour that was clearly sinful because ‘it’s biblical’. By that he meant that he had read about people behaving that way in the bible, and therefore, it must be biblical for us to do the same. This is a terrible approach to interpreting the Bible! Particularly books of history like 1 & 2 Samuel.

Seeing the Bigger Picture

In order to understand God’s view on polygamy, it’s helpful for us to ‘zoom out’ and view the Bible’s sexual ethic as a whole, rather than focussing on individual passages that may be descriptive rather than prescriptive.

Jesus models this approach really well in Mark 10:2–9

Some Pharisees came to test him, asking, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” He replied to them, “What did Moses command you?” They said, “Moses permitted us to write divorce papers and send her away.” But Jesus told them, “He wrote this command for you because of the hardness of your hearts. But from the beginning of creation God made them male and female. 
For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and the two will become one flesh. So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”

I want us to focus here on how Jesus is arguing, rather than what he is arguing for.

The Pharisees want to debate Mosaic case law. Instead, Jesus moves past Deuteronomy and quotes instead from the creation narrative in Genesis 2:24. He wants them to see that the creation narrative establishes normative sex ethics and helps us interpret later Scriptures.

This isn’t because Jesus believes that Deuteronomy isn’t true or authoritative, but that those Scriptures should be read in light of the entire biblical story. He models a whole-Bible approach to ethical reasoning, without which we can fall into proof-texting and legalism.

So then, what about polygamy?

With our whole-Bible approach, we can confidently say that David (and Lamech, Abraham, Jacob etc.) were indeed sinning by taking multiple wives and concubines. This was not God’s ideal or intention from the created order.

Jesus and the early church

In the days of Jesus and the early church, the prevalence of polygamy varied from culture to culture. Polygamy was not practiced in Greek and Roman societies, though adulterous relationships and the keeping of mistresses was not uncommon.

There is evidence of the practice of polygamy in Palestinian Judaism at the time of Jesus’ ministry, but it was largely confined to the aristocracy, rather than the general population. For example, Herod the Great (37-4 B.C.) had ten wives and a considerable harem (according to the Jewish historian, Josephus).

The early church was emphatic in its commitment to God’s original intention for marriage to be between one man and one woman.

This is particularly obvious in Paul’s teaching on marriage in Ephesians 5. Here, the ‘mystery’ of marriage is revealed to be a living illustration of the love that Christ has for his bride, the church:

For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. This mystery is profound, but I am talking about Christ and the church.

The New Testament position is made clear again in Romans 7:

For example, a married woman is legally bound to her husband while he lives. But if her husband dies, she is released from the law regarding the husband. So then, if she is married to another man while her husband is living, she will be called an adulteress. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law. Then, if she is married to another man, she is not an adulteress.

Paul’s main point here is in reference to the application of the law, but the example he gives reaffirms the New Testament prohibition of multiple husbands (polyandry) as well as multiple wives (polygamy).

Zeyad, God’s intention for marriage is for one woman and one man to be joined as one flesh for life. Reading 2 Samuel reveals to us the extent to which David (and others) had departed from God’s ideal. Indeed, much of the 2 Samuel narrative is written as a warning against rejecting God’s will in pursuit of our own gratification.

Love, JS