Q: If men are supposed to only have one wife, why do various Biblical characters such as Abraham, Jacob, Kings Solomon and David have more than one wife?

Q: If men are supposed to only have one wife, why do various Biblical characters such as Abraham, Jacob, Kings Solomon and David have more than one wife?

A: First of all, this reminds me of a joke: "There once was a man who thought about becoming a polygamist, but then he got married."

The Bible obviously contains the eternal "truths" and good news needed for our salvation yet, it is also a historical document set within the time frame of its compilation. Therefore, as such a document, it also contains the reality of human frailty and sinfulness within its pages; a case in point being when Abraham and Joseph took multiple wives.

We know that God created the marital relationship to be a very sacred, spiritual union and intended for one man to wed one woman – the two being joined into one flesh. However, because of sinfulness and/or the cultural need to propagate large families in order to survive, those same God-fearing Patriarchs of the Old Testament ended up taking multiple partners and concubines out of what they thought was, pure necessity.

The word POLYGAMY comes to us from the Greek words "poly" and "gamous," literally means, "many marriages." Bigamy also comes from the Greek and means,
"two marriages" or "to be married to two spouses at the same time." Concubines on the other hand were not considered to be marriages, but in the truest sense of the word (concubine in Latin means "to lay with") were simply "baby makers" used to propagate a family or tribe.

Obviously this goes against everything God ordained for us, but it still happened; and because the Bible reports these facts as the Book of Genesis unfolds, but says precious little against such activity, some people through history have concluded that this was a natural progression that was "sanctioned" by God. This is why the Muslims, the Mormons, and various fringe cults have, and do, practice polygamy.

However, they also then tend to ignore God's corrective influx in other parts of Scripture. Taking into account King Solomon's excesses, in Deuteronomy the Old Testament laws forbid kings to take multiple wives (17:17). The "ideal woman" spoken of within the Book of Proverbs, chapter 31, is obviously well within the confines of a monogamous relationship. The Prophet Hosea utilized the concept of monogamy as a symbol of a good and faithful union between God and His people. During his time, the Prophet Malachi seems to have taken monogamy for granted in his writings (2:14 ff), and even the Book of Genesis tells us that Abraham did what he did (i.e. using a slave to bear children) because he lacked faith and did not trust God (Gen. 16:1-3). Perhaps this is just one reason why God decided to put Abraham to the ultimate test of faith by asking him to sacrifice his son Isaac!

When Jesus Christ walked amongst us, He reiterated the God-given ideal of a one man/one woman marital relationship through the Wedding in Cana, with His encounter with the Samaritan Woman by the well, and in the parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins who were awaiting the coming of the Bridegroom as he came at Midnight.

And for those who make the argument that it is alright because personages like King David did it totally forget that he killed a man to obtain his wife. Is that then OK also? Of course not! So you see, when we simply pick and choose from the Bible what we wish to accept or believe, it is not God's Word that we believe in, but ourselves.

Fr. John Memorich