Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uwm.edu!rpi!julius.cs.uiuc.edu!apple!agate!shelby!rutgers!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: chappell@symcom.math.uiuc.edu (Glenn Chappell) Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Re: Does the Bible prohibit Polygamy ? Message-ID: Date: 29 Jan 91 08:18:25 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Organization: University of Illinois at Champaign/Urbana, Math Dept. Lines: 49 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu In article jmoon@lehi3b15.csee.lehigh.edu (Jonggu Moon [890911]) writes: >Where in the Bible does it say that we may not have more than >one spouse ? The easy answer to that question is "nowhere". There is never a blanket prohibition of polygamy in the Bible, although it is never spoken of highly. Here are some verses on the subject (all quotes are from the NIV): Genesis 2:24: "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh." This verse, while certainly not prohibiting polygamy, does present a picture of a monogamous relationship. Jesus referred to this verse in Matthew 19:5 and Paul referred to it in Ephesians 5:31. Monogamy is required for church officers: Elders/Overseers/Bishops - 1 Timothy 3:2 & Titus 1:6 Deacons - 1 Timothy 3:12 In Deuteronomy 17:17 it says that kings of Israel "must not take many wives...." Are there any Hebrew experts out there who can say whether this prohibits *all* polygamy, or merely excessive polygamy? The first recorded polygamist in the Bible is not mentioned favorably: Lamech - Genesis 4 There are several examples of problems with rival wives/concubines: Sarai & Hagar - Genesis 16 Leah & Rachel - Genesis 29-30 Hannah & Penninah - 1 Samuel 1 Deuteronomy 21:15-17 talks about problems that may result when a man with two wives loves one more than the other. Finally, a question: The "levirate marriage" law in Deuteronomy 25:5-6 requires a man to marry his brother's widow if the brother died childless. Now, what if the man already had a wife? Would this be a case where the Bible, far from prohibiting polygamy, actually *requires* it? It is noteworthy that this law seems to have somewhat of an "escape clause". Deuteronomy 25:7-10 talks about what to do in the case of a man who refuses to marry his brother's widow. It talks about a ceremony apparently intended to disgrace the man; it involves the widow taking off the man's sandal and spitting in his face. Interestingly, at least some Jewish groups nowadays use this ceremony (or a variant of it) simply as a way to absolve the man of any responsibility to marry the widow, and not as any sort of disgrace at all. GGC <><