Unbiblical Sexual Ethics: Polygyny

Any discussion about "biblical marriage" should include polygyny. Polygyny is a form of polygamy (multiple spouses) which specifically has a man taking more than one wife. As we've seen with our look at Heros of The Faith, most old testament characters had more than one wife. Adam, and Issac may be two exceptions with only one wife, but they were not the norm.

There are also a few passages that show how the biblical writers viewed polygyny as normal.

Exodus 21:10 (NET Bible)

"If he takes another wife, he must not diminish the first one’s food, her clothing, or her marital rights."

Deuteronomy 21:15-17 (NET Bible)

"Suppose a man has two wives, one whom he loves more than the other, and they both bear him sons, with the firstborn being the child of the less loved wife. In the day he divides his inheritance he must not appoint as firstborn the son of the favorite wife in place of the other wife’s son who is actually the firstborn. Rather, he must acknowledge the son of the less loved wife as firstborn and give him the double portion of all he has, for that son is the beginning of his father’s procreative power—to him should go the right of the firstborn

2 Samuel 12:8 (NET Bible)

"Nathan said to David, “You are that man! This is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‘I chose you to be king over Israel and I rescued you from the hand of Saul. I gave you your master’s house, and put your master’s wives into your arms. I also gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if all that somehow seems insignificant, I would have given you so much more as well!"

2 Chronicles 24:2-3 (NET Bible)

"Joash did what the Lord approved throughout the lifetime of Jehoiada the priest. Jehoiada chose two wives for him who gave him sons and daughters."

Why don't Christian's practice polygyny today? Roman culture did not approve of polygamy. A roman citizen was only permitted to have one wife. The Roman influence on Christian history seems to be behind the decline of this practice.

"Jewish polygamy clashed with Roman monogamy at the time of the early church:

"When the Christian Church came into being, polygamy was still practiced by the Jews. It is true that we find no references to it in the New Testament; and from this some have inferred that it must have fallen into disuse, and that at the time of our Lord the Jewish people had become monogamous. But the conclusion appears to be unwarranted. Josephus in two places speaks of polygamy as a recognized institution: and Justin Martyr makes it a matter of reproach to Trypho that the Jewish teachers permitted a man to have several wives. Indeed when in 212 A.D. the lex Antoniana de civitate gave the rights of Roman Citizenship to great numbers of Jews, it was found necessary to tolerate polygamy among them, even though it was against Roman law for a citizen to have more than one wife. In 285 A.D. a constitution of Diocletian and Maximian interdicted polygamy to all subjects of the empire without exception. But with the Jews, at least, the enactment failed of its effect; and in 393 A.D. a special law was issued by Theodosius to compel the Jews to relinquish this national custom. Even so they were not induced to conform."