** Also answered in the post, which I wont rewrite here. if both were capital crimes, one cant be higher than the other ? . Since she was no longer a virgin, her chances of being selected for marriage by anyone else were slim. You say, I have heard (in sermons and poorly-informed conversations) that the act of sexual intercourse (here defined as vaginal intercourse) constitutes, in and of itself, a marriage. One wonders also how many children he had and what family problems were created by such a mess. 30 So Jacob went in to Rachel also, and he loved Rachel more than Leah, and served Laban for another seven years. The practice of having multiple spouses has been the subject of much debate and discussion over the centuries, with varying opinions and interpretations.. Besides, not having any evidence for Gods intentions on this matter, your view also reduces Gods morals to cultural relativism. Since we arent always given such details, the precise status of a given concubine is somewhat murky. When the culture became more urban (which correlates with your analogy of today, at least broadly), the patriarchal culture gave way. ** But it is quite a flawed idea to say Im going to take this culture that wasnt endorsed by God i.e., he doesnt tell all people everywhere to adopt polygamy and then argue that God wants me adopt that cultural practice today.. Several prominent men in the Old Testament were polygamists. Paul set the standard for marriage clearly when he said that elders must the husbands of one wife (and therefore, no more). The ground to the answer shall be this: that marriage is the indivisible conjunction of one man and one woman only. A great summary of the issue. The Old Testament holds monogamy as an ideal, and makes no effort to argue that polygamy was a desirable situation for men in general. 3. Very interesting information. It isnt clear that Keturah had Abrahams children before marriage or after and why she is called both wife and concubine when the children are listed. Thanks so much. Mormons have nothing on some Reformed Baptists, much to my chagrin. Polygamy in the Old Testament. At least, a covenant ceremony is how many Reformed scholars have taken this passage, and probably some outside of my tradition as well. It would be difficult to prove that sexual disloyalty only occurred with vaginal intercourse, since sexual pleasure is consistently cast as legitimate only within marriage. It is significant that the common Semitic name for second wife is , the root meaning of which is show hostility toward, vex.27 A co-wife is a vexer, significant in light of the fact that in Semitic cultures polygamy was a part of life. Because not everything in the Bible is for today according to the Bible. To argue otherwise youd need scriptural allowance for sexual pleasure outside marriage. Since marriage is for the pro-creation of children (though sex is not only for procreation cf. Whether Hagar can be counted as a full wife or a concubine, the results of Abrahams lapse show the harmful familial results of his bigamy. Will God ever fix or correct the marriage problems we have today and back then? I think my post was clear on this originally, but just in case My point in the post that follows was that polygamy in the OT was the cultural norm and was not viewed as adultery in the biblical text. Im trying to wrap my head around this, but might need some help. These laws were designed to discourage promiscuity. God allowed polygamy (as well as divorce) in the Old Testament because of the hardness of people's hearts (Matt. do not fail to bring out the darker side of polygamous life.25 The deceit, the jealousy, the idolatry, the immorality, and the cruelty shown by Jacobs father-in-law, wives, and sons was stopped only by the gracious forgiveness of Joseph (Gen 50). The laws leave people in their culture; they do not give them a new culture that is superior to other ANE cultures, or some advanced spiritual culture.. Certainly he could not have been a very good father to them, as shall be discussed shortly. In Genesis 29:30-33 it would seem that God was concerned with a man loving TWO different women equally. Through the centuries many have established polygamous marriages. So, why would God allow people after his own heart, such as King David, to participate in this act? I agree that sex alone is not marriage otherwise there would not be a need to make a distiction, there has to be some intent to form a commitment. 7.Which relegion is correct when it comes to a monogamy marriage or polygamy marriage? You should have your own site (seems to me). The evil effects of the practice are obvious. The double terminology for her makes the situation unclear, leaving the possibility that Hagar was a secondary wife, though admittedly she is not specifically called that. On the contrary, she was the daughter of a wild man, the progenitor of an ungodly line. In an essay published at the theology website Desiring God on Tuesday titled, " Why Did God Allow Polygamy?, " Emadi wrote: "Among Israel's . The problem I run into is dealing with critiques. And it appears that the OT wasnt intended to be a manual for establishing the precise cultural norms of marriage, either. My point is that the idiom does not provide a definition of marriage, regardless of how many preachers like to say that. David (1 Sam 25:39; 2 Sam 3:2-5; 5:13; 1 Chr 14:3), It is ironic that Mann, based on 2 Samuel 12:8, lists Davids taking more wives in 5:13 as having a positive effect.28 She does this on the assumption that God was blessing David. In todays time, we find acceptance of gay marriage on the rise, should we believe that God would allow that? So if sex with a concubine was not adultery or prostitution, but was also extra-marital, what do we call it and how do we define it in relation to whether it was sinful or not? Because of human weakness revelation was progressive: I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now." The effects of Solomons polygamy, his resultant idolatry, and presumably his negligence as a father is demonstrated in the life of his son. Marriage is to be a picture of the covenant Christ has with His church (2 Corinthians 11:2), a . How could it be bad for me if its in the BIBLE? Its actually pretty incredible how often I get this response. Lets walk through the material and dispense with some myths and get our bearings. I cant see where youre getting execution in Deut 22:28-29 was the verse reference correct? 6. The church today is not a theocracy under the Mosaic law and, more importantly, was not intended by God to be such. 3. 1. Scripture finds no fault in Jacob producing the twelve tribes of Israel from four different women. Consequently, the biblical material does not consider those relationships adulterous or as prostitution. Yahweh surely would not have given David multiple wives if it was necessarily harmful to David. My focus is on whether or not polygamy is a sin and my points will be in relation to that issue. . I would think this is why Mary and Joseph were not necessarily married because their marriage was not yet consumated. May 05, 2021 What is Polygamy? People can interact with the content. When the polygamous culture died out (and the church is culture-agnostic / culture-atheist / culture-indifferent) one cannot presume that any particular cultural norm in the current church era is for today. This requires going back to what appears to be the original (pre-patriarchal and pre-Mosaic) intent, and that would be monogamy. Apparently the apostles didnt get that memo since we dont see them setting that up in Acts or assuming they should. By this pattern, it is evident that God has a standard of equality that he is implementing, with each facet building upon the previous, until full equality between men and women is reached in history. Of Lamech, a descendant of Cain, we read: Then Lamech took for himself two wives: the name of one was Adah, and the name of the second was Zillah. If you believe God planned for the obsolescence of the theocracy (I think thats hard to miss in the NT), then monogamy as a moral standard would (in a Christian ethic) be the moral standard now (post-theocracy). Technically, the practice was polygyny. I have discussed this recently after some news articles were published concerning the suicide of a young Moroccan girl who was forced to marry her attacker under laws which seem to mirror the Deut material. By clicking Accept all cookies, you agree Stack Exchange can store cookies on your device and disclose information in accordance with our Cookie Policy. Christianity portal v t e Polygamy is "the practice or custom of having more than one wife or husband at the same time." [1] Polygamy has been practiced by many cultures throughout history. There is no indication God was upset with this He never asks Jacob to dump all the women except one or that Jacobs polygamy made God look elsewhere for a son of the promise, or that the polygamy impeded Gods salvation plan in any way. I also didnt say God approved of it. . That is, getting rid of polygamy or slavery, or attitudes about the inequality of women, etc. . In case the above isnt clear, the patriarchs lived in an era prior to the writing of any Scripture (in the most conservative view, that would be the Mosaic period, ca. In other words, this legislation prohibits all polygamy.8 Gods will here is revealed as opposing all polygamy/concubinage, even though there are no punishments mentioned for this practice during Old Testament times.9 The prohibitions in Leviticus 18including polygamy/concubinage in v. 18are presented as universal The neuroscientist says "Baby approved!" "Marriage to more than one spouse at a time" is known as "polygyny" when multiple wives "share a husband," or "polyandry, in which co-husbands share a wife." In every other case that rape is in play the death penalty is the consequence. We must never forget that polygamy (more explicitly speaking, polygyny), from the Biblical point of view, is something quite different from that legal fiction which alone falls under the condemnation and punishment of our legal enactments. I tried to engage you here but it seems you arent clearing my comments and Im not sure if its because you have no answers. This is a reference to a man of the tribe of Judah. If you dont like biblical answers, read another blog. Lamech is a descendant of Cain. Shed be okay in her parents home, but if the father died and there were no sons, shed be literally without wealth/income/food/shelter. And that polygamy very well suits carnally minded people. God was interested in more pressing issues. God agreed, and God produced the Law of Moses, and this agreement formed the basis for what came to be called the Old Covenant, after it was replaced by Jesus's New Covenant. Like a FIFO stack in programming, the pattern was clear. In fact, Davids taking more wives (and presumably concubines) was in direct disobedience to the command in Deuteronomy 7:17 that the king was not to multiply wives unto himself. Unmarried women were often subjected to prostitution and slavery. The point of the post is the OT law (not Mike Heiser) did not define concubinage as adultery. Permissible (non-violent and consenting) sexual relationships with multiple wives or concubines are not described with either word. As time went on and patriarchal culture faded (in to urban, settled life), the biblical indication (descriptions in stories) is that polygamy faded. It didnt. John 7:53-8:11 (its text-critical uncertainty set to the side for sake of this discussion) also suggests that extra-marital sex could still (at least in theory and in Jewish law) be punished with death. The act of spiritual disloyalty was indeed described with the language of whoredom (joining oneself to a foreign god) and adultery (taking a god that is not yours properly recall Israels covenant relationship to Yahweh and the fact that the gods of the other nations were allotted to them by Yahweh Deut 4:19-20; Deut 32:8-9, reading verse 8 as properly [sons of God] with the Dead Sea Scrolls and LXX). ** its religion; the question is vague (is it asking about world religions or something in the Judeo-Christian orbit). Ive run across more than one Reformed person in my Reformed Baptist circles that thinks polygamy is just fine today. Even if Gods law undergoes some evolution or gradual process from time to time id want evidene and logic to point that out to me and to what extent that happens. Is this referring to the popular attitude of Israel in general, or to OT law? What say ye? There are many things recorded in Scripture which most would agree are bad but which God does not explicitly condemn. Lets start with the obvious points points that anyone who has spent serious time reading the Old Testament would have stumbled upon: 1. (Mark 10:45, ESV). The Abimelech war put Israel into a spiritual and military tailspin from which it did not recover until the monarchy. Connect and share knowledge within a single location that is structured and easy to search. 3. The issue isnt whether polygamy can cause problems in the home (monogamy can do that too). The answer is an assumption based on Adam and Eve, but there were only two people in the story, so its point cannot be to sort out the language of later biblical passages where the sex act is not considered to form a marriage. I agree that this is consensual sex. 2 It certainly existed in Jewish (and Gentile) culture in the Mediterranean, but urban life undermined the economic need and rationale for polygamy. The first instance of polygamy/bigamy in the Bible is that of Lamech in Genesis 4:19: "Lamech married two women." Several prominent men in the Old Testament were polygamists. 4. Nothing good or bad is mentioned about the marriage. Concubinage was much more; it presumed extended care and producing children). Scripture does not directly address the practice of polygamy in the Old Testament, but God's original intent for marriage was clearly monogamy. Genesis 1-2 could be read by a patriarch and interpreted as yes, in all of my marriages, my wife [and I, as head of my own house] have left father and mother and become a marital unit [leaving and cleaving; one flesh]. This is, in fact, why it is an abomination to God because it either 1. Is this passage merely referring to the physical offspring as the one flesh? Abraham was not married to Hagar, no polygamy there. If an act of undetected adultery produced offspring, a likely result would be the bequeathal of the family inheritance to this illegitimate heir. The Bible doesnt have God endorsing one culture, so the patriarchal lifestyle is not being endorsed. That passage says nothing about anyone losing their life. Point (again): The Bible does not endorse a single culture. It is impossible to tell exactly how much of the tragedy was caused by the number of the wives and how much by the foreignness and idolatry of the wives. But theologically, in the absence of a theocracy, it makes sense that theres nothing in the NT that endorses polygamy, that discussion of marriage is cast in monogamous terms, and that fornication was considered sin in the NT. So adultery was a higher crime than murder? However, monogamy was such an unfamiliar concept back then that it wasn't until much later on in history between the years 600 and 900 CE (Common Era) that Christianity ended up becoming a monotheistic religion following Judaism's lead. Jacobs Children 31 When the Lord saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren. One sin is like another in being a sin. @ MSH March 27, 2012 at 8:20 AM Abraham is the next polygamist in the Bible. Solomon had seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines. If it wasnt divinely ordained (endorsed) then, whats the point of the question? THE OLD TESTAMENT AND POLYGAMY. Nothing is known about Jehoiachins wives, except that he had more than one. Is it limited to intercourse? Your reference is not biblical literature. Personally, I have no issue with understanding this as a cultural phenomenon and not an establishment of an ultimate ethic for rape situations, but if there was a death penalty associated, that would change how I understand this particular law. In other words, the ancient idea of marriage was a bit more complicated than ours is today. (Matt. One wonders how many Israelite men had to do without wives in order to gratify Solomons lust, or how much tax revenue was wasted to maintain such a harem. 4. The example carries no weight for the specific point youre trying to make. As in the rest of the ANE, there was a double standard: males could have sex outside marriage, most notably with prostitutes: adultery meant copulation with a married woman. Thats why I blog and have websites. A wantonly wicked king, he was also a polygamist. That is to say, just because something is described in the Bible doesnt mean its condoned by God. Good to remember. This article explores the history of polygamy in the Bible, from the Old Testament through the New Testament, and considers its cultural and social significance. Mann comments simply vague reference in Elijahs letter and the effect of his polygamy she leaves blank.33 At least one of these marriages which contributed to his spiritual demise was his marriage to Ahab and Jezebels daughter, the wicked Athaliah.34 Jehoram was one of the most evil kings in the history of Judah, perhaps second only to Manasseh, and Manasseh repented of his evil. What does "Splitting the throttles" mean? We first see polygamy with Abraham and its a disaster. : As in the rest of the ANE, there was a double standard: males could have sex outside marriage, most notably with prostitutes: adultery meant copulation with a married woman.. Women were often uneducated and untrained. The biblical text does not condemn it as adultery. Other terms are used to describe illicit sex (e.g., sex with a prostitute zanah; e.g., Gen 38:24; Lev 21:9).
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