Polygamy in the Bible

Response to comment [from a Christian]:  "God never outlawed polygamy or concubine for a very good reason - because they are not prohibited. If anyone tells you anything else, they are willfully ignorant and simply speaking out of their humanist religion. Shame on them!! It is the right of every godly man (and perhaps woman) to have multiple spouses and other kinds of committed relationships (concubines)."

Way off (Deut. 17:17; Lev. 18:18; Mal. 2:14, 15; Matt. 19:4, 5; Mark 10:2–8; 1 Tim. 3:2, 12; Tit. 1:6).  Just because God records something, it does not mean that he gives approval to it.   

Related:

Polygamy in the Bible

Response to comment [from a Mormon]:  "I agree with the general ban on Polygamy the OT is not that clear cut." 

Polygamy is forbidden (Deut. 17:17; Lev. 18:18; Mal. 2:14, 15; Matt. 19:4, 5; Mark 10:2–8; 1 Tim. 3:2, 12; Tit. 1:6).

[Ex 21:10]

And if the servant shall plainly say, I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free:
Then his master shall bring him unto the judges; he shall also bring him to the door, or unto the door post; and his master shall bore his ear through with an awl; and he shall serve him for ever [Exod. 21:3–6].
"This remarkable law states that if a man is a slave, after seven years he can go free. If he was married when he became a slave, he can take his wife with him. If he married while a slave, that is, if he married a woman who was already a slave of his master, at the end of seven years he could go free, but his wife would still belong to the master. He would be free but his wife would not. He could, however, if he loved his wife and master, decide to stay of his own free will. If he decides to stay, his master is to bore his ear lobe through with an awl signifying that he will serve his master forever.
This is a beautiful picture of the Lord Jesus Christ. He came to this earth and took upon Himself our humanity. And we were all slaves of sin. He could have gone out free. He could have returned to heaven, to His position in the Godhead, without going through the doorway of death. He did not have to die upon the cross. But He willingly came down to earth and took upon Himself our humanity. “And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross” (Phil. 2:8).
Psalm 40:6–8 goes on to say, “Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required. Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me, I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.” This passage refers to Christ, because Hebrews 10:5–9 tells us that it does. It was fulfilled when our Lord came to this earth. “Wherefore when he cometh into the world [speaking of Christ], he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me [it was not only his ear that was “digged,” or bored through with an awl, but God gave Him a body which He will have throughout eternity]: in burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me) to do thy will, O God. Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law; Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second.” Christ was “made like unto His brethren.” He chose not to go out free without us. He could have left this earth without dying, but He said, “I love My Bride. I love the sinner.” So He became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross so that He could redeem us from the slavery of sin. What a picture this is of Christ—placed right here after the giving of the Ten Commandments."
McGee, J. V. (1997, c1981). Thru the Bible commentary. Based on the Thru the Bible radio program. (electronic ed.) (1:ix-271). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

[Deut 21:15]

Be merciful, O Lord, unto thy people Israel, whom thou hast redeemed, and lay not innocent blood unto thy people of Israel’s charge. And the blood shall be forgiven them.
So shalt thou put away the guilt of innocent blood from among you, when thou shalt do that which is right in the sight of the Lord. [Deut. 21:5–9].
"...Verses 10–17 give the law regulating marriage with a woman who was captured in warfare. Also there is the legal protection of the rights of the firstborn in the case of dual marriage where one wife was loved and the one was hated. We have seen this illustrated in the life of Jacob."
McGee, J. V. (1997, c1981). Thru the Bible commentary. Based on the Thru the Bible radio program. (electronic ed.) (1:ix-584). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

[2 Sam 12:9]

Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the Lord, to do evil in his sight? thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon [2 Sam. 12:9].
"Nathan spells out the sins in no uncertain terms.
Don’t you imagine, friends, that the court was shocked when they heard what Nathan said to David? There were undoubtedly many present who did not know what had happened. They hear Nathan accuse David of the most brutal crime written in the books. David has done the things that God said, “Thou shalt not do.”
McGee, J. V. (1997, c1981). Thru the Bible commentary. Based on the Thru the Bible radio program. (electronic ed.) (2:215). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

See:

Mormonism

Response to comment [from a Mormon]:  "SD the second and third quotes you bring up only support what I'm saying..."

If you pervert scripture.  Ladies, if a Mormon asks you for a date--run!  Mormons teach that they will have multiple wives in heaven.  It sort of spoils the romance, don't you think?  

"...[T]hat the law did permit plural marriage and legislated accordingly and that David was not condemned for multiple wives (he already had a few by that point) but for killing Uriah and taking his wife."

God forbid polygamy ( Deut. 17:17; Lev. 18:18; Mal. 2:14, 15; Matt. 19:4, 5; Mark 10:2–8; 1 Tim. 3:2, 12; Tit. 1:6).  Just because David had multiple wives, it does not mean that God endorsed it.  

"As I said before I agree with a general ban on polygamy but the Bible does not strongly condemn it as some Christians would like."

Polygamy is a wicked sin.  The fact that you can't see that--let me just say--eew (1 Ti 4:2).

Response to comment [from a Mormon]:  [Two become one flesh (Ge 2:24)] "Polygamy would be the same except that the man has two or more such bonds to focus on developing instead of just one. It's a lot of work which is why I'm for a general ban on polygamy, not everyone is capable of sustaining a multiple number of such bonds."

You are against it for maintenance and practicality reasons but not moral reasons?  This is what happens when cults and 'isms pervert scripture.  Hopefully you have not subjected another person to your "multiple flesh" theology (the bacteria and germs you all share--again, eew).  It's bad enough that Mormons come knocking on our doors--but to think of you getting to our children!  See, this is why shot guns were invented.      [Christmas TOL style thread] On the sixth day of Christmas my true love gave to me 6 wives (Syedlitz77) a laying...]

Response to comment [from a Mormon]:  "[S]how me that Abraham and Jacob were condemned for their Polygamy and I'll agree you have a no exception moral case."

Again, polygamy is forbidden in scripture  (Deut. 17:17; Lev. 18:18; Mal. 2:14, 15; Matt. 19:4, 5; Mark 10:2–8; 1 Tim. 3:2, 12; Tit. 1:6).  All that God does leads to life (Jn 10:10).  It should be obvious when you come from a faith that encourages a behavior which leads to death (e.g. polygamy causes an increase in venereal disease) that you come from a false faith (e.g. Mormonism [see:  2 Pet 2:12-19 regarding the lust of false teachers]).  1,483 posts later, do you have any interested in righteousness and truth? (Mt 6:33). 

Response to comment from a Christian:  "As far as 2 Samuel 12, God rebukes David in verse 8 by suggesting that if all his wives and concubines were not enough to satisfy him, He would have given him even more! That was God's sarcastic way of saying, "You have too much already."

That's right.  And David paid dearly for his sin.  

Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife [2 Sam. 12:10].
“...Can a Christian sin?” the answer is yes. But when you sin, you despise God. God says that that is what you do. When David took Uriah’s wife to be his wife, he was despising God."
McGee, J. V. (1997, c1981). Thru the Bible commentary. Based on the Thru the Bible radio program. (electronic ed.) (2:215). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

Response to comment [from a Christian]:  "Not a single one of those verses is a prohibition against polygamy."

"Ephesians 5:22-33 speaks of the relationship between husbands and wives. When referring to a husband (singular), it always also refers to a wife (singular). “For the husband is the head of the wife [singular] … He who loves his wife [singular] loves himself. For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife [singular], and the two will become one flesh....Each one of you also must love his wife [singular] as he loves himself, and the wife [singular] must respect her husband [singular].” While a somewhat parallel passage, Colossians 3:18-19, refers to husbands and wives in the plural, it is clear that Paul is addressing all the husbands and wives among the Colossian believers, not stating that a husband might have multiple wives. In contrast, Ephesians 5:22-33 is specifically describing the marital relationship. If polygamy were allowable, the entire illustration of Christ’s relationship with His body (the church) and the husband-wife relationship falls apart..." Full text: Why did God allow polygamy / bigamy in the Bible?

Response to comment [from a Christian]:  "I already showed...that those verses are not prohibitions against polygamy."

Marriage was divinely instituted for one man and one woman (Ge 2:24) for raising up godly seed (Mal 2:15).  "...[P]olygamy does not honor God and is not His design for marriage." full text:  Why did God allow polygamy / bigamy in the Bible? http://www.gotquestions.org/polygamy.html

Polygamy is contrary to:

God’s original Law     Gen. 2:24
Ideal picture of marriage     Ps. 128:1–6
God’s commandment     Ex. 20:14
God’s equal distribution of the sexes     Gen. 1:27; 1 Cor. 7:2
Relationship between Christ and the Church     Eph. 5:22–33
Thomas Nelson Publishers. (1995). Nelson's quick reference topical Bible index. Nelson's Quick reference (495). Nashville, Tenn.: Thomas Nelson Publishers.

Polygamy & Christianity