Topic(s): Marriage

Todd Clippard

The Bible sets forth monogamy as the Divine ideal from the very beginning
(Genesis 1-3). Six generations after Adam, Lamech became the first polygamist
(Genesis 4:19). Polygamy was practiced among the Jews, particularly among the judges (Gideon - Judges 8:30) and the early kings of Israel (David and Solomon).

My research reveals that polygamy was largely abandoned among post-exilic Jews (cf Malachi 2:14). The Roman Empire outlawed polygamy more than three centuries before Christ, and there is no mention of any man being a polygamist in the New Testament.

In Matthew 19:4-6, Jesus reinstates the Divine plan of "one man-one woman for life" as part of the new covenant. When a man and woman marry, the two become one flesh. Therefore, it would be impossible for the man to join himself to an additional woman and achieve the same result. The text speaks of two becoming one flesh, but never three becoming one.

Re: Matthew 19 - Some commentators, noting the Mosaic allowance for divorce as done by permission and not by commandment, insert a similar statement in reference to polygamy. But it is impossible to definitively answer as to why polygamy was allowed.

I believe there are additional texts that help us understand the Divine command for monogamy. In 1 Corinthians 7:2, Paul writes, "to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband." The language of the remainder of the chapter, and the admonitions concerning one's spouse (singular) is a strong argument against polygamy. In 1 Corinthians 9:5, Paul claimed the right to lead about a wife, not wives.

Also, in Ephesians 5, we see the picture of the husband as head of the wife as Christ is the head the church. Note there is only one wife for the husband and only one church for Christ. There are 12 nouns or pronouns given in reference to the church in Ephesians 5:23-33, all of them singular. Likewise, all references to marriage in this text identify one husband and one wife.

The passage in Ephesians 5 is not only a strong argument against polygamy, but also against the denominational concept of Christianity. If there can be more than one church, then Jesus must be a spiritual polygamist.