Contents
- 1 🔹 What Did Christ Say About Marriage?
- 2 🔹 Did Christ Condemn the Practice of Polygyny?
- 3 🔹 The Law Does Not Forbid Polygyny
- 4 🔹 No Apostolic Condemnation Either
- 5 ✅ Conclusion (According to Precepts)
- 6 🔍 Verses That Appear to Promote “One Wife Only” – Explained
- 7 ✅ Summary Table: Clarifying Misinterpreted Verses
- 8 📖 Yah’s Law Allows Multiple Wives
- 9 ❗ Final Warning for Teachers
🔹 What Did Christ Say About Marriage?
📖 Matthew 19:4–6 (KJV)
“And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.”
This passage is often misused to say Christ forbade polygamy. But a literal reading shows:
- He quotes Genesis 2:24, which teaches the origin of marriage — not a limitation to one wife.
- The phrase “they twain shall be one flesh” describes the spiritual unity between a man and a wife — not a restriction to only one wife.
📖 Genesis 2:24 was written before the law was given at Sinai — yet patriarchs who obeyed God practiced polygyny:
- Abraham had Sarah and Hagar (Genesis 16)
- Jacob had Leah, Rachel, and their two handmaids (Genesis 29–30)
- David had many wives, and YAH never rebuked him for that — only for adultery with Bathsheba (2 Samuel 12)
🔹 Did Christ Condemn the Practice of Polygyny?
No.
In fact, He spoke parables that reflect polygyny as a righteous pattern for the kingdom of heaven.
📖 Matthew 25:1 (KJV) – Parable of the Ten Virgins
“Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.”
- There is one bridegroom (symbolizing Christ), and ten virgins who go out to meet Him.
- Five are wise and enter into the marriage — five are foolish and left out.
- There is no rebuke or correction about the number of women — the focus is readiness and obedience.
If polygamy were sinful, the parable would not represent the kingdom of heaven this way.
🔹 The Law Does Not Forbid Polygyny
Yahshua said:
📖 Matthew 5:17 (KJV)
“Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.”
Therefore, He upheld the Torah, which contains regulations — not prohibitions — for a man having multiple wives.
📖 Exodus 21:10 (KJV)
“If he take him another wife; her food, her raiment, and her duty of marriage, shall he not diminish.”
➤ This is a law of righteous responsibility — not a rebuke of polygyny.
🔹 No Apostolic Condemnation Either
Paul never said polygamy was a sin — and the only qualification that limited a man to “one wife” was for bishops and elders.
📖 1 Timothy 3:2 (KJV)
“A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife…”
This does not mean polygamy is a sin — only that leaders must be dedicated to YAH alone to avoid conflict and partiality.
Just as a king was told not to multiply many wives or horses in Deuteronomy 17:17, it was a matter of balance and governance, not sin.
✅ Conclusion (According to Precepts)
| Claim | Biblical Truth |
|---|---|
| “Jesus forbade polygamy” | ❌ No verse supports this |
| “Jesus taught one man, one wife only” | ❌ That is not a commandment; it is an origin story |
| “Polygamy is sin” | ❌ Nowhere in Scripture is it called sin |
| “The law allows multiple wives” | ✅ Exodus 21:10, Deut. 21:15–17 |
| “Jesus upheld the law” | ✅ Matthew 5:17 |
📖 Malachi 3:6 (KJV)
“For I am the Lord, I change not…”
📖 Ecclesiastes 3:14 (KJV)
“Whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever…”
🔍 Verses That Appear to Promote “One Wife Only” – Explained
📖 Genesis 2:24 (KJV)
“Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.”
Claimed interpretation: “This means a man can only have one wife.”
🔍 Explanation:
This verse explains the foundation of marriage — that each wife is to be one flesh with her husband. It does not say:
- “only one wife per man,”
- nor “multiple wives are sin,”
- nor “if you marry again, you are committing adultery.”
In fact, the Torah regulates men who have more than one wife (Exodus 21:10), and righteous men like Abraham, Jacob, David, and Moses all had multiple wives.
📖 2 Samuel 12:8 (KJV)
“And I gave thee thy master’s house, and thy master’s wives into thy bosom…”
➤ YAH said He gave David his wives — not condemned him.
📖 1 Timothy 3:2 (KJV)
“A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife…”
📖 Titus 1:6 (KJV)
“If any be blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children…”
Claimed interpretation: “Every believer must only have one wife.”
🔍 Explanation:
These are qualifications for bishops/elders, not for all men. If having multiple wives were sin, Paul would not say, “Let the bishop be the husband of one wife.” He would have said, “Let every man have only one wife, for having more is sin.”
➤ This is a governance issue, not a doctrine of sin or salvation. The leadership must be above reproach, not entangled in domestic division or favoritism.
📖 Deuteronomy 17:17 — A king was not to “multiply wives,” yet David, a man after YAH’s own heart, had several, and only his adultery was condemned, not the plurality.
📖 Ephesians 5:31,33 (KJV)
“For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife…”
“…let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself…”
Claimed interpretation: “Paul says one man, one wife.”
🔍 Explanation:
Paul is teaching how to love one’s wife, not forbidding additional wives. The use of the singular noun “wife” is simply addressing the immediate relationship — not the total count of wives. This does not become a law or commandment limiting marriage to one woman.
If this verse forbade more than one wife, then similar language in other Scriptures would forbid having more than one child, ox, or neighbor:
📖 Proverbs 13:24 (KJV)
“He that spareth his rod hateth his son…”
→ Does that mean a man with multiple sons only needs to discipline one? Of course not.
✅ Summary Table: Clarifying Misinterpreted Verses
| Verse | False Claim | Literal Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Genesis 2:24 | One wife only | Describes how a man becomes one flesh with a wife — not a limit |
| 1 Timothy 3:2 | One wife per man | Applies only to bishops for leadership clarity |
| Ephesians 5:31 | Only one wife per believer | Instruction on how to treat a wife — not a cap on quantity |
| Titus 1:6 | Only one wife per believer | Leadership requirement — not a general command |
📖 Yah’s Law Allows Multiple Wives
📖 Exodus 21:10 (KJV)
“If he take him another wife; her food, her raiment, and her duty of marriage, shall he not diminish.”
📖 Deuteronomy 21:15–17 (KJV)
“If a man have two wives, one beloved, and another hated…”
➤ These are rulings for righteous treatment — not condemnation.
📖 Malachi 3:6 (KJV)
“For I am the LORD, I change not…”
If YAH never condemned it in Torah, and He does not change, then no New Testament verse can make it sin — especially if Yahshua upheld the law (Matthew 5:17–19).
❗ Final Warning for Teachers
📖 Isaiah 5:20 (KJV)
“Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil…”
📖 Deuteronomy 4:2 (KJV)
“Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it…”
To say polygamy is sin is to add to the Word and condemn what YAH allowed. Remember if YAH didn’t support it, He would have simply forbade it but He never did. Nor would YAH have given David all of Saul’s wives.
So are you living by the culture you grew up in, or by the culture of YAH?
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