Let People Love: A Look At Polgamy In The Bible

 

By D. I. Muhammad 

I'm sure most have heard of Pastor Israel Ford, who has been circulating online after coming out about being in a polygamous marriage.

If you have read my blog series, History of Marriage, then you would realize that monogamous and polygamous marriages have been around since the beginning with the Sumerians.   You can read The History of The Marriage License: Ancient Sumeria  and Ancient Egypt.

Most religious people have an issue with this because Israel is a pastor. Now, everybody is running through this couple's past history.

Have people forgotten that polygamy is running through the Bible?

• Lamech was the first recorded polygamist in the biblical narrative. He married two women: Adah and Zillah (Genesis 4:19).

• Abraham: Married Sarah, but took her Egyptian servant Hagar as a wife/concubine at Sarah's request to bear a child (Ishmael). After Sarah's death, he also married Keturah (Genesis 16:3, 25:1).

• Saul: The first king of Israel, who had at least one wife, Ahinoam, and a prominent concubine, Rizpah (1 Samuel 14:50, 2 Samuel 3:7).

• David: King David had at least eight named wives, including Michal, Abigail, Ahinoam of Jezreel, Maacah, Haggith, Abital, Eglah, and Bathsheba, alongside numerous unnamed concubines (2 Samuel 3:2–5, 5:13).

• Solomon: Holds the most famous account of royal polygamy in the biblical text, maintaining 700 wives of royal birth and 300 concubines. The text notes that his foreign marriages eventually led him to worship foreign deities (1 Kings 11:1–3).

• Nahor: Abraham's brother, who had both a primary wife, Milcah, and a concubine, Reumah (Genesis 22:20–24).

• Jacob: Famously tricked into marrying two sisters, Leah and Rachel, after working for their father, Laban. He also had children with their respective maidservants, Zilpah and Bilhah, whom he took as wives (Genesis 29–30).

• Esau: Jacob's twin brother, who married three women: Judith, Basemath, and Mahalath (Genesis 26:34, 28:9).

But once you search a digital Bible, biblegateway.com, you find out there were others who also practiced polygamy, such as:

• Gideon: A prominent judge who "had many wives" and at least one concubine in Shechem, fathering 70 sons (Judges 8:30–31).

• Jair: A Gileadite judge who had 30 sons, implying multiple wives (Judges 10:4).

• Ibzan and Abdon: Subsequent judges whose massive numbers of children (30 sons/30 daughters and 40 sons/30 grandsons, respectively) indicate large polygamous households (Judges 12:8–14).

• Elkanah: The father of the prophet Samuel, who had two wives: Hannah and Peninnah. The text highlights the intense emotional friction and rivalry between them (1 Samuel 1:1–7).

• Rehoboam: Solomon's son, who followed his father's example by taking 18 wives and 60 concubines (2 Chronicles 11:21).

• Abijah: Who married 14 wives (2 Chronicles 13:21).

• Ahab: The northern king who had a vast household, fathering 70 sons (2 Kings 10:1).

• Jehoram and Joash: Had multiple wives (2 Chronicles 21:14, 24:3).

• Shaharaim: Who had three wives: Hushim, Baara, and Hodesh (1 Chronicles 8:8–9).

• Ashhur: The founder of Tekoa, who had two wives: Helah and Naarah (1 Chronicles 4:5).

In biblical law, there are rules on inheritance and marrying sisters.

Biblical law (specifically the Mosaic Law or Torah) did not explicitly institute or endorse polygamy. Instead, it treated polygamy as an existing cultural reality and enacted civil regulations to manage it, focusing primarily on protecting vulnerable wives, ensuring fair inheritance for children, and curbing political excesses.

The primary statutes governing polygamy in the Old Testament include:

1. Protection of Marital Rights for an Existing Wife

If a man took a subsequent wife, biblical law strictly prohibited him from neglecting or diminishing his responsibilities toward his first wife. 

"If he takes another wife to himself, he shall not diminish her food, her clothing, or her marital rights." (Exodus 21:10)

It was to prevent a husband from financially or emotionally abandoning an older or less favored wife in favor of a new one.

2. Protection of Firstborn Inheritance Rights

Polygamous households frequently suffered from intense favoritism, which could lead a husband to alter his estate planning based on which wife he preferred.

This rule mandates that if a man has two wives, one loved and one unloved, and both bear him sons, he cannot give the firstborn's double-portion inheritance to the son of the loved wife if the unloved wife's son was actually born first. (Deuteronomy 21:15–17)

It was written to legally protect the eldest son's rights and guard the less-favored wife from financial ruin after her husband's death.

3. Absolute Prohibition Against Marrying Sisters

While earlier patriarchs like Jacob married sisters (Leah and Rachel), the later Mosaic Law explicitly banned this specific arrangement.

"And you shall not take a woman as a rival wife to her sister, uncovering her nakedness while her sister is still alive." (Leviticus 18:18)

4. Limits on the Monarchy

The limits that applied to ordinary men would also apply to future kings.

"And he shall not acquire many wives for himself, lest his heart turn away..." (Deuteronomy 17:17)

As is shown in the Bible, Solomon ignored this, taking on wives and concubines.

There are rules that one must follow according to the religion that they practice. The taking on of many women is a serious responsibility. This is not solely about sex. At least it shouldn't be. For a man to take on more than one wife is him saying he will protect you, he will honor you, and he will make certain that others do this as well.

In Islam, men can have up to four wives, but as one continues to read, it tells men that if they only knew, they would be better off with one. 

"And if you have reason to fear that you might not act equitably towards orphans, then marry from among [other] women such as are lawful to you even] two, or three, or four: but if you have reason to fear that you might not be able to treat them with equal fairness, then [only] one - or [from among] those whom you rightfully possess. This will make it more likely that you will not deviate from the right course." (Al-Nisa, 4:3, Translator,  Muhammad Asad)

Rabbi Gershom ben Yehuda of Mainz, 1,000 years ago, issued a famous decree (Cherem d'Rabbeinu Gershom) explicitly forbidding Ashkenazi Jewish men from marrying more than one wife and requiring a wife's consent for divorce. 

So, I'm not understanding why the Christian community is so offended by the choice that was made. The examples are in your Bible. No one said you had to participate in the practice. It's not for everyone. Not every man has the fortitude or mindset to justly deal with two women.

The conversation between people who choose this path should be:

• What does a polygamous marriage look like for one to stay in it?

• How will the man treat both of his wives?

• How will he split his time among them?

• What does assistance for both of them look like?

Israel's stepdaughter has also spoken out in an interview. 

She said she wasn't going to speak on this, but after seeing the skits, the animations, and the comments online, she was drawn to come out and speak. In the interview, she described his character as narcissistic. That speaks to him as a man, not to polygamy itself. If a second wife is coming in, it's the first wife's job to let her know about this if she inquires, which she should.

Still most people who are hearing this are upset that three consenting adults chose to do this. Why? Because he's a pastor?  I'm not taking up for him or what he and his wife decided to do. I'm just here to point out that polygamy exist. 

I honestly feel this whole thing going viral all over the internet is a distraction.  They give you one thing to distract you while something else is taking place.

There are everyday people who practice polygamy (a broader term for a person having more than one spouse), polygyny (one man with multiple wives), and polyandry (a woman with multiple husbands). These types of marriages are agreements that the parties involved in them made with one another. I address the legality of polygamy in my blog, History of the Marriage License: The Rise of The Marriage License.

As long as no one is being harmed, then let people love like they want to love.

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