Answers about polygamy

Why can a man no longer have two wives?

I think Matt 19:1-9, though primarily about divorce and remarriage, is helpful. Under the Law of Moses, men were permitted to have more than one wife but this, like divorce, was because of “the hardness of your hearts” (v8); this was not how it was intended in the beginning. In the beginning God created male [...]

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Is it adultery to have multiple wives?

No. Adultery occurs when a married person has sex with someone other than their spouse. Adultery is a sin, but polygamy is not (although it was never part of God’s original design for marriage).

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Why was polygamy tolerated in the OT when God’s original design was obviously monogamy?

Polygamy was obviously not part of God’s original design for marriage (Gen 2:24; also see 1 Tim 3:2, Tit 1:6), yet it does seem that polygamy was permitted under the Law of Moses and practiced by several famous OT character (e.g. Jacob, David, etc.). To help us understand why, it is useful to look at [...]

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