Does the Bible permit polygamy?

The question really says it all, doesn’t it? Okay, clearly not, seeing as how there appears to be a great deal of confusion on the issue. So how about it? Does the Bible permit polygamy? Cult leaders say “yes,” usually because they want to satisfy their own sinful desires. Most Christians would say “no,” although they’re not always sure how to articulate why beyond pointing to the creation of Adam and Eve.

Some, though they disagree with polygamy, say you’re not going to find it explicitly condemned in the Bible. “Despite what some may think, the Bible never condemns polygamy,” wrote Rachel Held Evans, to give but one example.¹ There is a warning against kings and rulers taking “many wives” (along with excessive riches) in Deut 17:17, “lest his heart turn away,” but that’s the closest you get to a direct prohibition in the Old Testament.

But does that mean it gets a green light—or at the very least, a proceed with caution? No. While you might not be able to point to a specific verse that says verbatim, “Polygamy is wrong,” one only has to look at how polygamy is depicted.

The many non-exhaustive but entirely negative examples of polygamy

The first polygamist is Lamech, who takes two wives, Adah and Zillah (Gen. 4:19). Lamech, a descendent of Cain, is a prideful and wicked man, one who arrogantly boasts to his wives about his murdering ways and lack of fear of repercussions (Gen. 4:23-24).

Abraham, the man of faith and friend of God, was another polygamist. It didn’t go well for him. Sarah, who gave Hagar to Abraham as a concubine, became bitter with Hagar when she conceived Ishmael and treated her harshly. Eventually, Hagar was sent away with her son, while Sarah and Isaac remained with Abraham. (see Gen. 16, 20)

Jacob was tricked into marrying Leah before Rachel and treated her as more of a burden than a blessing. There was clearly strife between the two wives/sisters (see Gen. 29-30).

Gideon, of fleece fame, had “many wives.” He also led Israel into idolatry (Judges 8:27-35).

Elkanah, the father of Samuel, was a polygamist. He was married to both Hannah and Peninnah, who is called Hannah’s “rival” (1 Sam. 1:6-7).

King David may have been a man after God’s own heart, but a one-woman man he was not. He first married Saul’s daughter, Michal (1 Sam. 18:27). During his exile, he married Ahinoam, Abigail, Maacah, Haggith, Abital, and Eglah (2 Sam. 3:2-5). When he was established in Jerusalem, he took even more wives and concubines, including Bathsheba (2 Sam. 5:13). His family was characterized by strife and rivalry, and two of his sons even attempted to usurp the throne.

Solomon, David’s son, was even worse. He had 700 wives and 300 concubines, many of whom he married for political purposes. “And his wives turned away his heart” (1 Kings 11:3). He fell into idolatry, and the nation was eventually split in two under his son’s harsh rule.

The positive picture of intimacy

Those are but a few examples of practitioners. And while all were used by God, and many are shown as heroes of the faith, we never read that God was pleased with their polygamy. Now, what about monogamy? Interestingly, where polygamy is portrayed in a consistently negative light, monogamy tends to be displayed with an equally consistent positivity. 

When Adam is introduced to his wife, he rejoices over her with a love song, “they were naked and not ashamed,” and God declared it all “very good” (Gen. 2:1-24; Gen 1:31). The created ideal remains the standard throughout the Scriptures.

The Song of Song’s celebration of romantic love is entirely within the context of monogamy. The aforementioned Deut. 17:17, as well as the command to abstain from adultery (Ex. 20:14), implicitly point to monogamy as the ideal (after all, if one is the standard, then anything beyond that is “many” and adultery against the one). The New Testament explicitly calls it out as the ideal for marriage by placing it in the characteristics of both elders and deacons—”the husband of one wife” (1 Tim. 3:2, 12; Titus 1:6).

Most significantly, marriage is described as a picture of Christ and His bride, the Church (Eph. 5:23-33). Jesus loves His bride, He will never forsake her. His heart has no room for rivals.

No, the Bible does not permit polygamy

So, does the Bible permit polygamy? Our starting point determines the answer, ultimately. If we see the Bible as a mere collection of ancient stories, we’re going to have trouble answering that question definitively.

If you’re evil and trying to violate people in order to satisfy your own sinful desires (see Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism), then you can probably twist together a case.

But if marriage is a picture of the gospel—if Jesus’ love for His bride is your starting point, as Paul says ought to be—you can’t honestly come away from the Scriptures suggesting it advocates for polygamy.

Originally published February 18, 2013. Updated for style May 12, 2024.

1. A Year of Biblical Womanhood (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2013), Kindle location 1316. ↩︎