Does the Bible promote polygamy?
Let’s talk about polygamy. I’ve heard it said, and maybe you’ve heard it said, “The Bible approves of polygamy.” But does it? In this article, I will demonstrate why this claim is simplistic and misguided. A Man Named Lamech The first polygamist in Scripture is Lamech, in Genesis 4. There’s a positive character named Lamech in Genesis 5, and he’s the father of Noah. I’m not talking about him. The Lamech in Genesis 4 is from the line of Cain. We’re told in Genesis 4:19, “And Lamech took two wives. The name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah.” The surprise here is the number two. Lamech took two wives. The first time we hear of marriage is Genesis 2, when Adam and Eve were in covenant before the Lord. The biblical author draws a conclusion from their relationship: “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh” (Gen. 2:24). One man, one woman, in the covenant of marriage—that’s what Genesis 2:24 is talk