Polygamy in the Bible (Part 1)
- kingdomcitizensinc
- Jul 17
- 10 min read
the polygamous plight series
Welcome to the kingdom citizens blog!
Our faithfulness to Christ causes us to flourish, benefiting the relationships we have with mankind as well. Likewise, our unfaithfulness to Christ naturally reaps unfavorable outcomes with God and mankind.
There are plenty of instances of polygamy in the Bible but in my opinion, 4 stand out the most:
Israel’s worship of foreign gods
Abram’s marriage to Sarai as well as his “secondary” wife and concubine, Hagar
David’s 8 wives and unnumbered concubines
Solomon’s 700 wives and 300 concubines
Let’s work backwards in this list, beginning with king David and king Solomon’s polygamous behavior.
The Lover Kings: David & Solomon
Scripture names 8 known wives David had in Hebron: Michal daughter of Saul (1 Samuel 18:27), Abigail of the Carmelites (1 Samuel 25:39-42), Ahinoam of Jezreel (1 Samuel 27:3), Maacah, daughter of king Talmai of Geshur (2 Samuel 3:3), Haggith (2 Samuel 3:4), Abital (2 Samuel 3:4), Eglah (2 Samuel 3:5), and Bathsheba, the former wife of Uriah the Hittite and mother of Solomon (2 Samuel 11:3; 12:24). In addition to David’s 8 known wives, were an unknown number of unnamed concubines (1 Chronicles 3:9).
Solomon went further than David by multiplying his polygamous behavior in acquiring, “700 wives of royal birth and 300 concubines” (1 Kings 11:3).
Solomon’s unfaithfulness to God (1 Kings 11:1-4)
“King Solomon loved many foreign women in addition to Pharaoh’s daughter: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women 2 from the nations about which the Lord had told the Israelites, “You must not intermarry with them, and they must not intermarry with you, because they will turn your heart away to follow their gods.” To these women Solomon was deeply attached in love. 3 He had seven hundred wives who were princesses and three hundred who were concubines, and they turned his heart away.
4 When Solomon was old, his wives turned his heart away to follow other gods. He was not wholeheartedly devoted to the Lord his God, as his father David had been.”
Scripture Concerning A Kings Behavior
First of all, how can one man be so “deeply attached in love” with so many women?! Perhaps this nature is why the Andrew Tates of the world are emboldened to love pleasure, abuse wealth, and accrue various women. But back to the scripture — Solomon multiplied his wives in a much greater fashion than David did, but did not maintain the heart after the Lord that his father David kept. Both David and Solomon disobeyed the Lord’s command not to marry outside of Israel. This was a direct violation of God’s Word (Deuteronomy 17:14-20):
Appointing a king
“14 “When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, take possession of it, live in it, and say, ‘I will set a king over me like all the nations around me,’ 15 you are to appoint over you the king the Lord your God chooses. Appoint a king from your brothers. You are not to set a foreigner over you, or one who is not of your people. 16 However, he must not acquire many horses for himself or send the people back to Egypt to acquire many horses, for the Lord has told you, ‘You are never to go back that way again.’ 17 He must not acquire many wives for himself so that his heart won’t go astray. He must not acquire very large amounts of silver and gold for himself. 18 When he is seated on his royal throne, he is to write a copy of this instruction for himself on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests. 19 It is to remain with him, and he is to read from it all the days of his life, so that he may learn to fear the Lord his God, to observe all the words of this instruction, and to do these statutes. 20 Then his heart will not be exalted above his countrymen, he will not turn from this command to the right or the left, and he and his sons will continue reigning many years in Israel.”
It’s very interesting to read that in Deuteronomy 17:14-15, Moses is conveying the very words of God concerning the establishment of a king in the Land He promised to give the nation of Israel. Moses says:
14 “When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, take possession of it, live in it, and say, ‘I will set a king over me like all the nations around me,’ 15 you are to appoint over you the king the Lord your God chooses. Appoint a king from your brothers. You are not to set a foreigner over you, or one who is not of your people.”
Now I don’t know about you but why would Yahweh communicate to the people He is the Sovereign Lord over, to establish a human king over them? What sense does this make when God repeatedly states that He is the only True King over Israel?
Isaiah 44:6-7
“6 The Lord, the King of Israel and the One Who saves and frees from sin, the Lord of All, says, “I am the first and I am the last. There is no God besides Me. 7 Who is like Me? Let him make it known.”
1 Samuel 8:6-7
“6 When they said, “Give us a king to judge us,” Samuel considered their demand wrong, so he prayed to the Lord. 7 But the Lord told him, “Listen to the people and everything they say to you. They have not rejected you; they have rejected me as their king.”
The reason God instructs Moses on what to do when establishing a natural man as king — is because the Lord is prophesying Israel’s rejection of His total sovereignty over their nation. Samuel knew they were wrong but the Lord permitted their request because of their rejection. The key word that leads me to believe this is prophecy and not God’s intended desire is the first word in Deuteronomy 17:14,“When”. When anticipates what the Lord foresees in Israel’s rebellion against His Sovereignty. Let’s read it again:
4 “When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, take possession of it, live in it, and say, ‘I will set a king over me like all the nations around me,’
A Kingdom Led Away by its King
God knows that the nation of Israel would reject being His special possession in order to adopt the corrupt practices of surrounding nations. Israel used the excuse that leadership was corrupt in the time of judges to participate in the regional cultural norms of the day (1 Samuel 8:1-7). This was out of order because Israel was out of touch with their One True King, Yahweh.
Like the many women king David and king Solomon would rise to love, the many attractive customs of Israel’s surrounding nations would lead their hearts away from God. The appeal of earthly kings became more attractive to Israel than their Heavenly King. This heart condition that developed within the nation, eventually became the identity of the kings who ruled over the nation.
Israel loved the foreign kingdoms the Lord told them not to intermingle with. Likewise, Israel’s kings loved the foreign women of those kingdoms the Lord said not to intermarry with. The end result was the turning away of the hearts of Israel to foreign customs and false gods. Instead of trusting in the Lord, they trusted in the alliances they formed by intermarrying with the surrounding royal families. They chose diplomacy over Divinity.
How many times has God prophesied your rejection of His Sovereignty in your life? When have you told God that His time was up so you could indulge in the fetishes of foreign flirtations? What allegiances did you attempt to replace the Lords Almighty armies with? We must take inventory of the ways we refuse our King of kings; not so we can abuse guilt but so we take heed in our convictions. Unfaithfulness to our One True King will never be a benefit.
What do we intermarry with, committing our love to, planting our seeds in, yielding a harvest from? These polygamous behaviors were only temporarily beneficial and not at all right. Rather than foreign affairs disrupting Israel, internal issues arose that gradually took away from David’s legacy and left Solomon with no hope for the legacy of his progress in Israel after his passing.
Idolatrous Ways of Adultery
Idols aren’t gods themselves but were used to summon gods. In ancient civilizations, idols were not thought to contain the physical presence of deities but served as tangible representations or vessels for their presence. Through rituals, offerings, and acts of worship, people sought to invite the divine into the idol's space or to connect with the deity through it.
For example, in ancient Mesopotamian cultures, the ritual known as Mîs-pî (MEES-pee), or the "washing of the mouth," was performed to summon a god into an idol. This ceremony included several stages, such as purification rites, processions, and offerings, all designed to prepare the idol and invite the deity’s spirit to inhabit it.
The "opening of the mouth" ceremony mentioned in the Bible—particularly in the books of Enoch and Moses—is not a direct counterpart to the Egyptian ritual. Instead, it functions as a metaphor, symbolizing God's act of granting divine power or revelation by enabling a person to speak. It represents the capacity to receive and communicate God's word with authority and clarity.
Like our plight of virtue and the plight of promiscuity, we notice with this “opening of the mouth” ceremony - the perversion, a counterfeited conjuring of the One True God’s presence into idols. This is one reason why it is so offensive to God to create idols for ourselves. We may not be carving wood statues or fashioning golden bulls but the idols we set up in our hearts are false gods all the same.
Unlike false idols, God cannot be summoned or conjured like some exploited genie bound to the command of our lamp and three wishes! It’s the doctrine of demons that promises us whatever we wish, for a price of our souls. But God’s Word says to seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness, then He’ll add all the things we need into play (Matthew 6:33). We are commanded to trust God unequivocally (without measure and parallel).
We are not to outsource our needs, forgetting His Word and abandoning His covenant in order to entertain idols as supplemental backups. We need to throw that “just in case” mentality out the window with the rest of our idols. So what, if it doesn’t go how you planned it to go, if you are fully submitted to God? Quit attempting to artificially breathe life into the idols of your desires, and wait on the power of the Lord to interrupt your concerns.
How often do we cheat on Jesus with the foreign gods of our adulterous tendencies? Some people can’t help but cover all their bases with idols, then have the audacity to call it a backup plan. Act all sophisticated and on top of things if you want to but that’s just a fancy way of saying you don’t trust God. Don’t get me wrong because there is no issue with planning in agreement with God’s will, known or unknown, but setting up a safety net just in case God doesn't come through is wild. GOD CAN’T FAIL! Besides, Proverbs 19:21 is a certainty: “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.”
Solomon's Conclusion
What is Solomon’s conclusion to his life of polygamy, pleasure, and politics? Ecclesiastes, especially Ecclesiastes 2:1-11 and 12:13:
Ecclesiastes 2:1-11
The Emptiness of Pleasure
“1 I said to myself, “Go ahead, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy what is good.” But it turned out to be futile. 2 I said about laughter, “It is madness,” and about pleasure, “What does this accomplish?” 3 I explored with my mind the pull of wine on my body—my mind still guiding me with wisdom—and how to grasp folly, until I could see what is good for people to do under heaven during the few days of their lives.
The Emptiness of Possessions
4 I increased my achievements. I built houses and planted vineyards for myself. 5 I made gardens and parks for myself and planted every kind of fruit tree in them. 6 I constructed reservoirs for myself from which to irrigate a grove of flourishing trees. 7 I acquired male and female servants and had slaves who were born in my house. I also owned livestock—large herds and flocks—more than all who were before me in Jerusalem. 8 I also amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces. I gathered male and female singers for myself, and many concubines, the delights of men. 9 So I became great and surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem; my wisdom also remained with me. 10 All that my eyes desired, I did not deny them. I did not refuse myself any pleasure, for I took pleasure in all my struggles. This was my reward for all my struggles. 11 When I considered all that I had accomplished and what I had labored to achieve, I found everything to be futile and a pursuit of the wind. There was nothing to be gained under the sun.”
Ecclesiastes 2:12-13
“13 When all has been heard, the conclusion of the matter is this: fear God and keep his commands, because this is for all humanity.”
Not only did king Solomon do everything God said a king of Israel should not do, but it all left him feeling empty and unfulfilled. Solomon’s resolve was that love for God should be far greater than love for the things of this world. Jesus capitalizes on this idea when He says, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” (John 14:15). What did it matter that Solomon was so great and surpassed all who were before him — if his wisdom was with him and yet failed to convince him against his polygamous behaviors? In Solomon’s love for many foreign women and treasures, he lost sight of his love for the Lord.
Make sure to stay tuned in for this next blog post so you don't miss out on your word of instruction and encouragement...The next blog will focus on King David and the distress that emerged as a result of his lust and lack of accountability. Thank you and God bless!
Scripture of Emphasis:
1 Samuel 8:1-7 (NIV)
"When Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as Israel’s leaders. 2 The name of his firstborn was Joel and the name of his second was Abijah, and they served at Beersheba. 3 But his sons did not follow his ways. They turned aside after dishonest gain and accepted bribes and perverted justice.
4 So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. 5 They said to him, “You are old, and your sons do not follow your ways; now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have.”
6 But when they said, “Give us a king to lead us,” this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the Lord. 7 And the Lord told him: “Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king.”
Thank You and God Bless!
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