PLURAL MARRIAGE COMMANDED BY GOD IN THE HOLY BIBLE

By Ronnie Bray
Having decided to attack Mormons and Mormonism over the subject of polygamy, an Anti-Mormon Attacker [PBUH] on FaceBook asserts that Mormonism is wrong because, he says without evidence of any weight, that the Bible clearly teaches monogamy. That will be a surprise to many Bible scholars that do not find any Divine condemnation of plural marriage when the Patriarchs practised it. He will be surprised to learn that plural marriage is taught as a religious and social principle from the Mouth of God, rather than it being condemned. Had it been condemned, the list of what God says is holy and acceptable to Him, and the lists of what God does not consider holy and acceptable would have stated this. As it is, whenever plural marriage is mentioned, it is not to condemn the practice, but to regulate it. A few examples will suffice: Exodus 21:10 If he take him ANOTHER wife; her food, her raiment, and her duty of marriage, shall he not diminish. This does not refer to a SECOND wife, but to ANOTHER wife, seemingly indicating that in Gods eyes a man can marry an infinite amount of women without any limit as to number. 2 Samuel 5:13:

And David took him more concubines and wives out of Jerusalem, after he was come from Hebron: and there were yet sons and daughters born to David. There is NO CONDEMNATION here. 1 Chronicles 3:1-9 These were the sons of David born to him in Hebron: The firstborn was Amnon the son of Ahinoam [1] of Jezreel; the second, Daniel the son of Abigail [2] of Carmel; 2 the third, Absalom the son of Maakah [3] daughter of Talmai king of Geshur; the fourth, Adonijah [4] the son of Haggith; the fifth, Shephatiah the son of Abital [5]; and the sixth, Ithream, by his wife Eglah. [6] These six were born to David in Hebron, where he reigned seven years and six months. David reigned in Jerusalem thirty-three years, and these were the children born to him there: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan and Solomon. These four were by Bathsheba daughter of Ammiel. There were also Ibhar, Elishua, Eliphelet, Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia, Elishama, Eliada and Elipheletnine in all. All these were the sons of David, besides his sons by his concubines. And Tamar was their sister. 1 Chronicles 14:3-9 Now these were the sons of David, which were born unto him in Hebron; the firstborn Amnon, of Ahinoam [1] the Jezreelitess; the second Daniel, of Abigail [2] the Carmelitess: The third, Absalom the son of Maachah [3] the daughter of Talmai king of Geshur: the fourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith [4]: The fifth, Shephatiah of Abital:[5] the sixth, Ithream by Eglah [6] his wife. These six were born unto him in Hebron; and there he reigned seven years and six months: and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty and three years. And these were born unto him in Jerusalem; Shimea, and Shobab, and Nathan, and Solomon, four, of Bathshua the daughter of Ammiel:

Ibhar also, and Elishama, and Eliphelet, And Nogah, and Nepheg, and Japhia, And Elishama, and Eliada, and Eliphelet, nine. These were all the sons of David, beside the sons of the concubines, and Tamar their sister. Again, there is NO hint of CONDEMNATION for his plural wives, merely a recounting of his children to each of them. 1 Kings 11:3: And [King Solomon] had seven hundred wives [700], princesses, and three hundred concubines: [300] and his wives turned away his heart. Concubine, has been interpreted by some Bible scholars to indicate a SECONDARY WIFE. There is NO CONDEMNATION of Solomon for the number of his wives, only the remark that indicates some of his [non-Israelitish] wives turned away his heart from Israels God. 2 Chronicles 11:21 And Rehoboam loved Maachah the daughter of Absalom above ALL HIS WIVES and his concubines: (for he took EIGHTEEN WIVES, and SIXTY CONCUBINES; and begat twenty and eight sons, and threescore daughters.) Deuteronomy 21:10-16 10 When thou goest forth to war against thine enemies, and the LORD thy God hath delivered them into thine hands, and thou hast taken them captive, 11 And seest among the captives a beautiful woman, and hast a desire unto her, that thou wouldest have her to thy wife; 12 Then thou shalt bring her home to thine house, and she shall shave her head, and pare her nails; 13 And she shall put

the raiment of her captivity from off her, and shall remain in thine house, and bewail her father and her mother a full month: and after that thou shalt go in unto her, and be her husband, and she shall be thy wife. 15 IF A MAN HAVE TWO WIVES, one beloved, and another hated, and they have born him children, both the beloved and the hated; and if the firstborn son be hers that was hated: 16 Then it shall be, when he maketh his sons to inherit that which he hath, that he may not make the son of the beloved firstborn before the son of the hated, which is indeed the firstborn. Plural marriage is seen here not only to be encouraged, but provision for the children of such marriages is enjoined in the Law. The Old Testament frequently mentions plural marriage as acceptable for the Israelites, and many of the prophets and patriarchs had multiple wives, including Lamech, Abraham, Jacob, Esau, Gideon, Saul, David, Solomon, Rehoboam, Elkanah, Ashur, Abijah and Jehoiada. Some suggest that Moses had a second wife in Tharbis. In addition to the many examples of plural marriage, the Pentateuch lists guidelines and rules concerning the taking of multiple wives; noting as we have seen that IF HE TAKES ANOTHER WIFE TO HIMSELF, he shall not diminish her food, her clothing, or her marital rights. Levirate Marriage makes it a legal obligation for men whose brothers have left widows TO MARRY THEM [NOTWITHSTANDING THE FACT THEY ARE ALREADY MARRIED] and support their families. THIS LAW IMPOSES A LEGAL AND RELIGIOUS OBLIGATION ON Israelite MEN TO PRACTICE POLYGAMY.

5 If brethren dwell together, and one of them die, and have no child, the wife of the dead shall not marry without unto a stranger: her husband's brother shall go in unto her, and take her to him to wife, and perform the duty of an husband's brother unto her. 6 And it shall be, that the firstborn which she beareth shall succeed in the name of his brother which is dead, that his name be not put out of Israel. 7 And if the man like not to take his brother's wife, then let his brother's wife go up to the gate unto the elders, and say, My husband's brother refuseth to raise up unto his brother a name in Israel, he will not perform the duty of my husband's brother. 8 Then the elders of his city shall call him, and speak unto him: and if he stand to it, and say, I like not to take her; 9 Then shall his brother's wife come unto him in the presence of the elders, and loose his shoe from off his foot, and spit in his face, and shall answer and say, So shall it be done unto that man that will not build up his brother's house. 10 And his name shall be called in Israel, The house of him that hath his shoe loosed. [Deut 25:510] How then can anyone use the Holy Bible argue against plural marriage and claim it is unbiblical? Why do such people use facile argument our of context to press their non-existent point, excusing their ignorance by saying, in effect, Although some men in Bible times had many wives, this was not Gods will, according to Deuteronomy 17:14-18. Instead of polygamy, the Bible teaches the sacredness of the commitment of one man and one woman to each other until death separates them. We have seen by the previous passages that such anti-Mormons [PBUH], are wrong, since polygamy is encouraged by the will of God, and the Bible says so. Some Anti-Mormons that are ignorant of Mormonism insist

It is interesting that Mormons now deny their church ever taught this doctrine. What is interesting is that such Anti-Mormons provide no reference for this untruthful and nonsensical claim. Nor can they do, because it is not true. Mormons know their history and acknowledge plural marriage as taught and practiced during about fifty years of the first Mormon century, and was terminated to conform to the ruling of the United States Supreme Court that held the Edmunds-Tucker law to be constitutional. The braggadocio of Anti-Mormons includes such obnoxious and unfounded statements as: It is obvious that the Mormons have rewritten the Bible to match their theology rather than taking their theology from the Bible. [Professor Berry, et al] What is obvious is that in the first place plural marriage has been positively and scripturally shown to be not only approved, but also encouraged by the word of God, and in the second place it is obvious that Anti-Mormons that claim otherwise do not know their Bibles or what is in the Bible! They do not know the above passages that not only approve but also prescribe plural marriages! Little wonder that the Bible has been called The Book That Nobody Knows! Further, not only do these attackers not know their Bibles, but they do not know Mormonism, apart from the scurrilous versions published by such prevaricators and knaves as Walter R Martin, Bill Schnoebelen, the Tanners, John Smith, Wesley P Walters, Lori MacGregor, and others of their dark ilk. [PBUH]

Thus we see without equivocation that Mormon Polygamy is vindicated by the Holy Bible, even from the mouth of the Lord God of Israel.
Copyright 2011 Ronnie Bray @ www.yorkshiretales.com/allaboutmormonism