Patriarch Publishing House - The Morality of Biblical Polygyny

The Morality of Biblical Polygyny

by – William F. Luck, Sr.

This is an amazing, courageous, contemporary work. William Luck, is the son of Moody Bible Institute’s Dr. G. Coleman Luck, Sr, Chairman of the Department of Theology, and a capable biblical scholar in his own right.

“God didn’t ask me my opinion about the issue. He expected me to represent His. I’ve tried. If you can prove I’m mistaken, I’ll be the first to thank you. But I’m not holding my breath in the meanwhile.”- the Author, from the Introduction

“To date [over twenty years after its original publication], I find the arguments ‘pro’ quite superior to those ‘con.’” - the Author, from the Conclusion.

• The Background

• Laws That Imply the Moral Propriety of Polygyny

• Passages That Appear To Prohibit Polygyny

• The Association of Polygyny with Other Evils

• Alleged Prohibitions of Polygyny

• The Implications of “Adultery” in the “Vice Lists”

• Questions Concerning the Possibility of Moral Polygyny

57 pages, paperback. $4.95

The Morality of Biblical Polygyny — Quotes:

From the book …

It is not advisable for any theologian to write favorably [on this issue]. Against that advice, and with a certain feeling of personal uneasiness, I offer the following to those interested in what the Bible says on those subjects. I realized when I wrote the first edition of this book that any attempt to harmonize the polygyny mentioned in the Bible with other biblical passages on the morality of marriage/divorce relations would be difficult to accept, because it runs against the grain of much tradition, as well as modern thought. My fears were realized. Some reviewers acted as if this discussion was the only thing worth mentioning about the work—as if the book was some apology for the practice of polygamy written by a closet Mormon fundamentalist. And that, in spite of the fact that I denied it. Personally I don’t have any interest in the practice of plural wives. I feel very much like the sociologist who wrote a book on early Mormon marriage practices. It was titled Isn’t One Wife Enough. My own answer is a resounding, “YES.” But in the end… I was motivated by the fact that God didn’t ask me my opinion about the issue. He expected me to represent His. I’ve tried. If you can prove I’m mistaken, I’ll be the first to thank you. But I’m not holding my breath in the meanwhile. (From the Introduction).

As a result of these studies, I consider biblical polygyny to have been a moral practice in biblical times. I do not find sufficient biblical argument to deny it and find several passages that seem undeniably to affirm it. I am certainly willing to consider any biblical argument my readers might offer, but I am unwilling to accept a poor argument simply because it fits my or their fancy or modern culture. To date [over twenty years after its original publication], I find the arguments “pro” quite superior to those “con.” And since this is so, the concept of polygyny must be considered in any interpretation of biblical passages which refer to remarriage. If polygyny was morally permissible when Jesus spoke, no passage spoken by Him referring to remarriage should be interpreted to exclude or condemn remarriage that would also exclude polygyny. (From the Conclusion.)

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