wives and concubines

[Raquel]

Was it considered sinful for God's chosen people like David and Solomon to have wives and concubines back in the Old Testament days?

[Mike Miller]

Great question, especially with the increased awareness of Islam today (Islam allow a man to have as many as 4 wives) and some of the Mormon sects (originally, Mormonism was insistent on multiple wives for its men).

To begin with, what does the Bible explicitly teach about marriage? Is there anything in the Bible that promotes or even allows for polygamy? Or on the other hand, does the Bible promote monogamy? These answers are pretty straightforward. Genesis 2:24-25, quoted by Jesus in Matthew 19:4-6, says that a man and woman become one flesh. That oneness can only be found in a monogamous marriage. Similarly, Deuteronomy 17:17 and Leviticus 18:18 prohibit having multiple wives. Moreover, passages like Proverbs 5, Ephesians 5:22-6:4, and Colossians 3:18-19 only make sense if a man is to have only one wife.

But then what about the examples of men of God having more than one wife in the Old Testament? First, remember that the Bible reveals things as they are--not just as they should be. We see all the character flaws in the men and women in the Bible, and just because they exhibit a certain behavior does not make that behavior normative or even allowable. When David and Solomon took multiple wives and concubines, they were sinning against God. Furthermore, we never see happy polygamy in the Bible. It is always practiced at a price. Jealousy, conflict, and apostasy are the inevitable results (see 1 Kings 11:4 regarding Solomon's wives).

Therefore, to answer your question: yes, it was sinful for David and Solomon to have wives and concubines, and they suffered the consequences in many, many ways.