Polygamy
38 passages listed in Nave’s Topical Bible and Torrey’s New Topical Textbook. Verse text: Berean Standard Bible; links open in your translation.
31 sections
- Abijah
- Abraham
- Ahab
- Ashur
- Authorized
- Belshazzar
- David
- Domestic Unhappiness in Abraham's Family
- Domestic Unhappiness in Elkanah's Family
- Domestic Unhappiness in Jacob's Family
- Elkanah
- Esau
- Forbidden
- Gideon
- Hosea
- Jacob
- Jehoiachin
- Jehoram
- Joash
- Lamech
- Mosaic Law Respecting the Firstborn In
- Practiced By
- Rehoboam
- See
- Solomon
- Sought by Women
- The Evil Effects of Elkanah's
- The Evil Effects of Husband's Favoritism In
- The Evil Effects of Jacob's
- The Evil Effects of Rehoboam's
- Tolerated
Abijah
- 2 Chronicles 13:21 But Abijah grew strong, married fourteen wives, and became the father of twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters.
Abraham
- Genesis 16:1 Now Abram’s wife Sarai had borne him no children, but she had an Egyptian maidservant named Hagar.
Ahab
- 2 Kings 10:1 Now Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria. So Jehu wrote letters and sent them to Samaria to the officials of Jezreel, to the elders, and to the guardians of the sons of Ahab, saying:
Ashur
- 1 Chronicles 4:5 Ashhur the father of Tekoa had two wives, Helah and Naarah.
Authorized
- 2 Samuel 12:8 I gave your master’s house to you and your master’s wives into your arms. I gave you the house of Israel and Judah, and if that was not enough, I would have given you even more.
Belshazzar
- Daniel 5:2 Under the influence of the wine, Belshazzar gave orders to bring in the gold and silver vessels that Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken from the temple in Jerusalem, so that the king could drink from them, along with his nobles, …
David
- 1 Samuel 25:39–44 On hearing that Nabal was dead, David said, “Blessed be the LORD, who has upheld my cause against the reproach of Nabal and has restrained His servant from evil. For the LORD has brought the wickedness of Nabal down upon his own …
- 2 Samuel 3:2–5 And sons were born to David in Hebron: His firstborn was Amnon, by Ahinoam of Jezreel; …
- 2 Samuel 5:13 After he had arrived from Hebron, David took more concubines and wives from Jerusalem, and more sons and daughters were born to him.
- 1 Chronicles 14:3 And David took more wives in Jerusalem and became the father of more sons and daughters.
Domestic Unhappiness in Abraham's Family
- Genesis 16:1 Now Abram’s wife Sarai had borne him no children, but she had an Egyptian maidservant named Hagar.
- Genesis 21:9–16 But Sarah saw that the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham was mocking her son, …
Domestic Unhappiness in Elkanah's Family
- 1 Samuel 1:4–7 And whenever the day came for Elkanah to present his sacrifice, he would give portions to his wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters. …
Domestic Unhappiness in Jacob's Family
- Genesis 29:30–34 Jacob slept with Rachel as well, and indeed, he loved Rachel more than Leah. So he worked for Laban another seven years. …
- Genesis 30:1–23 When Rachel saw that she was not bearing any children for Jacob, she envied her sister. “Give me children, or I will die!” she said to Jacob. …
Elkanah
- 1 Samuel 1:2 He had two wives, one named Hannah and the other Peninnah. And Peninnah had children, but Hannah had none.
Esau
- Genesis 26:34 When Esau was forty years old, he took as his wives Judith daughter of Beeri the Hittite and Basemath daughter of Elon the Hittite.
- Genesis 28:9 Esau went to Ishmael and married Mahalath, the sister of Nebaioth and daughter of Abraham’s son Ishmael, in addition to the wives he already had.
Forbidden
- Deuteronomy 17:17 He must not take many wives for himself, lest his heart go astray. He must not accumulate for himself large amounts of silver and gold.
- Leviticus 18:18 You must not take your wife’s sister as a rival wife and have sexual relations with her while your wife is still alive.
- Malachi 2:14–15 Yet you ask, “Why?” It is because the LORD has been a witness between you and the wife of your youth, against whom you have broken faith, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant. …
- Matthew 19:4–5 Jesus answered, “Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ …
- Mark 10:2–8 Some Pharisees came to test Him. “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” they inquired. …
- 1 Timothy 3:2 An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,
- 1 Timothy 3:12 A deacon must be the husband of but one wife, a good manager of his children and of his own household.
- Titus 1:6 An elder must be blameless, the husband of but one wife, having children who are believers and who are not open to accusation of indiscretion or insubordination.
Gideon
- Judges 8:30 Gideon had seventy sons of his own, since he had many wives.
Hosea
- Hosea 3:1–2 Then the LORD said to me, “Go show love to your wife again, though she is loved by another and is an adulteress. Love her as the LORD loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and love to offer raisin cakes to idols.” …
Jacob
- Genesis 29:30 Jacob slept with Rachel as well, and indeed, he loved Rachel more than Leah. So he worked for Laban another seven years.
Jehoiachin
- 2 Kings 24:15 Nebuchadnezzar carried away Jehoiachin to Babylon, as well as the king’s mother, his wives, his officials, and the leading men of the land. He took them into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon.
Jehoram
- 2 Chronicles 21:14 So behold, the LORD is about to strike your people, your sons, your wives, and all your possessions with a serious blow.
Joash
- 2 Chronicles 24:3 Jehoiada took for him two wives, and he had sons and daughters.
Lamech
- Genesis 4:19 And Lamech married two women, one named Adah and the other Zillah.
Mosaic Law Respecting the Firstborn In
- Deuteronomy 21:15–17 If a man has two wives, one beloved and the other unloved, and both bear him sons, but the unloved wife has the firstborn son, …
Practiced By
- Job 27:15 His survivors will be buried by the plague, and their widows will not weep for them.
Rehoboam
- 2 Chronicles 11:18–23 And Rehoboam married Mahalath, who was the daughter of David’s son Jerimoth and of Abihail, the daughter of Jesse’s son Eliab. …
See
- 1 Chronicles 2:8 The son of Ethan: Azariah.
Solomon
- 1 Kings 11:1–8 King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women along with the daughter of Pharaoh — women of Moab, Ammon, Edom, and Sidon, as well as Hittite women. …
Sought by Women
- Isaiah 4:1 In that day seven women will take hold of one man and say, “We will eat our own bread and provide our own clothes. Just let us be called by your name. Take away our disgrace!”
The Evil Effects of Elkanah's
- 1 Samuel 1:5 But to Hannah he would give a double portion, for he loved her even though the LORD had closed her womb.
The Evil Effects of Husband's Favoritism In
- Deuteronomy 21:15–17 If a man has two wives, one beloved and the other unloved, and both bear him sons, but the unloved wife has the firstborn son, …
The Evil Effects of Jacob's
- Genesis 29:30 Jacob slept with Rachel as well, and indeed, he loved Rachel more than Leah. So he worked for Laban another seven years.
- Genesis 30:15 But Leah replied, “Is it not enough that you have taken away my husband? Now you want to take my son’s mandrakes as well?” “Very well,” said Rachel, “he may sleep with you tonight in exchange for your son’s mandrakes.”
The Evil Effects of Rehoboam's
- 2 Chronicles 11:21 Rehoboam loved Maacah daughter of Absalom more than all his wives and concubines. In all, he had eighteen wives and sixty concubines, and he was the father of twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters.
Tolerated
- Exodus 21:10 If he takes another wife, he must not reduce the food, clothing, or marital rights of his first wife.
- 1 Samuel 1:2 He had two wives, one named Hannah and the other Peninnah. And Peninnah had children, but Hannah had none.
- 2 Chronicles 24:3 Jehoiada took for him two wives, and he had sons and daughters.
Related topics
Polygamy with SolomonEmulationFamilyLeahChildlessnessCruelty of Sarah to Hagar
Topics: Nave’s Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey’s New Topical Textbook (1897), public domain, via the Berean Bible topical index.