"The two shall become one flesh": Response To The Biblical Case for Polygamy.
- Charles
- 6 days ago
- 7 min read
Covenant Marriage Established in Creation
The foundation of all biblical marriage begins in Genesis 2:24: “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.” This is not merely a narrative line; it is the first covenant statement of marriage, spoken before sin, culture, or law. It defines marriage as a singular, exclusive union. The language of “one flesh” signifies covenantal oneness, not just physical intimacy. It creates a bond that mirrors the divine relationship between YHWH and His people. This is the original pattern that every subsequent marriage law, narrative, and regulation must be read through. The Biblical Case for Polygamy treats polygyny as a tolerated, and at times commanded, norm within Scripture, but it fails to acknowledge that all such instances are post-fall accommodations, not creation design.
The very fact that polygyny first appears in Genesis 4:19 with Lamech—a descendant of Cain—signals its context: it is a product of a fallen world, not the Edenic covenant. Yeshua’s teaching in Matthew 19 reinforces this by bypassing centuries of cultural practice and Mosaic regulation to return directly to the beginning: “From the beginning it was not so.” Covenant marriage is not defined by the prevalence of cultural patterns or by regulatory statutes; it is defined by YHWH’s own act of joining one man and one woman in a singular covenant bond.
Royal Torah, Mosaic Accommodation, and Covenant Design
A critical failure in pro-polygamy arguments is the conflation of divine covenant with cultural statute. Scripture distinguishes between the Book of the Covenant, which contains the Royal Torah and the Ten Words written on stone, and the Book of the Law, which contains regulations added “because of transgression” (Galatians 3:19). Marriage statutes regulating multiple wives, concubines, and levirate obligations fall under the governance of the Book of the Law. They are not part of the creation covenant nor of the covenantal Ten Words written on hearts under the New Covenant. YHWH’s law in the Book of the Covenant never commands or even implies polygyny; it presents the singular one-flesh union as the divine ideal.
Mosaic statutes surrounding polygyny serve the same purpose as divorce laws: to mitigate harm in a broken cultural context. Yeshua’s own words on divorce in Matthew 19 provide the hermeneutic key: “Because of the hardness of your hearts Moses permitted you to divorce your wives; but from the beginning it was not so.” The same principle applies to polygyny. The existence of regulation does not equal endorsement. Torah statutes are mercy provisions in a fallen world, not covenant blueprints. When Messiah restores marriage to creation intent, He restores it to singular covenantal fidelity.
The Christ–Bride Typology and One-Flesh Exclusivity
Ephesians 5 places marriage within the highest theological framework: it is the living parable of Messiah and His Bride. Paul calls it “a great mystery,” declaring that the union of husband and wife reflects the covenant union between Christ and the church. This typology is exclusive. Messiah does not take multiple brides; He has one singular, unified Bride purchased with His blood. To fracture the marital covenant into multiple simultaneous unions distorts the gospel shadow embedded in marriage itself. The Biblical Case for Polygamy fails to reckon with this typology. It treats marriage primarily as a legal or cultural arrangement rather than a covenantal proclamation of the gospel.
Even if polygyny was tolerated under Mosaic regulation, it cannot embody the mystery of Christ and His Bride because the typology demands singular fidelity and exclusive covenant love. Covenant theology anchors marriage not in cultural normativity but in gospel proclamation. This is why Paul ties Genesis 2:24 directly to Messiah in Ephesians 5:31–32: “For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.” The “two” language is not incidental; it is covenantal. The one-flesh union is designed to reflect the singularity of the gospel covenant.
Polygyny in Scripture: Narrative Presence vs. Covenant Prescription
A primary argument in The Biblical Case for Polygamy is the prevalence of polygyny among patriarchs, kings, and common men in Scripture. Abraham, Jacob, David, and Solomon are all cited as evidence that polygyny was not condemned. However, narrative presence is not covenant prescription. Scripture records many things it does not endorse. The same texts that show polygyny also reveal its covenantal cost: division, jealousy, broken fellowship, and generational consequences. Abraham’s union with Hagar, though culturally permitted, birthed conflict that extended for generations.
Jacob’s marriages to Leah and Rachel produced rivalry and strife within the covenant family. David’s multiple wives did not prevent him from taking Bathsheba, demonstrating that polygyny does not solve lust but multiplies covenant fracture. Solomon’s hundreds of wives are explicitly linked to his apostasy. In every case, polygyny functions as a narrative marker of human brokenness and divine patience, not as an ideal. The existence of polygyny in the lives of covenant figures highlights YHWH’s mercy in working through flawed vessels, not His endorsement of the practice. Covenant theology reads these stories through the creation and Messiah lens: YHWH redeeming broken marriage patterns to restore the one-flesh union in His Son.
Levirate Marriage and Mercy Statutes
One of the strongest pro-polygyny arguments comes from Deuteronomy 25:5, the levirate marriage law requiring a man to marry his deceased brother’s widow to raise up seed for the family line. The argument is that if the living brother is already married, the law commands polygyny, proving its divine sanction. Covenant theology answers this by distinguishing between covenant design and mercy statute. Levirate marriage arises in a tribal, patriarchal context to protect widows and preserve inheritance lines. It functions as a social safety net in a fallen world. It is part of the Book of the Law, not the Book of the Covenant.
Its purpose is protection, not pattern-setting. Yeshua’s teaching in Matthew 22:30 and His bypass of Mosaic statutes in Matthew 19 reinforce that these laws are accommodations, not eternal ideals. Judah and Tamar, Ruth and Boaz—both levirate narratives—are redemption stories in broken contexts, not covenant blueprints for marriage design. Under the New Covenant, where the Bridegroom has come and covenant inheritance is secured in Messiah, levirate marriage as a statute is fulfilled in Christ. It no longer serves as a pattern for covenant marriage; instead, it points to Yeshua as Kinsman Redeemer.
Serial Monogamy and Covenant Fidelity
One valid critique in The Biblical Case for Polygamy is the hypocrisy of Western culture condemning polygyny while practicing serial monogamy. Divorce and remarriage cycles create multiple sequential covenant bonds, fracturing the one-flesh union and violating the “until death” covenant oath. This critique underscores the need for covenant fidelity, not the validation of polygyny. Both serial monogamy and simultaneous polygyny arise from the same root issue: a failure to uphold exclusive covenant loyalty.
Covenant theology responds not by shifting to polygyny but by calling for the restoration of the creation covenant in Messiah. The problem is not monogamy as divine design; the problem is the cultural abandonment of covenantal monogamy for contractual convenience. Covenant marriage calls believers back to loyalty, permanence, and exclusive one-flesh union that reflects the steadfast love of YHWH.
Isaiah 4:1 and Misused Prophecy
Pro-polygyny teaching often cites Isaiah 4:1: “And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach.” This is treated as a prophecy of end-time polygyny. Covenant theology reads the text in context: it is a judgment oracle describing societal collapse and desperation, not a marital ideal. The language of reproach and survival reflects covenant curses, not covenant design. To use Isaiah 4:1 as a positive model of marriage is to invert the prophetic intent. Covenant marriage is not built on desperation or imbalance; it is built on creation design and covenant fidelity.
The Covenant Witness of Marriage
At the heart of the covenant case for marriage is the role of marriage as witness. Marriage is not simply a social or legal construct; it is a covenant proclamation of YHWH’s relationship with His people. It is designed to reflect His exclusive love, His steadfast loyalty, and His covenant faithfulness. The New Covenant writes the Royal Torah on hearts, restoring the Ten Words and the one-flesh union as living testimony. Polygyny, regardless of regulation or narrative presence, cannot proclaim the singularity of the gospel covenant. It fractures the image of Messiah and His Bride and dilutes the prophetic witness embedded in marriage. The covenant case for marriage is not built on cultural tradition but on divine design, creation covenant, and New Covenant restoration in Messiah.
The Biblical Case for Polygamy raises important questions about cultural bias, church tradition, and scriptural honesty. However, its failure to distinguish between regulation and covenant, between narrative and prescription, and between cultural accommodation and divine design leads it to the wrong conclusion. Covenant theology answers not with Western tradition but with YHWH’s own Word: “The two shall become one flesh.” Marriage is a covenant mystery reflecting Messiah and His singular Bride. Polygyny belongs to the story of human brokenness; covenant marriage belongs to the story of redemption.
Inductive Study: The Covenant Case for Marriage
Observation Questions
What does Genesis 2:24 reveal about YHWH’s original design for marriage?
How does Matthew 19:4–6 connect Yeshua’s teaching on marriage to the creation covenant?
In what ways does Ephesians 5:31–32 show that marriage is a covenant witness to Messiah and His Bride?
What role did Mosaic statutes (such as levirate marriage) serve in a fallen cultural context?
How do the stories of Abraham/Hagar, Jacob/Leah/Rachel, and David/Solomon reveal the consequences of polygyny?
Interpretation Questions
Why is it important to distinguish between the Book of the Covenant (Royal Torah) and the Book of the Law (Mosaic statutes) when discussing marriage?
How does the “one flesh” language function as more than physical intimacy in covenant theology?
Why does regulation in Torah (e.g., Exodus 21:10) not equal divine endorsement of polygyny?
What does the Christ–Church typology in Ephesians 5 teach about the exclusivity of covenant marriage?
How does covenant theology reconcile the existence of polygyny in Scripture with the creation design?
Application Questions
What does covenant marriage teach us about YHWH’s faithfulness and loyalty to His people?
How can believers today guard against both polygyny and serial monogamy by restoring covenant fidelity?
In what ways does your marriage (or view of marriage) reflect the one-flesh mystery of Messiah and His Bride?
How can the church disciple believers to see marriage as covenant witness instead of cultural contract?
What steps can you take to align your understanding of marriage with the creation covenant and New Covenant restoration?
📥 Download the Inductive Study Companion
To deepen your understanding of this teaching, download the companion worksheet and answer key:
Instructions:
Use the worksheet as a printed or digital guide to reflect on each question with Bible in hand.
After completing your responses, consult the answer key for insight, clarity, and further scripture references.
Share with your study group, congregation, or discipleship partner for deeper dialogue.
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