Page 29 - The Marriage Covenant

I Samuel 1:1-2
Now there was a certain man from Ramathaim-zophim from the hill country of
Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah... And he had two wives: the name of one was
Hannah and the name of the other Peninnah; and Peninnah had children, but
Hannah had no children.

Hannah, of course, would eventually give birth to Samuel, the great prophet of Israel.
Another prominent mention during the time before the kings was of Gideon.

Judges 8:30-31
Now Gideon had seventy sons who were his direct descendants, for he had many
wives. And his concubine who was in Shechem also bore him a son, and he named
him Abimelech.

It was during the time of the kings, however, that we see the practice of men having
more than one wife at its greatest excess. A man who was made king would attain to a
greater wealth than other men, and would be able to support a great household. Yahweh,
foreseeing this, gave Moses instruction concerning kings, though Israel would not have a
king until hundreds of years later.

Deuteronomy 17:14-17
"When you enter the land which Yahweh your God gives you, and you possess it and
live in it, and you say, 'I will set a king over me like all the nations who are around
me,' you shall surely set a king over you whom Yahweh your God chooses...
Moreover, he shall not multiply horses for himself..., neither shall he multiply
wives for himself, lest his heart turn away; nor shall he greatly increase
silver and gold for himself.”

Notice that each of these commands deals with excess, with the thought that excess
in any of these areas will lead to a man turning his heart away from God. A king who has a
great many horses will place his trust in his great army, rather in Yahweh to protect him.
A man who is greatly increased in wealth will tend to become proud, resulting in an absence
of a proper fear and humility before God. The man who multiplies wives, increasing them
abundantly, will turn his heart away from pleasing God, to pleasing his wives, a situation
that was demonstrated in the life of king Solomon.
We find in the Law delivered to Moses by Yahweh that the practice of a man having
more than one wife was never prohibited. Rather, it was governed, in that certain
instructions were given to establish guidelines for the conduct of a man who had multiple
wives. Many who were declared righteous by Yahweh had more than one wife.
The Bible names the sons of David (and one daughter) that were born to seven wives.
It also mentions that David had concubines.

I Chronicles 3:1-9
Now these were the sons of David who were born to him in Hebron: the first-born
was Amnon, by Ahinoam the Jezreelitess; the second was Daniel, by Abigail the
Carmelitess; the third was Absalom the son of Maacah, the daughter of Talmai king
of Geshur; the fourth was Adonijah the son of Haggith; the fifth was Shephatiah,