Bible Verses about “polygamy”

“Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.”

“A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach;”

“And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart.”

“Of the nations [concerning] which the LORD said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in unto you: [for] surely they will turn away your heart after their gods: Solomon clave unto these in love.”

“When Leah saw that she had left bearing, she took Zilpah her maid, and gave her Jacob to wife.”

“And she gave him Bilhah her handmaid to wife: and Jacob went in unto her.”

“And David took [him] more concubines and wives out of Jerusalem, after he was come from Hebron: and there were yet sons and daughters born to David.”

“¶ If brethren dwell together, and one of them die, and have no child, the wife of the dead shall not marry without unto a stranger: her husband's brother shall go in unto her, and take her to him to wife, and perform the duty of an husband's brother unto her.”

“And it shall be, [that] the firstborn which she beareth shall succeed in the name of his brother [which is] dead, that his name be not put out of Israel.”

“And he had two wives; the name of the one [was] Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah: and Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children.”

“If he take him another [wife]; her food, her raiment, and her duty of marriage, shall he not diminish.”

“¶ And Lamech took unto him two wives: the name of the one [was] Adah, and the name of the other Zillah.”

“And if the man like not to take his brother's wife, then let his brother's wife go up to the gate unto the elders, and say, My husband's brother refuseth to raise up unto his brother a name in Israel, he will not perform the duty of my husband's brother.”

“Then the elders of his city shall call him, and speak unto him: and [if] he stand [to it], and say, I like not to take her;”

“Then shall his brother's wife come unto him in the presence of the elders, and loose his shoe from off his foot, and spit in his face, and shall answer and say, So shall it be done unto that man that will not build up his brother's house.”

“And his name shall be called in Israel, The house of him that hath his shoe loosed.”

“And I gave thee thy master's house, and thy master's wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah; and if [that had been] too little, I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things.”

“Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away: neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold.”

“¶ Now there was a certain man of Ramathaimzophim, of mount Ephraim, and his name [was] Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephrathite:”

“¶ If a man have two wives, one beloved, and another hated, and they have born him children, [both] the beloved and the hated; and [if] the firstborn son be hers that was hated:”

“But he shall acknowledge the son of the hated [for] the firstborn, by giving him a double portion of all that he hath: for he [is] the beginning of his strength; the right of the firstborn [is] his.”

“Then it shall be, when he maketh his sons to inherit [that] which he hath, [that] he may not make the son of the beloved firstborn before the son of the hated, [which is indeed] the firstborn:”

“¶ 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.”

“For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, [that] his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as [was] the heart of David his father.”

“¶ Now these were the sons of David, which were born unto him in Hebron; the firstborn Amnon, of Ahinoam the Jezreelitess; the second Daniel, of Abigail the Carmelitess:”

“And these were born unto him in Jerusalem; Shimea, and Shobab, and Nathan, and Solomon, four, of Bathshua the daughter of Ammiel:”

“¶ But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, [and] Hittites;”

“The third, Absalom the son of Maachah the daughter of Talmai king of Geshur: the fourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith:”

“The fifth, Shephatiah of Abital: the sixth, Ithream by Eglah his wife.”

“[These] six were born unto him in Hebron; and there he reigned seven years and six months: and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty and three years.”

“Ibhar also, and Elishama, and Eliphelet,”

“And Nogah, and Nepheg, and Japhia,”

“And Elishama, and Eliada, and Eliphelet, nine.”

“[These were] all the sons of David, beside the sons of the concubines, and Tamar their sister.”

“But Abijah waxed mighty, and married fourteen wives, and begat twenty and two sons, and sixteen daughters.”

“And Jehoiada took for him two wives; and he begat sons and daughters.”

“And Ashur the father of Tekoa had two wives, Helah and Naarah.”

“And Rehoboam loved Maachah the daughter of Absalom above all his wives and his concubines: (for he took eighteen wives, and threescore concubines; and begat twenty and eight sons, and threescore daughters.)”

“¶ Joash [was] seven years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. His mother's name also [was] Zibiah of Beersheba.”

“And Joash did [that which was] right in the sight of the LORD all the days of Jehoiada the priest.”