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As some of yall know, I am in discussion with my pastor about the subject of polygyny. He said he would like to get on my set of tracks to see where I am coming from. In an attempt to do this, he has asked a few questions. I am putting these questions out there one at a time. I am sure these have already been discussed at length on this website. I would like to see how everyone would answer these questions. I wont to see yall's answer before I respond to my pastor. I think I have pretty solid answers, but I want to make sure I can make as complete of an answer as possible.

1. Please tell me what you believe Scripture teaches about marriage. What is it? In other words, how would you define it based on Scripture? Please give Scripture references to back up whatever definition you give for marriage.

Robert
 
rms said:
1. Please tell me what you believe Scripture teaches about marriage. What is it? In other words, how would you define it based on Scripture? Please give Scripture references to back up whatever definition you give for marriage.
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I would say the simplest answer is that marriage is a covenant, consisting of a man and a woman, of their own free will, committing themselves to each other in the roles of "husband" and "wife", and then consummating that commitment with the sexual union.

Ezek. 16:8: "Again I passed by you and looked upon you and saw that your time was the time of love. And I spread My skirt over you and covered your nakedness. And I swore an oath to you and entered into a covenant with you, and you became Mine," declares the Master Yahweh."

Matt. 25:1-13: ""Then the reign of the heavens shall be compared to ten maidens who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five foolish. Those who were foolish, having taken their lamps, took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their containers with their lamps. Now while the bridegroom took time, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight a cry was heard, 'See, the bridegroom is coming, go out to meet him!' Then all those maidens rose up and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, 'Give us of your oil, because our lamps are going out.' But the wise answered, saying, 'No, indeed, there would not be enough for us and you. Instead, go to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.' And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast, and the door was shut. And later the other maidens also came, saying, 'Master, Master, open up for us!' But he answering, said, 'Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.' Watch therefore, because you do not know the day nor the hour in which the Son of Adam is coming"

Marriage is defined by all the passages in Scripture that give us examples of marriage (certainly more than I care to type out here). Numerous Scriptures demonstrate that a man may enact multiple marriage covenants concurrently, or none at all, as he sees fit. It is simply called marriage in Scripture. Mosaic law also demonstrated mandatory marriage, which we would label as monogyny or polygyny (depending on whether the man already has a wife).

Deut. 22:28-29: "When a man finds a girl who is a maiden, who is not engaged, and he siezes her and lies with her, and they are found out, then the man who lay with her shall give to the girl's father fifty pieces of silver, and she is to be his wife because he has humbled her. He is not allowed to put her away all his days."

Deut. 25:5: "When brothers dwell together, and one of them has died, and has no son, the widow of the dead man shall not become a stranger's outside. Her husband's brother does go in to her, and shall take her as his wife, and perform the duty of a husband's brother to her."

In addition, Mosaic law also regulated marital and inheritance rights when a man had multiple wives.

Ex. 21:10: "If he takes another wife, her food, her covering, and her marriage rights are not to be diminished."

Deut. 21:15-17: "When a man has two wives, one loved and the other unloved, and they have borne him children, both the loved and the unloved, and the first-born son is of her who is unloved, then it shall be, on the day he makes his sons to inherit his possessions, he is not allowed to treat the son of the beloved wife as first-born in the face of the son of the unloved, who is truly the first-born. But he is to acknowledge the son of the unloved wife as the first-born by giving him a double portion of all that he has, for he is the beginning of his strength - the right of the first-born is his."

Some forms of otherwise lawful marriage were prohibited in the Mosaic law (close relations, etc.), including two specific examples of polygyny. This proves most cases of polygynous marriage were lawful before God, because He specifically disallowed thee two examples of polygynous marriage, rather than ALL polygynous marriage.

Lev. 18:18: "And do not take a woman as a rival to her sister, to uncover her nakedness while the other is alive."

Lev. 20:14: "And a man who marries a woman and her mother: it is wickedness, they are burned with fire, both he and they, that there be no wickedness in your midst."

In His love,
David
 
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