How Does the Genesis Creation Story—the Story of Adam and Eve—Answer the Question, "Is Being Gay a Sin?"
Some Christians argue that the Bible forbids homosexuality based on the fact that, in the beginning, God made Adam and Eve, and they were commanded to multiply and populate the earth, a natural act for all living creatures. They also argue that being gay is unnatural because it cannot result in procreation; thus, it is a behavior that must have resulted from the "fall of humankind" when Adam and Eve committed original sin. However, not all Christians and religious institutions agree with this viewpoint. Therefore, we must ask ourselves:
Many Christians who believe that being gay is a sin point to the story of Adam and Eve and proclaim that God commanded Adam and Eve to procreate, which means that homosexuality goes against God's plan and, thus, homosexuality is a sin. These people also reason that homosexuality resulted from original sin, that it is "unnatural," and that it is, therefore, a sin. There are several problems with this logic.
First, God didn't make Eve for the sole purpose of procreating with Adam. Instead, God made Eve as a companion for Adam because all of the other creatures had companions and Adam was alone (see Gen. 2:18, 20-23"Then the LORD God said, 'It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him. . . .' The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field.
But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him. So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. And the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. Then the man said, 'This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man'" Gen. 2:18, 20-23 ESV.). For heterosexuals, the only suitable mate is someone of the opposite gender. However, for homosexuals, the only suitable mate is someone of the same gender. One might ask: Why would God allow heterosexual persons to have intimate companionship, determine that companionship for humans is good (as He states in Gen. 2:18)"Then the LORD God said, 'It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him'" Gen. 2:18 ESV., and yet at the same time disallow homosexuals from having intimate companionship?
Moreover, what about couples who choose not to procreate or who are unable to do so? Is their marriage a "sham" or "less important" because they do not procreate? It is true that in the Old Testament procreation was integral and necessary in order to increase the human race. However, there are currently approximately 7 billion people on earth and the need to procreate simply is not as important in the present time. In fact, in some countries, such as China, it is even discouraged or disallowed due to overpopulation.
Second, before original sin occurred, there was no sickness, no death, no evil, no imperfection, and, thus, there was no reason for Adam and Eve to procreate. In Gen. 1:20-26, God created all non-human living creatures, and afterwards, He created Adam and Eve. Interestingly, before Adam and Eve succumbed to original sin, God ordered them to multiply in Gen. 1:27-28"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth'" Gen. 1:27-28 ESV.. However, Adam and Eve had not committed original sin at this point, so death and evil had not been introduced into the world and their procreation was not necessary to further humanity, according to Christian logic. After Adam and Eve committed original sin, sickness, death, and evil entered into the world. Thus, procreation only became necessary after Adam and Eve committed original sin in order to continue the human race.
However, just because Adam and Eve were the first humans on earth to procreate does not mean that all other kinds of relationships were therefore disallowed. In the beginning, many things were not in existence yet (there were no marriage ceremonies, there were no relatives, there were no churches, there were no children until Adam and Eve conceived them), but that does not mean that all of these relationships and entities are evil. They simply did not exist. Likewise, there were no transgendered, bisexual, or homosexual people because they did not exist.
According to the story of Adam and Eve, God created Eve to be Adam's companion and wife. He created a woman to be Adam's counterpart. God did not create two men or two women to be life-long companions; instead, he created a male and a female. Thus, God intended all marriages to be based on this template for marriage.
Although some Christians argue that the need for procreation did not develop until after Adam and Eve committed original sin, the Bible states that God commanded Adam and Eve to procreate, along with all other living creatures, prior to their fall from grace (see Gen. 1:27-28"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth'" Gen. 1:27-28 ESV.). Likewise, after Adam and Eve committed original sin, God stated that Eve's child-birthing pains would multiply, which signifies that prior to original sin, Eve's labor was painless (see Gen. 3:16"To the woman he said, 'I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you'" Gen. 3:16 ESV.).
Basically, before original sin occurred, Adam and Eve were living in paradise with no evil, fear, or pain present because they did not know the difference between good and evil, and they could procreate or do whatever they wanted, just as long as they didn't eat the fruit from the forbidden tree (see Gen. 3:3-5"(B)ut God said, 'You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.' But the serpent said to the woman, 'You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil'" Gen. 3:3-5 ESV.). After they committed original sin, however, they were introduced to evil, sickness, death, pain, fear, and all vices. Genetic disorders and defects became present in the world, diseases became prevalent, and sin was introduced. Thus, procreation became an integral component of a marriage, and the creation of a family became the ultimate goal for all marriages.
A marriage between a man and a woman, based upon God's plan for procreation according to the book of Genesis, was affirmed by Jesus Christ. In Matt. 19:4-6"Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, 'Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh?' So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate" Matt. 19:4-6 ESV. and Mark 10:6-9"But from the beginning of creation, 'God made them male and female. Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.' So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate" Mark 10:6-9 ESV., Jesus stated that men should not separate these God-sanctioned unions. Likewise, several Bible verses insinuate that only a man and a woman (singular for each) are supposed to marry, such as Gen. 2:22-24"And the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. Then the man said, 'This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.' Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh" Gen. 2:22-24 ESV., Prov. 18:22"He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the LORD" Prov. 18:22 ESV., and 1 Cor. 7:2-4"But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband. For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does." 1 Cor. 7:2-4 ESV..
Jesus states in Luke 16:18"Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery" Luke 16:18 ESV., Matt. 19:9"And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery" Matt. 19:9 ESV., and Mark 10:11-12"And he said to them, 'Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her, and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery'" Mark 10:11-12 ESV. that if a husband divorces his wife for any reason other than infidelity, then that man has committed adultery. This rule applied to a wife as well. Since Jesus stated that wives have the right to divorce their husbands for sexual infidelity, Jesus's statement insinuates that marriage is not supposed to be shared between a man, his wife, and his concubines, but, instead, is supposed to be shared between one man and one woman. Similarly, Jesus does not state that a marriage may be shared between two men or two women. Jesus is very clear about the genders of the married individuals. Thus, in effect, Jesus condemns same-sex marriages as well.
Some people reason that homosexuality resulted from original sin because it is a defect of humanity. These people believe that all sickness, death, and evil resulted from original sin (see Gen. 3:17-19"And to Adam he said, 'Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, "You shall not eat of it," cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return'" Gen. 3:17-19 ESV.). Sickness, death, and evil may have resulted from original sin. However, if death resulted from original sin, then the need to procreate (and, thus, the need for sex) resulted from original sin, along with other conditions such as cancer, genetic diseases, pimples, viral infections, and every human affliction and imperfection imaginable.
Most Christians do not believe that the need to procreate is evil, and they most certainly don't blame cancer patients, people with genetic diseases, and people with the flu for their illnesses. Yet, some Christians will single out homosexuals, bisexuals, and transgendered people, who may be in steady, monogamous relationships or who may even be celibate, and they will chastise them for their sexuality. They will proclaim that their sexuality is "unnatural," even though there are plenty of examples in nature where same-gendered animals bond. They will claim that Jesus never supported same-sex marriages, but they will leave out that He never condemned same-sex marriages either. At any rate, when these Christians promote procreation as the reason behind all marriages instead of love, they appear to discredit marriages that produce no children, and they obscure the fact that many biblically-sanctioned marriages are based on love and not reproductive convenience.
Homosexual behavior must have been introduced into this world as a result of original sin, since it goes against God's plan for men and women to marry and reproduce. Likewise, it is "unnatural" for humans to not desire to procreate, and homosexuality does result in procreation. Even though procreation did not become necessary for humans until after Adam and Even committed original sin since death and evil had not been introduced into the world until this point in time, God ordered Adam and Eve to multiply prior to their fall from grace. God ordered and sanction human procreation from the very beginning of time. Therefore, since homosexuality goes against God's natural order for humans to "(b)e fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it" (Gen. 1:28"And God blessed them. And God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth'" Gen. 1:28 ESV.), we know that homosexuality is not sanctioned by God, which means that it must be a sin.
Although a primary reason why most Christians marry is for love, one cannot deny that people also marry so that they can create and raise a stable, healthy family. Thus, the role of procreation in a marriage is often a vital part of the marriage, so much so that a man or woman may seek an annulment if one partner stated before marriage that he or she wanted children but then decided that he or she doesn't want children after the marriage. Obviously, since homosexual relationships go against God's purpose for marriage, these relationships cannot be considered God-sanctioned, and are, therefore, sinful relationships.
Many Israelite men in the Old Testament had more than one wife. Some also possessed concubines (mistresses) in addition to their wives. Not only was this practice common, but it was accepted and sanctioned by God. Old Testament prophets and leaders who had several wives, include Lamech (2 wives - Gen. 4:19"And Lamech took two wives. The name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah" Gen. 4:19 ESV.); Abraham (3 wives - Gen. 16:3-4"So, after Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, Sarai, Abram's wife, took Hagar the Egyptian, her servant, and gave her to Abram her husband as a wife. And he went in to Hagar, and she conceived. And when she saw that she had conceived, she looked with contempt on her mistress" Gen. 16:3-4 ESV., 21:9-13"But Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, laughing. So she said to Abraham, 'Cast out this slave woman with her son, for the son of this slave woman shall not be heir with my son Isaac.' And the thing was very displeasing to Abraham on account of his son. But God said to Abraham, 'Be not displeased because of the boy and because of your slave woman. Whatever Sarah says to you, do as she tells you, for through Isaac shall your offspring be named. And I will make a nation of the son of the slave woman also, because he is your offspring'" 21:9-13 ESV., Gen. 25:1"Abraham took another wife, whose name was Keturah" Gen. 25:1, 6 ESV.); Jacob (4 wives - Gen. 29:28"Jacob did so, and completed her week. Then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel to be his wife" Gen. 29:28 ESV., Gen. 30:4-5"So she gave him her servant Bilhah as a wife, and Jacob went in to her. And Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son" Gen. 30:4-5 ESV., Gen. 30:9-10"When Leah saw that she had ceased bearing children, she took her servant Zilpah and gave her to Jacob as a wife. Then Leah's servant Zilpah bore Jacob a son" Gen. 30:9-10 ESV.); Moses (2 wives - Exod. 2:21"And Moses was content to dwell with the man, and he gave Moses his daughter Zipporah" Exod. 2:21 ESV., Num. 12:1"Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married, for he had married a Cushite woman" Num. 12:1 ESV.); Elkanah (2 wives - 1 Sam. 1:1-2"There was a certain man of Ramathaim-zophim of the hill country of Ephraim whose name was Elkanah the son of Jeroham, son of Elihu, son of Tohu, son of Zuph, an Ephrathite. 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" 1 Sam. 1:1-2 ESV.), Gideon (many wives and at least one concubine - Judges 8:29-32"Jerubbaal the son of Joash went and lived in his own house. Now Gideon had seventy sons, his own offspring, for he had many wives. And his concubine who was in Shechem also bore him a son, and he called his name Abimelech. And Gideon the son of Joash died in a good old age and was buried in the tomb of Joash his father, at Ophrah of the Abiezrites" Judges 8:29-32 ESV.); Esau (2 wives - Gen. 26:34-35"When Esau was forty years old, he took Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite to be his wife, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite, and they made life bitter for Isaac and Rebekah" Gen. 26:34-35 ESV.); Saul (2 wives - 1 Sam. 14:50"And the name of Saul's wife was Ahinoam the daughter of Ahimaaz. And the name of the commander of his army was Abner the son of Ner, Saul's uncle" 1 Sam. 14:50 ESV., 2 Sam. 3:7"Now Saul had a concubine whose name was Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah. And Ish-bosheth said to Abner, 'Why have you gone in to my father's concubine?'" 2 Sam. 3:7 ESV., 2 Sam. 12:7-8"Nathan said to David, 'You are the man! Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, "I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you out of the hand of Saul. And I gave you your master's house and your master's wives into your arms and gave you the house of Israel and of Judah. And if this were too little, I would add to you as much more"'" 2 Sam. 12:7-8 ESV.); David (at least 22 wives and concubines - 1 Sam. 18:27"David arose and went, along with his men, and killed two hundred of the Philistines. And David brought their foreskins, which were given in full number to the king, that he might become the king's son-in-law. And Saul gave him his daughter Michal for a wife" 1 Sam. 18:27 ESV., 1 Sam. 25:39"When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, 'Blessed be the LORD who has avenged the insult I received at the hand of Nabal, and has kept back his servant from wrongdoing. The LORD has returned the evil of Nabal on his own head.' Then David sent and spoke to Abigail, to take her as his wife" 1 Sam. 25:39 ESV., 1 Chron. 3:1-9"These are the sons of David who were born to him in Hebron: the firstborn, Amnon, by Ahinoam the Jezreelite; the second, Daniel, by Abigail the Carmelite, the third, Absalom, whose mother was Maacah, the daughter of Talmai, king of Geshur; the fourth, Adonijah, whose mother was Haggith; the fifth, Shephatiah, by Abital; the sixth, Ithream, by his wife Eglah; six were born to him in Hebron, where he reigned for seven years and six months. And he reigned thirty-three years in Jerusalem.
These were born to him in Jerusalem: Shimea, Shobab, Nathan and Solomon, four by Bath-shua, the daughter of Ammiel; then Ibhar, Elishama, Eliphelet, Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia, Elishama, Eliada, and Eliphelet, nine. All these were David's sons, besides the sons of the concubines, and Tamar was their sister" 1 Chron. 3:1-9 ESV., 1 Sam. 25:40, 42-43"When the servants of David came to Abigail at Carmel, they said to her, 'David has sent us to you to take you to him as his wife.' . . . And Abigail hurried and rose and mounted a donkey, and her five young women attended her. She followed the messengers of David and became his wife. David also took Ahinoam of Jezreel, and both of them became his wives" 1 Sam. 25:40, 42-43 ESV., 2 Sam 3:1-5"There was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David. And David grew stronger and stronger, while the house of Saul became weaker and weaker. And sons were born to David at Hebron: his firstborn was Amnon, of Ahinoam of Jezreel; and his second, Chileab, of Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel; and the third, Absalom the son of Maacah the daughter of Talmai king of Geshur; and the fourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith; and the fifth, Shephatiah the son of Abital; and the sixth, Ithream, of Eglah, David's wife. These were born to David in Hebron" 2 Sam 3:1-5 ESV., 2 Sam. 12:24"Then David comforted his wife, Bathsheba, and went in to her and lay with her, and she bore a son, and he called his name Solomon. And the LORD loved him . . ." 2 Sam. 12:24 ESV., 2 Sam. 5:13"And David took more concubines and wives from Jerusalem, after he came from Hebron, and more sons and daughters were born to David" 2 Sam. 5:13 ESV., 12:7-8"Nathan said to David, 'You are the man! Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, "I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you out of the hand of Saul. And I gave you your master's house and your master's wives into your arms and gave you the house of Israel and of Judah. And if this were too little, I would add to you as much more"'" 12:7-8 ESV., 1 Chron. 14:3"And David took more wives in Jerusalem, and David fathered more sons and daughters" 1 Chron. 14:3 ESV.); Rehoboam (80 wives and 60 concubines - 2 Chron. 11:18-21"Rehoboam took as wife Mahalath the daughter of Jerimoth the son of David, and of Abihail the daughter of Eliab the son of Jesse, and she bore him sons, Jeush, Shemariah, and Zaham. After her he took Maacah the daughter of Absalom, who bore him Abijah, Attai, Ziza, and Shelomith. Rehoboam loved Maacah the daughter of Absalom above all his wives and concubines (he took eighteen wives and sixty concubines, and fathered twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters)" 2 Chron. 11:18-21 ESV.); Ashur (2 wives - 1 Chron. 4:5-7"Ashhur, the father of Tekoa, had two wives, Helah and Naarah; Naarah bore him Ahuzzam, Hepher, Temeni, and Haahashtari. These were the sons of Naarah. The sons of Helah: Zereth, Izhar, and Ethnan" 1 Chron. 4:5-7 ESV.); Abijah (14 wives - 2 Chron. 13:21"But Abijah grew mighty. And he took fourteen wives and had twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters" 2 Chron. 13:21 ESV.); Jehoiada (2 wives - 2 Chron. 24:3"Jehoiada got for him two wives, and he had sons and daughters" 2 Chron. 24:3 ESV.); and Solomon (700 wives and 300 concubines - 1 Kings 11:1-3"Now King Solomon loved many foreign women, along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women, from the nations concerning which the LORD had said to the people of Israel, 'You shall not enter into marriage with them, neither shall they with you, for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods.' Solomon clung to these in love. He had 700 wives, who were princesses, and 300 concubines. And his wives turned away his heart" 1 Kings 11:1-3 ESV.). Notice that the Lord did not approve of Solomon's amorous relationships, not because of Solomon's extreme polygamy, but because the Lord knew that Solomon's pagan wives would lead him to idolatry (1 Kings 11:1-3"Now King Solomon loved many foreign women, along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women, from the nations concerning which the LORD had said to the people of Israel, 'You shall not enter into marriage with them, neither shall they with you, for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods.' Solomon clung to these in love. He had 700 wives, who were princesses, and 300 concubines. And his wives turned away his heart" 1 Kings 11:1-3 ESV.).
Numerous non-prophet Jewish men who had polygamous marriages also are mentioned in the Old Testament, such as Ahab (had 70 sons - 2 Kings 10:1"Now Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria" 2 Kings 10:1 ESV. (total number of wives is not mentioned, but he had multiple wives - 1 Kings 20:3"Your silver and your gold are mine; your best wives and children also are mine" 1 Kings 20:3 ESV.)); Ahasuerus (multiple concubines - Esther 1:9 "Queen Vashti also gave a feast for the women in the palace that belonged to King Ahasuerus" Esther 1:9 ESV.); Belshazzar (multiple wives and concubines - Daniel 5:2"Belshazzar, when he tasted the wine, commanded that the vessels of gold and of silver that Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken out of the temple in Jerusalem be brought, that the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them" Daniel 5:2 ESV.); Ben-hadad (confiscated many wives from the King of Israel - 1 Kings 20:3-7"'Your silver and your gold are mine; your best wives and children also are mine.' And the king of Israel answered, 'As you say, my lord, O king, I am yours, and all that I have.' The messengers came again and said, 'Thus says Ben-hadad: "I sent to you, saying, 'Deliver to me your silver and your gold, your wives and your children.' Nevertheless I will send my servants to you tomorrow about this time, and they shall search your house and the houses of your servants and lay hands on whatever pleases you and take it away."'
Then the king of Israel called all the elders of the land and said, 'Mark, now, and see how this man is seeking trouble, for he sent to me for my wives and my children, and for my silver and my gold, and I did not refuse him'" 1 Kings 20:3-7 ESV.); Caleb (3 wives - he took a third wife only after his first wife died - 1 Chron. 2:18-19"Caleb the son of Hezron fathered children by his wife Azubah, and by Jerioth; and these were her sons: Jesher, Shobab, When Azubah died, Caleb married Ephrath, who bore him Hur" 1 Chron. 2:18-19 ESV. and two concubines - 1 Chron. 2:46 "Ephah also, Caleb's concubine, bore Haran, Moza, and Gazez . . ." 1 Chron. 2:46 ESV., 1 Chron. 2:48"Maacah, Caleb's concubine, bore Sheber and Tirhanah" 1 Chron. 2:48 ESV.); Eliphaz (1 wife, 1 concubine - Gen. 36:11-12"The sons of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, and Kenaz. (Timna was a concubine of Eliphaz . . .)" Gen. 36:11-12 ESV.); Jehoiachin (multiple wives - 2 Kings 24:15"And he carried away Jehoiachin to Babylon. The king's mother, the king's wives, his officials, and the chief men of the land he took into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon" 2 Kings 24:15 ESV.); Jehoram (multiple wives - 2 Chron. 21:14". . . behold, the LORD will bring a great plague on your people, your children, your wives, and all your possessions . . ." 2 Chron. 21:14 ESV.); Jerahmeel (2 wives - 1 Chron. 2:26"Jerahmeel also had another wife, whose name was Atarah; she was the mother of Onam" 1 Chron. 2:26 ESV.); Joash (2 wives - 2 Chron. 24:2-4"And Joash did what was right in the eyes of the LORD all the days of Jehoiada the priest. Jehoiada got for him two wives, and he had sons and daughters. After this Joash decided to restore the house of the LORD" 2 Chron. 24:2-4 ESV.); Machir (2 wives - 1 Chron. 7:15-16"And Machir took a wife for Huppim and for Shuppim. The name of his sister was Maacah. And the name of the second was Zelophehad, and Zelophehad had daughters.
1Ch 7:16 And Maacah the wife of Machir bore a son, and she called his name Peresh . . ." 1 Chron. 7:15-16 ESV.); Mered (2 wives - 1 Chron. 4:17-18"These are the sons of Bithiah, the daughter of Pharaoh, whom Mered married; and she conceived and bore Miriam, Shammai, and Ishbah, the father of Eshtemoa. And his Judahite wife bore Jered the father of Gedor, Heber the father of Soco, and Jekuthiel the father of Zanoah" 1 Chron. 4:17-18 ESV. ); Nahor (2 wives - Gen. 22:20-24"Now after these things it was told to Abraham, 'Behold, Milcah also has borne children to your brother Nahor . . . Moreover, his concubine, whose name was Reumah, bore Tebah, Gaham, Tahash, and Maacah'" Gen. 22:20-24 ESV.); and Zedekiah (multiple wives - Jer. 38:23"(Jeremiah speaking to King Zedekiah) All your wives and your sons shall be led out to the Chaldeans, and you yourself shall not escape from their hand, but shall be seized by the king of Babylon, and this city shall be burned with fire" Jer. 38:23 ESV.).
Not only did many prophets possess several wives, but their polygamous marriage was often blessed by God (see Num. 12:1-2, 10-14"Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married, for he had married a Cushite woman. And they said, 'Has the LORD indeed spoken only through Moses? Has he not spoken through us also?' And the LORD heard it. . . .
When the cloud removed from over the tent, behold, Miriam was leprous, like snow. And Aaron turned toward Miriam, and behold, she was leprous. And Aaron said to Moses, 'Oh, my lord, do not punish us because we have done foolishly and have sinned. Let her not be as one dead, whose flesh is half eaten away when he comes out of his mother's womb.' And Moses cried to the LORD, 'O God, please heal her—please.'
But the LORD said to Moses, 'If her father had but spit in her face, should she not be shamed seven days? Let her be shut outside the camp seven days, and after that she may be brought in again'" Num. 12:1-2, 10-14 ESV. in which Moses's siblings, Aaron and Miriam, are punished for disapproving of Moses' additional marriage and see 2 Chron. 24:2-4"And Joash did what was right in the eyes of the LORD all the days of Jehoiada the priest. Jehoiada got for him two wives, and he had sons and daughters. After this Joash decided to restore the house of the LORD" 2 Chron. 24:2-4 ESV. in which Joash has two wives, but still "did what was right in the eyes of the Lord)." In fact, the prophet Nathan stated in 2 Sam. 12:7-8"Nathan said to David, "You are the man! Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, 'I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you out of the hand of Saul. And I gave you your master's house and your master's wives into your arms and gave you the house of Israel and of Judah. And if this were too little, I would add to you as much more" 2 Sam. 12:7-8 ESV. that God would have given David more wives if he had desired them, even though David had at least 22 wives and concubines. As you can see, many Old Testament Israelite men did not follow the rule of "one man, one woman" in their marriage. If a man was allowed to take more than one wife or a concubine in addition to a wife, then one must wonder if the Old Testament's seventh commandment against adultery applied to men. In fact, it appears that the only way a man could commit adultery in the Old Testament is if a single or married man had sexual intercourse with another man's wife, as stated in Lev. 20:10"If a man commits adultery with the wife of his neighbor, both the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death" Lev. 20:10 ESV. and Deut. 22:22"If a man is found lying with the wife of another man, both of them shall die, the man who lay with the woman, and the woman. So you shall purge the evil from Israel" Deut. 22:22 ESV.. If a married man had sexual intercourse with an unmarried woman, then he was not committing adultery, since the Old Testament did not condemn married men who had extra wives and concubines, except when women lead their polygamous husbands away from God.1 Only married women could be found guilty of adultery in Old Testament times, not married men.2
Even though polygamous marriages were common in the Old Testament, God did not approve of them. For example, Abraham was married to Sarah, but he had sexual relations with her servant, Hagar, because Sarah wanted to use her servant as a surrogate mother. Hagar became pregnant with Ishmael, but eventually Sarah, through God's grace, became pregnant with Isaac. After Sarah gave birth to Isaac, she requested that Abraham cast out Hagar from the home, and he did so (see Gen. 21:8-21). Abraham also took another concubine at some point, but he cast her sons out of the household as well, based on God's command (see Gen. 25:6"But to the sons of his concubines Abraham gave gifts, and while he was still living he sent them away from his son Isaac, eastward to the east country" Gen. 25:6 ESV.).
It is true that Jacob took several wives, including Leah and Rachel, but he married Rachel only after he discovered that he had been tricked into marrying Leah. Furthermore, Jacob took on these wives before he converted from worshipping idols to worshipping God at which point in time God changed Jacob's name to Israel (see Gen. 32:24-30"And Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day. When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he touched his hip socket, and Jacob's hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. Then he said, 'Let me go, for the day has broken.' But Jacob said, 'I will not let you go unless you bless me.'
And he said to him, 'What is your name?' And he said, 'Jacob.' Then he said, 'Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.'
Then Jacob asked him, 'Please tell me your name.' But he said, 'Why is it that you ask my name?' And there he blessed him. So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel, saying, 'For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been delivered'" Gen. 32:24-30 ESV.). After Jacob had converted to Judaism and after Rachel died (Gen. 35:19"So Rachel died, and she was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem)" Gen. 35:19 ESV.), Jacob never took on another wife.
Numerous men in the Old Testament had multiple wives; however, the men also eventually understood that is a sin for them to have multiple wives, and some repented. In Deut. 17:17"And he shall not acquire many wives for himself, lest his heart turn away, nor shall he acquire for himself excessive silver and gold" Deut. 17:17 ESV., Moses stated that the man who is designated as a king should not have multiple wives or excessive wealth. Furthermore, Jesus reaffirmed the "one man-one woman" marriage model when He stated in Matt. 19:4-5, "Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, 'Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'?" Jesus does not explicitly condemn polygamy, but, instead, affirms the one man-one woman marriage model when He quotes the Old Testament.
One may think that Jewish polygamous marriages suddenly disappeared during New Testament times because they are not mentioned in the New Testament, but Jewish polygamy was also heavily practiced during these times. Even though Josephus was one of the first ancient Roman theologians to speak out against homosexuality, he credited polygamy in two of his works as a recognized institution.3 Moreover, in 212 A.D., the lex Antoniana de civitate Roman law granted Roman citizenship rights to many Jews, but still allowed them to continue to practice polygamy even though it was against the law for Roman citizens to have more than one wife.4
In 285 A.D., a constitution of Diocletian and Maximian made polygamy illegal for everyone under the Roman empire, but Jews continued to practice polygamy despite the law.5 Theodosius enacted a special law in 393 A.D. to compel the Jews to relinquish polygamy, but the Jews still refused to give up polygamy.6 In fact, only in the 11th century did Jews in Northern France and Germany wholly adopt monogamy.7
Interestingly, Jesus never condemns polygamy even though it was widely practiced by Jews in New Testament times; He only condemns divorce and adultery. In the same manner, Jesus never condemns homosexual marriages, and homosexual marriages are never mentioned in the Bible. Instead, society has declared polygamy illegal, mainly because of abuses that often result from polygamy. However, society has not wholly declared same-sex marriages as illegal, mainly because same-sex couples share the same type of love and devotion as heterosexual couples.
Pure unconditional love - homosexual or heterosexual love which should be present in all marriages - is indistinguishable. An outsider to the relationship cannot have the same feelings and devotion as those who are involved within the relationship, within the marriage. Oftentimes, however, a couple's love and care for each other often radiates through them to society, regardless of the couple's sexuality.
Polygamy was discouraged and phased-out during New Testament times. Polygamous biblical relationships in the New Testament must have been rare since they are not mentioned in the Bible. Furthermore, Jesus and Paul make it clear in the above verses that marriage is allowed between one man and one woman. Thus, the New Testament not only restricts the number of individuals who may marry each other, but also the gender of the individuals who may marry each other. Since the Bible only blesses Christian marriages comprised of one man and one woman, the Bible must condemn all other types of marriages between Christians.
Even though Jesus never specifically condemns polygamy, He also never condemns homosexuality. Since we know that polygamy is not a Christian-support concept and is illegal, we must surmise that same-sex marriages are also not Christian-supported and they should be illegal as well. Just as polygamy undermines the sanctity of marriage because it thwarts God's marital master plan of one man, one woman, same-sex marriages also undermine the sanctity of marriage because they violate God's master plan as well.
1Watkins states, "The conception of adultery as possible against a woman is unknown to all polygamous codes of law. They are agreed in understanding that adultery on the part of a man is sin with the wife of another man, and that its adulterous character does not belong to it either as against the offender's own wife, or even as against the partner of his sin" (as cited in Joyce, 1948, p. 571-72).
Watkins further states, "Both the guilty parties are regarded as committing adultery against the husband whose property the sinful woman is. The statement of our Lord in S. Mark x. that a man can commit adultery against his wife (ἐπ αντἡν) is thus itself exclusive of polygamy" (Watkins, 1895, 598).
2Joyce, 1948, p. 571-72. Return
3"When the Christian Church came into being, polygamy was still practised (sic) by the Jews. It is true that we find no references to it in the New Testament; and from this some have inferred that it must have fallen into disuse, and that at the time of our Lord the Jewish people had become monogamous. But the conclusion appears to be unwarranted.
Josephus in two places speaks of polygamy as a recognized institution: and Justin Martyr makes it a matter of reproach to Trypho that the Jewish teachers permitted a man to have several wives" (Joyce, 1948, p. 570). Return
4"Indeed when in 212 A.D. the lex Antoniana de civitate gave the rights of Roman citizenship to great numbers of Jews, it was found necessary to tolerate polygamy among them, even when though it was against Roman law for a citizen to have more than one wife" (Joyce, 1948, p. 570). Return
5"In 285 A.D. a constitution of Diocletian and Maximian interdicted polygamy to all subjects of the empire without exception. But with the Jews, at least, the enactment failed of its effect . . ." (Joyce, 1948, p. 570). Return
6"(I)n 393 A.D. a special law was issued by Theodosius to compel the Jews to relinquish this national custom. Even so they were not induced to conform. Only in the eleventh century did the Jewish communities in Northern France and Germany definitely adopt monogamy" (Joyce, 1948, p. 570). Return
7"Only in the eleventh century did the Jewish communities in Northern France and Germany definitely adopt monogamy" (Joyce, 1948, p. 570). Return
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