Jacob was one flesh
with each of his wives
and was not an adulterer
because he had four wives

When God joins a man with a wife He says “they shall be one flesh” and the one flesh is in the matter of their union in marriage not the structure of the marriage.
Gen 2:24-25  Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave to his wife and they shall be one flesh. And they were both naked, the man and his wife; and they were not ashamed.

Not once does God use this verse against polygyny and He had ample opportunity to do so. If God does not use Gen.2:24 against polygyny then why are his servants doing so?

Monogamists demand that the two shall be one flesh can only refer to one husband and one wife in a marriage because of the words “they (the two) shall be one flesh”, but as the Scriptures unfold this is patently not so.

Moses, the one inspired to write Genesis, had two wives and obviously Moses did not see Gen.2:24 as some explicit or even "implied" command for monogamy and it was Moses who was also equally inspired to pen the Laws for polygyny.

If the two shall be one flesh can only refer to monogamy as modern Christians avow, then both the silence of God and His laws for polygyny are damning argument against that position. The Lord always spelt out His intentions with great care and promptly dealt with those who failed to comply as the Law and His dealings with Israel clearly show. Had monogamy been the only option under Gen.2:24 then the Lord would have certainly corrected any deviation from His original intent as soon as it was manifested. Lamech would have been dealt with as promptly as Cain if polygyny were the abhorrence to God as is supposed.

To circumvent this assumed silence of God, Christianity invented the permissive will theory. This nonsensical argument is squashed when we read in the Bible that God had two wives. Would God permit Himself to do evil?

The two becoming one flesh refers to the husband and each wife, the husband and his other wives do not make three or more. The husband is one flesh with each of his wives in marriage bond and this does not contravene Gen.2:24.

Jacob was “one flesh” with each of his wives and their beds undefiled. He was tricked into marrying Leah but married and “one flesh” with her as he was "one flesh" with Rachel and the two servant wives. Christ came through the God blessed "one flesh" of Jacob and Leah but many of the tribes of Israel came through the other wives and God will bless the world through the nation of Israel.

God did not see any breach of Gen.2:24 in Jacob's family or any other polygynous one.

An Israelite should not divorce his wife or wives which would be a breach of Gen.2:24 as per Mat.19:5. The Lord uses Gen.2:24 against divorce and perhaps modern Christianity should follow their Lord's lead instead of twisting the testimony of Scripture to suit their anti polygyny position.

Paul's use of Gen.2:24 in Ephesians 5 emphasises again the close bond that exists between a husband and a wife and is used to affirm the closeness of Christ as the Head with the Church which is His Body. We can not argue that Ephesians 5 is about monogamy since the Church is not a "wife" or "bride". Ephesians 5 is not addressing marriage structure but marriage relationship. Paul's use of Gen.2:24 affirms this fact.

Commercial marriage is better known as prostitution and Paul warns the Corinthians;
1Co 6:16  Or do you not know that he being joined to a harlot is one body? For He says, The two shall be one flesh.

How many times has the prostitute been one flesh with another person? Only once with the first client? And when a married man has intimacy with a prostitute is he not "one flesh" with her as well as His wife according to Paul? Again, the closeness of the relationship, the tie, the bond between a man and a women as they cleave together is the point.

Genesis 2:24 is about marriage, not monogamy.

Polygamy is not prostitution a fleshly perversion, wickedness or anything else some modern Christians are want to call it, but honourable marriage in all & the bed undefiled (Hebs.13:4). In a plural family a husband is one flesh with each of his wives in perfect harmony with Gen.2:24.

See Gen.2:24 page for further thoughts.

Polygamy is not a breach of Gen 2:24, polygyny is not sin.

Return to
Directory Page
 

.