..Gideon had seventy sons, ... For he had many wives. And his concubine, who was in Shechem, also bore him a son …. Jdg. 8:30-31
God
provided for men of Israel to take wives from among the captives
captured in battle, see Deut.20:10-16
& Num.31:13.
These
captive wives were not those wives married in the normal course but were
additional wives taken in the event of war and special rules were
commanded by God about them.
These captured wives could not be sold or given away in slavery if the
man eventually had no pleasure in them but were allowed to go freely
without bill of divorcement;
Deu 21:10
When you go forth to war against your enemies, and Jehovah
your God has delivered them into your hands and you have taken them
captive,
Deu 21:11 and see among
the captives a beautiful woman, and have a desire to her, that you would
take her for your wife,
Deu 21:12
then you shall bring her home to your house. And she shall
shave her head and dress her nails.
Deu 21:13 And she shall put off the clothing of her captivity, and shall remain
in your house, and shall sorrow for her father and her mother a full
month. And after that you shall go in to her and be her husband, and she
shall be your wife.
Deu 21:14
And it shall be, if you have no delight in her, then you
shall let her go where she will. But you shall not sell her at all for
silver, you shall not make a slave of her, because you have humbled her.
Deut.21:15 If a man has two wives,.......
God provided special rules for wives taken in battle. This shows once again
that polygamy was not wickedness; multiple wives were an ordained part
of part of
Israel's social structure.
