COMMENTARY
ON SOME OF MOSES' WORDS ON MARRIAGE
Genesis 11:29-30 reads,
11:29Abram
and Nahor took wives. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, and the name of
Nahor’s wife, Milcah, the daughter of
Why was Sarai barren? Was her barrenness the result of her sin? Was it the result of the sin of one of her ancestors?
John 9:1-7 reads,
9:1As
he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. 9:2His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who
sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"
9:3Jesus
answered, "Neither did this man sin, nor his
parents. But, that the works of God might be revealed in him, 9:4I must work the
works of him who sent me, while it is day. The night is coming, when no one can
work. 9:5When I am in the world, I am the light of the world."
9:6When he had said this, he spat on
the ground, made mud with the saliva, anointed the blind man’s eyes with the
mud, 9:7and said to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam" (which
means "Sent"). So he went away, washed, and came seeing.
Isn't it clear that the man was born blind not on account of his sin or that of his parents, but that Yahweh's works might be revealed in him?
Genesis 21:1-7 reads,
21:1Yahweh
visited Sarah as he had said, and Yahweh did to Sarah as he had spoken. 21:2Sarah conceived, and bore Abraham a son in
his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him. 21:3Abraham called his son who was born to
him, whom Sarah bare to him, Isaac. 21:4Abraham circumcised his son, Isaac, when he
was eight days old, as God had commanded him. 21:5Abraham
was one hundred years old when his son, Isaac, was born to him. 21:6Sarah said, "God has made me laugh.
Everyone who hears will laugh with me." 21:7She
said, "Who would have said to Abraham, that Sarah would nurse children?
For I have borne him a son in his old age."
Seeing that Yahweh opened Sarah's womb after her normal childbearing period was over, and seeing that she had been barren all her life, isn't it likely that Sarah's barrenness was not the result of her sin or that of her parents? Isn't it the case that Sarah's barrenness was on account of Yahweh's works being revealed in her? Wasn't Sarah's barrenness for Yahweh's glorification?
Why
Some People Apparently Suffer From Curses
Doesn't it therefore appear that it is not always the case that when a person appears to be suffering from a curse it is the result of his sin or that of his parents? Don't some apparent curses exist that Yahweh may indeed work his works in those people so afflicted? Don't some apparent curses exist that Yahweh may glorify his name?
What
Does It Mean For A Man To Multiply Wives To Himself?
Deuteronomy 17:14-20 reads,
17:14When
you are come to the land which Yahweh your God gives you, and shall possess it,
and shall dwell therein, and shall say, I will set a king over me, like all the
nations that are round about me; 17:15you
shall surely set him king over you, whom Yahweh your God shall choose: one from
among your brothers shall you set king over you; you may not put a foreigner
over you, who is not your brother. 17:16Only
he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to
David
Had Two Wives At The Time He Became King Over Judah
2 Samuel 2:1-4 reads,
2:1It
happened after this, that David inquired of Yahweh, saying, Shall I go up into
any of the cities of
Wasn't David, at the time he was anointed king over the house of Judah, having two wives - Ahinoam the Jezreelitess and Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite?
2 Samuel 3:2-5 reads,
3:2To
David were sons born in Hebron: and his firstborn was Amnon, of Ahinoam the
Jezreelitess; 3:3and his second,
Chileab, of Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite; and the third,
Absalom the son of Maacah the daughter of Talmai king of Geshur; 3:4and the fourth, Adonijah the son of
Haggith; and the fifth, Shephatiah the son of Abital; 3:5and the sixth, Ithream, of Eglah, David’s
wife. These were born to David in Hebron.
Didn't David have at least six wives in Hebron, who bore him sons?
David
Had Seven Wives In Hebron
2 Samuel 3:14-16 reads,
3:14David
sent messengers to Ish-bosheth, Saul’s son, saying, Deliver me my wife
Michal, whom I pledged to be married to me for one hundred foreskins of the
Philistines. 3:15Ish-bosheth
sent, and took her from her husband, even from Paltiel the son of Laish. 3:16Her husband went with her, weeping as he
went, and followed her to Bahurim. Then said Abner to him, Go, return: and he
returned.
Counting also Michal, didn't David have at least seven wives in Hebron?
David
Took More Concubines And Wives When He Moved To Jerusalem From Hebron
2 Samuel 5:1-16 reads,
5:1Then
came all the tribes of Israel to David to Hebron, and spoke, saying, Behold, we
are your bone and your flesh. 5:2In
times past, when Saul was king over us, it was you who led out and brought in
Israel: and Yahweh said to you, You shall be shepherd of my people Israel, and
you shall be prince over Israel. 5:3So
all the elders of Israel came to the king to Hebron; and king David made a
covenant with them in Hebron before Yahweh: and they anointed David king
over Israel. 5:4David was thirty
years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years. 5:5In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years
and six months; and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty-three years over all Israel
and Judah. 5:6The king and his men
went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, who spoke
to David, saying, Except you take away the blind and the lame, you shall not
come in here; thinking, David can’t come in here. 5:7Nevertheless
David took the stronghold of Zion; the same is the city of David. 5:8David said on that day, Whoever strikes the
Jebusites, let him get up to the watercourse, and strike the lame and the
blind, who are hated of David’s soul. Therefore they say, There are the blind
and the lame; he can’t come into the house. 5:9David
lived in the stronghold, and called it the city of David. David built round
about from Millo and inward. 5:10David
grew greater and greater; for Yahweh, the God of hosts, was with him. 5:11Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to
David, and cedar trees, and carpenters, and masons; and they built David a
house. 5:12David perceived that
Yahweh had established him king over Israel, and that he had exalted his
kingdom for his people Israel’s sake. 5:13David
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. 5:14These are the names of those who were born
to him in Jerusalem: Shammua, and Shobab, and Nathan, and Solomon, 5:15and Ibhar, and Elishua, and Nepheg, and
Japhia, 5:16and Elishama, and
Eliada, and Eliphelet.
Didn't David add more wives and concubines to the two that he had at the time he assumed rulership over the house of Judah? Didn't he have at least seven wives at the time he assumed rulership over the house of Israel also? And didn't David's additional wives and concubines bear him a number of children, including at least eleven in Jerusalem?
David
Took Uriah's Widow As Wife In Addition To His Other Wives And Concubines
2 Samuel 11:26-27 reads,
11:26When
the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she made lamentation
for her husband. 11:27When the
mourning was past, David sent and took her home to his house, and she became
his wife, and bore him a son. But the thing that David had done displeased
Yahweh.
Yahweh
Was The One Who Gave David His Wives
2 Samuel 12:7-12 reads,
12:7Nathan
said to David, "You are the man. This is what Yahweh, the God of Israel,
says: ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you out of the hand
of Saul. 12:8I gave you your
master’s house, and your master’s wives into your bosom, and gave you
the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that would have been too little, I
would have added to you many more such things. 12:9Why have you despised the word of Yahweh,
to do that which is evil in his sight? You have struck Uriah the Hittite with
the sword, and have taken his wife to be your wife, and have slain him with the
sword of the children of Ammon. 12:10Now
therefore the sword will never depart from your house, because you have
despised me, and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’ 12:11This is what Yahweh says: ‘Behold, I will
raise up evil against you out of your own house; and I will take your wives
before your eyes, and give them to your neighbor, and he will lie with your
wives in the sight of this sun. 12:12For
you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the
sun.’"
Yahweh
Was Prepared To Add More Wives To David If Those He Already Had Were
Insufficient
Seeing that David already had a number of wives and concubines at the time Yahweh spoke to him by Nathan - at least seven wives excluding concubines and wives taken in Jerusalem, and Yahweh was still talking about the possibility of adding many more wives to David, isn't it clear that David had not multiplied wives unto himself? Isn't it therefore the case that even though David had many wives and concubines - more than seven wives, he had not multiplied wives to himself, seeing that Yahweh was prepared to add more wives to him if those he had already given him were not enough?
David
Did Not Multiply Wives To Himself Despite Having Eight Wives And Concubines
How many wives did David have?
Including Bathsheba, Uriah's widow, didn't David have at least eight wives, not counting the concubines?
Isn't it therefore clear that a man having at least eight wives, plus concubines, is not multiplying wives unto himself? And in uttering these comments, isn't it Yahweh's words that one is relying on - his words in 2 Samuel 12:8?
David
Had At Least Ten Concubines
2 Samuel 15:13-17 reads,
15:13There
came a messenger to David, saying, The hearts of the men of Israel are after
Absalom. 15:14David said to all his
servants who were with him at Jerusalem, Arise, and let us flee; for else none
of us shall escape from Absalom: make speed to depart, lest he overtake us
quickly, and bring down evil on us, and strike the city with the edge of the sword.
15:15The king’s servants said to the
king, Behold, your servants are ready to do whatever my lord the king shall
choose. 15:16The king went forth,
and all his household after him. The king left ten women, who were
concubines, to keep the house. 15:17The
king went forth, and all the people after him; and they stayed in Beth-merhak.
Counting these 10 concubines of David, in addition to his eight named wives, didn't David have at least 18 wives and concubines?
David
Had Still More Concubines
2 Samuel 19:1-7 reads,
19:1It
was told Joab, Behold, the king weeps and mourns for Absalom. 19:2The victory that day was turned into
mourning to all the people; for the people heard say that day, The king grieves
for his son. 19:3The people got them
by stealth that day into the city, as people who are ashamed steal away when
they flee in battle. 19:4The king
covered his face, and the king cried with a loud voice, my son Absalom,
Absalom, my son, my son! 19:5Joab
came into the house to the king, and said, You have shamed this day the
faces of all your servants, who this day have saved your life, and the lives of
your sons and of your daughters, and the lives of your wives, and the lives
of your concubines; 19:6in
that you love those who hate you, and hate those who love you. For you have
declared this day, that princes and servants are nothing to you: for this day I
perceive that if Absalom had lived, and all we had died this day, then it had
pleased you well. 19:7Now therefore
arise, go forth, and speak comfortably to your servants; for I swear by Yahweh,
if you don’t go forth, there will not stay a man with you this night: and that
will be worse to you than all the evil that has befallen you from your youth
until now.
David
Had A Total Of About 20 Wives And Concubines
Seeing that there were additional concubines of David who were saved from death on account of Absalom's rebellion, doesn't it appear that David had concubines in addition to the 10 that he left behind in Jerusalem to keep the house? Doesn't it appear that David had more than 18 wives and concubines? And isn't it clear, from Yahweh's word in 2 Samuel 12:8, that Yahweh could still have added more wives to David if those that he had already given him were not enough for him? Isn't it therefore clear that a man having about 20 wives and concubines is not multiplying wives unto himself?
Solomon
Had 700 Wives And 300 Concubines
1 Kings 11:1-13 reads,
11:1Now
king Solomon loved many foreign women, together with the daughter of
Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites; 11:2of the nations concerning which Yahweh
said to the children of Israel, You shall not go among them, neither shall they
come among you; for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods:
Solomon joined to these in love. 11:3He
had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines; and his
wives turned away his heart. 11:4For
it happened, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after
other gods; and his heart was not perfect with Yahweh his God, as was the
heart of David his father. 11:5For
Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the
abomination of the Ammonites. 11:6Solomon
did that which was evil in the sight of Yahweh, and didn’t go fully after
Yahweh, as did David his father. 11:7Then
did Solomon build a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, on the
mountain that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech the abomination of the
children of Ammon. 11:8So did he for
all his foreign wives, who burnt incense and sacrificed to their gods. 11:9Yahweh was angry with Solomon, because his
heart was turned away from Yahweh, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him
twice, 11:10and had commanded him
concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods: but he didn’t
keep that which Yahweh commanded. 11:11Therefore
Yahweh said to Solomon, Because this is done of you, and you have not kept my
covenant and my statutes, which I have commanded you, I will surely tear the
kingdom from you, and will give it to your servant. 11:12Notwithstanding in your days I will not do
it, for David your father’s sake: but I will tear it out of the hand of
your son. 11:13However I will not
tear away all the kingdom; but I will give one tribe to your son, for David
my servant’s sake, and for Jerusalem’s sake which I have chosen.
Solomon
Fulfilled Yahweh's Warning Prophecy In Deuteronomy 17
Didn't the practices of Solomon and the result of his life fulfil Yahweh's warning prophecy in Deuteronomy 17? Didn't Yahweh warn the king over his people not to multiply wives unto himself, lest his heart turn away from following after Yahweh? Didn't Solomon's heart eventually turn from following after Yahweh, seeing that he multiplied wives unto himself - of the nations Yahweh forbade Israel from marrying?
Solomon
Multiplied Wives To Himself While David Did Not
Contrasting David and Solomon, isn't it seen that Solomon had probably about 50 times as many wives and concubines as his father David had? Didn't Solomon clearly multiply wives unto himself, while David only added wives unto himself?
A Man
Having About 20 Wives Is Not Multiplying Wives To Himself
Didn't David remain faithful to Yahweh, with a heart perfect with Yahweh, while having about 20 wives and concubines? Didn't David's example show that it is indeed possible for one's heart to be perfect with Yahweh, to go fully after Yahweh, while having about 20 wives and concubines? Isn't it therefore clear that a man who has about 20 wives and concubines has not multiplied wives to himself, but is still within an appropriate capacity for faithfully serving Yahweh?
[Previous Section] [Contents] [Next Section]
Click here to inform a friend about this article
Return to Servants of Yahweh Site Contents page.
© 2000, Isaac Aluochier, All rights reserved. Published by Servants of
Yahweh,