I am very critical of Dan Vogel (I was recently asked what I thought about him; my honest response was "Vogel is good at collecting documents. That is really it"). However, I have to give him credit for his comments about Jacob 2 not being a complete denunciation of plural marriage (except for some cringey comments near the end):
For Smith, the justification for marriage with plural marriages was present from the beginning. The Book of Mormon condemned polygamy as practiced by David and Solomon, without mentioning the patriarchs. Through Nephi’s brother, Jacob, the Lord declared that the two Israelite kings had “many wives and concubines, which thing was abominable before me.” At this time, the Lord also commanded the Nephites: “For there shall not any man among you have save one wife; and concubines he shall have none.” However, the door was left open to follow the example of the patriarchs: “For if I will, saith the Lord of Hosts, raise up seed unto me, I will command my people; otherwise they shall hearken unto these things” (Jacob 2:23-30). This passage was not anti-polygamy but rather permitted it so long as the union was authorized through divine command. In the context of June 1829, this would mean that Smith could take another wife if authorized by revelation, either through his seer stone or a burning in the bosom. (Dan Vogel, Charismas Under Pressure: Joseph Smith American prophet 1831-1839 [Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 2023], 566)
Further Reading:
Polygamy, Deuteronomy 17:17, and Jacob 2:24 cf. (Rashi on Deuteronomy 17:17 and the King Having Plural Wives)
