From the time polygamy was first introduced into
Mormonism, criticisms have emerged out of various groups utilizing a variety of
approaches. One criticism receiving recognition throughout Mormon history is
the ambitious attempt to demonstrate that plural marriage is inconsistent with
the teachings of the Book of Mormon. It has further been argued that the
theology contained in the Book of Mormon is contradictory to the
theology of the Doctrine and Covenants in conjunction with David and
Solomon’s polygamous relationships. The passages advanced to establish this
claim are Jacob 2:24:
Behold, David, and Solomon truly had many wives and
concubines, which thing as abominable before me, saith the Lord.
And in contrast, D & C 132:1:
Verily, thus saith the Lord…I…justified David and
Solomon, my servants, as touching the principle and doctrine of their having
many wives and concubines.
It should be stated from the beginning that Book of
Mormon theology does condemn wanton polygamy. This over-all condemnation of
the practice, however, is not without qualification. Indeed, it is God who is
infallible, not the scriptures (cf. Scripture, Tradition, and Infallibility,
Dewey M. Beagle, pp. 264-304). With this realization, it is acceptable to
concede to imperfections and contradictions existing within the Mormon canon,
but it must be understood that these divergencies are not as extensive as they
may appear.
According to the Book of Mormon narrative the
prohibition on polygamy was given by the Lord to Lehi (Jacob 2:34; cf. 1 Nephi
1:16) and passed down to subsequent generations. IN Jacob 2-3 the writer
focuses his attention on those who “understand not the scriptures” and “seek to
excuse themselves in committing whoredoms, because of the things which were
written concerning David, and Solomon his son” (Jacob 2:23). The author
proceeds by portraying a practice that far more resembles a libertine
justification for adultery than a marriage system of taking more than one wife
(cf. Jacob 2:22-23, 28, 31, 35; 3:5, 7, 10-12). But even in the midst of such
strong disapprobation a qualifying
factor is given. This qualification is found in the contents of Jacob 2:30:
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.
The logical flow of this verse appears to be suggesting when
compared with D & C 132:1. Jacob 2:24 singles out David and Solomon's
"many wives and concubines" as wholly abominable before God, while D
& C 132:1 affirms that both David and Solomon had been justified. However,
as with Jacob 2:24, D & C 132 contains qualifications concerning polygamy,
qualifications that affect these problematic passages involving David and Solomon.
In D & C 132:38 we find the following clarification:
David also received many wives and concubines, and also Solomon
... my servants, as also many others of my servants, from the beginning of
creation until this time
The key to this verse, and the problem under discussion lies
in these concluding lines:
and in nothing did they sin save in those things which
they received not of me.
The implications of this verse are that David and Solomon
were not under condemnation for their practice of polygamy, except for wives
received in violation of the laws of God. This interpretation is further
sustained by D & C 132:39:
David's wives and concubines were given unto him of me,
by the hand of Nathan, my servant [cf., 2 Samuel 12:7-8] .... and in none of
these things did he sin against me save in the case of Uriah and his wife.
The reference, therefore, to David and Solomon in Jacob
2:24 could be interpreted, not as a condemnation of their plural wives as such,
but rather as a disapproval of their violation of God's laws in obtaining them
(thus the stipulation in Jacob 2:30), The justification of David and Solomon in
D & C 132:1 is valid only to the extent that they did not repudiate the commandments
of God. And both David and Solomon committed acts contrary to the will of the
Lord. Because of his desire for Bathsheba, David committed adultery and was an accessory
to murder (2 Samuel 12:7-10). Solomon, in direct opposition to the commandments
of God, took to himself wives of foreign nations and commenced worshipping
their gods (I Kings 11:1-11). By way of recapitulation:
1. Jacob 2:24 condemns David and Solomon for committing
whoredoms.
2. David and Solomon had been in violation of God's commandments
in the manner in which they obtained their "many wives and
concubines."
3. The Book of Mormon disapproves of polygamy unless the
Lord issues an alternative command or provision.
4. D & C 132:1 states that David and Solomon (among others)
were justified for their polygamy.
5. A qualification for D & C 132:1 is given in verse
38, stipulating that their (David and Solomon's) justification was operative
only in so far as they kept within the bounds set by the Lord, the very concept
found in Jacob 2:30.
The setting of the Book of Mormon narrative is a community
in which polygamy has received a divine "No." Hence, David and
Solomon are cast in a negative light and only minimal mention is made of
instances where polygamy is justifiable. D & C 132, however, is placed in a
historical setting where polygamy has received a divine "Yes,"
resulting in a more positive outlook toward David's and Solomon's actions, with
few references to the possibility of them being guilty of sin. The real
contrast existing between the Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and
Covenants is one of mood and emphasis rather than doctrine. (Brent Lee
Metcalfe, “The ‘Many Wives and Concubines’ of David and Solomon: Abomination or
Justification?,” Seventh
East Press 1, no. 18 [June 28, 1982], 8, 12)
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