King David and His Many Wives

[Dave]

I’ve just read Samuel 2 and the life of King David. This is pretty much the first time I’ve done any reading of the Old Testament, so I’m hoping somebody can help me understand this time period.

David had several wives, and several concubines. This was condoned. Why? What was different about that time period from New Testament times?

I’m not trying to stir anything up, I’m just looking for an historical theology lesson. As I mentioned above, I’m fairly new to bible study…

Thanks in advance…

 

[Fidelis]

Dave:

I’ve just read Samuel 2 and the life of King David.
David had several wives, and several concubines. This was condoned. Why? What was different about that time period from New Testament times?

I don’t see anywhere in the Scriptures where David’s many wives and concubines are condoned–it is simply stated as fact. If you *read between the lines * of David’s life, however, you see that his dalliances and penchent for many wives led to trouble in his later life and beyond, with half-sibling against half-sibling and the eventual breakup of the Davidic kingdom because of it. Similar consequences befall other Old Testament characters that had more than one wife (Abraham, Jacob, Solomon, etc) --it always lead to trouble, especially for later generations.

 

[Scott_Lafrance]

No kidding, one woman is enough for me, imagine two or more???

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