Assessing the Biblical Legitimacy of Polygyny: A Scriptural Realist Approach

The biblical legitimacy of polygamy and polygyny remains one of the most contested questions in Christian theological ethics and biblical interpretation in recent times. While the Scriptures record multiple instances of plural marriages among patriarchs, kings, and covenantal figures, the theological significance of these narratives remains debated. Does the biblical presence of polygamy and polygyny imply divine approval, or does Scripture merely describe such arrangements without prescribing them as normative? This study addresses that question through a Scriptural Realist Approach, integrating the Delean Laws of Scriptural Review, the Grounded Truth Theory (GTT)’s Seven-Dimensional Analytical Matrix, and the Law of Scriptural Descriptive–Prescriptive Distinction as complementary hermeneutical and theological tools. The study argues that the mere biblicality of polygamy or polygyny does not automatically establish its biblical legitimacy. Through scriptural review, canonical synthesis, and theological discernment, this paper demonstrates that plural marriage in Scripture is predominantly descriptive rather than prescriptive and that the canonical trajectory of Scripture consistently points towards monogamous covenantal union as God’s creational, Christological, and eschatological ideal. By distinguishing divine accommodation from divine endorsement, this study seeks to provide a Scripture-governed framework for evaluating difficult ethical issues and contributes to the advancement of Scriptural Review as a distinct biblical research methodology. Keywords: biblical legitimacy of polygamy and polygyny, a scriptural realist approach, delean law of scriptural descriptive-prescriptive distinction, casuistic law, apodictic law, delean laws of scriptural review, delean grounded truth theory (gtt).