My answer :I was reading the very wonderful stories of the Bible posted by - " JLC " such great stories, especially the descriptive way that JLC details the events laid out in God’s word.
If we can go back to the post “ # 17 “ - about Sarai having no children, and Sarai telling Abram to have relations with her servant Agar to bear the promised, prophesied seed.
But how is this in any way reminiscent or reminding and simulating the situation of Elkanah, Samuel’s father and his two wives ! Can you please explain a little about why you believe that Abram and Sarai were making things “ more complicated! -
Or how they and also even Samuels father Elkanah and his wife Hannah were behaving really strange, strange , bizarre, weird or had made “ wrong “ decisions, also, how is their action especially opposing, resisting, combating or struggling and conflicting with God!
The Catholic and Protestant translations do depict this exact narrative, to cast polygamy marriage in a negative malevolence and as an evil and destructive marriage situation, however, these translations are changing and altering the manuscripts and changing what the Manuscripts are saying in their originality.
FOR EXAMPLE , - - if we go to Lev 18:18 The Catholic Douay Rheims translation
:18 Thou shalt not take thy wife's sister for a harlot, to rival her: neither shalt
thou discover her nakedness, while she is yet living.
The Jerome Latin Vulgate
:18 You shall not take your wife’s sister as a rival mistress; nor shall you uncover her nakedness, while your wife is still living.
The Protestant translations
:18 Neither shalt thou take a wife to her sister, to vex her, to uncover her nakedness,
beside the other in her life time.
We can see that all three of these mainstream translations somewhat differ in that one translation labels “ added polygamy wives “ - as harlots, prostitutes or hookers or perverted sexually immoral hussies,, who are rivals, opponent, challengers, enemies, and competitors with one another, - another translation, as mistresses which means ´” a sexual-intercourse with a man who is not her husband ”´
But let’s look at the original manuscripts. ”” Lev 18:18 - The original manuscripts “”
ואשׁה And a woman - אל־אחתה with her sister - לא do not - תקח take -
לצרר tsârar them gathered / them bundled - לגלות to uncover - ערותה her nakedness -
עליה upon her - בחייה׃ in her life.
:18 meaning = And a woman with her sister do not take
them gathered / them bundled, to uncover her nakedness upon her in her life.
The Hebrew word - לצרר means = them gathered / them bundled -
this Hebrew word only appears “ ONE SINGLE TIME “ in the manuscripts as a third person pronoun, - representing ancient Hebrew
You can go to every single one of these total “ 16 “ online translation websites, you will find that the Hebrew word - לצרר means = to gather / to bundle -
AND NOT TO VEX OR TORMENT
1 https://translate.google.com
2 - 3 https://biblehub.com/hebrew/6887.htm
4 https://doitinhebrew.com/Translate/default.aspx?kb=IL+Hebrew+Phonetic
5 https://www.translate.com/hebrew-english
6 https://www.morfix.co.il/en/
7 https://www.onlinetranslationpro.com/hebrew-to-english-translation
8 https://stevemorse.org/hebrew/htrans.php or https://stevemorse.org/hebrew/trans.html?mode=hebrew
9 https://www.online-translator.com/translation/hebrew-english
10 https://www.bing.com/translator
11 https://languik.com/translation/hebrew-to-english-translator
12 https://translatiz.com/translation/hebrew-to-english
13 https://webtranslation.paralink.com/Hebrew-English-Translation/
14 https://translation2.paralink.com/Hebrew-English-Translation/
15 https://www.stars21.com/translator/hebrew_to_english.html
16 https://www.translator.eu/english/hebrew/translation/
The passage was explaining that relatives and family members, kin, “ blood / DNA related people “ were simply not supposed to be having children together and reproducing sexually with family members
As if - the wholesale acts of fathers having sex with their daughter - or grand - parents having sex with their grandchildren , this would not VEX and torment and cause distress ? BUT the passage is not detailing the context of personal FEELINGS and WAYS OF THINKING and ATTITUDES about sexual relationships, it is specifically dedicated to the describing the negative effects of crossbreeding, inbreeding, hereditary deformities - PROFANE DEFILED GENETIC incest - inborn births that cause disease and birth defects, stillbirths, infant mortality and a shorter life expectancy. children with severe diseases and disorders - that the land itself vomits out her defiled and polluted inhabitants.
The passage concluded the description of the situation of Genetic DNA Pollution and Confusion
Lev 18:21 And thou shalt not let any of thy seed pass through the fire to Molech, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the LORD.
:22 Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.
:23 Neither shalt thou lie with any beast to defile thyself therewith: neither shall any woman stand before a beast to lie down thereto: it is confusion.
the souls that commit this shall be cut off from among their people
Lev 18: 6 - 16 - Commands The Hebrews
To not have sexual intercourse with their relatives,
Daughters with fathers
Sons with mothers
Brothers with sisters - - half brother and half sister
Uncles with nieces
Aunts with nephews
Your brothers or your sisters - husband or wife
Grandparents with grandchildren
A wife with her sister _ together in marriage.
:17 the nakedness of a woman and her daughter, neither her son's daughter, or her daughter's daughter, ; for they are her near kinswomen: it is wickedness.
:19 a woman to uncover her nakedness, as long as she is put apart for her uncleanness.
:20 with thy neighbor’s wife, - to defile thyself with her.
EVEN IN A BIBLICAL MARRIAGE SYSTEM - WHERE PLURAL / POLYGAMY MARRIAGE WAS HOLY AND righteous in the eyes of God, a situation where relatives / blood related sisters who were married to the same man, this was also problematic, dangerous and damaging, leading to near future birth defects and weakening the society.
”” Lev 18:18 - The original manuscripts “”
ואשׁה And a woman - אל־אחתה with her sister - לא do not - תקח take -
לצרר tsârar them gathered / them bundled - לגלות to uncover - ערותה her
nakedness - עליה upon her - בחייה׃ in her life.
The passage could have easily clearly, clearly, plainly, unmistakably and perfectly commanded that a man is forbidden from having multiple wives in polygamy / plural marriage, but the subject was about defilement of the DNA, genetic codes, diseases, deformities and weakening of society by related sisters being married and mass producing / creating offspring from one man . Having multiple numerous plural wives was never the abomination, defilement, evil and never the problem in the passage and never in the entire Bible is this mentioned as a problem for the God of the Bible.
There was something about related sisters sharing the seed or sperm of one single man that caused blood problems when producing offspring / life. The passage was not about condemning imaginations of VEXATION and ABUSE and TORMENT and HORROR and ANGUISH and distress about two sisters forced to marry the same man in polygamy marriage. In fact, for the last - 2500 years - the Hebrews had been marrying their relatives already , multiple sisters married to one man, daughters reproducing with their fathers, brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, Cain and Seth married many of their very own sisters.
- Well, Matthew 5:31,32 gives a good summary!.
we both would agree that - Divorce and putting away of a wife was considered abomination and evil in the eyes of God, when there is no justful cause or reason
when a man puts away his wife for no cause, God considers this as an act of violence
as - Mal 2: - :16 ....... he hateth putting away: for one covereth violence with his garment
this Hebrew word " VIOLENCE " is the word - חָמָס - châmâs - khaw-mawce'
Meaning = violence; cruel (-ty), damage, false, injustice, as the oppressor, , violence (against
this is a very Evil situation, this is also the word used in - Gen 6:11 In Noah's time - . the earth was filled with violence.
. :13 ........... the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
Eze 7:23 Make a chain: for the land is full of bloody crimes, and the city is full of violence.
This same Hebrew word { חָמָס - châmâs } is used in the following passage
Mal 2:14 Yet ye say, Wherefore? Because the LORD hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth, against whom thou hast dealt treacherously: yet is she thy companion, and the wife of thy covenant.
:16 For the LORD, the God of Israel, saith that he hateth putting away: / " divorse " for one covereth
{ חָמָס - châmâs } violence with his garment .......................