Furthermore, he must not marry many wives lest his affections turn aside, and he must not accumulate much silver and gold.

Suppose a man has two wives, one whom he loves more than the other, and they both bear him sons, with the firstborn being the child of the less loved wife.

But we can’t allow our daughters to marry them, for the Israelites took an oath, saying, ‘Whoever gives a woman to a Benjaminite will be destroyed!’

So her sons married Moabite women. (One was named Orpah and the other Ruth.) And they continued to live there about ten years.

He had two wives; the name of the first was Hannah and the name of the second was Peninnah. Now Peninnah had children, but Hannah was childless.

Samuel said, “Just as your sword left women childless, so your mother will be the most bereaved among women!” Then Samuel hacked Agag to pieces there in Gilgal before the Lord.

I grieve over you, my brother Jonathan! You were very dear to me. Your love was more special to me than the love of women.

So the king and all the members of his royal court set out on foot, though the king left behind ten concubines to attend to the palace.

King Solomon fell in love with many foreign women (besides Pharaoh’s daughter), including Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites.

He had 700 royal wives and 300 concubines; his wives had a powerful influence over him.

According to the genealogical records of their families, they had 36,000 warriors available for battle, for they had numerous wives and sons.

He wisely placed some of his many sons throughout the regions of Judah and Benjamin in the various fortified cities. He supplied them with abundant provisions and acquired many wives for them.

Abijah’s power grew; he had fourteen wives and fathered twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters.

The Israelites seized from their brothers 200,000 wives, sons, and daughters. They also carried off a huge amount of plunder and took it back to Samaria.

Therefore let us enact a covenant with our God to send away all these women and their offspring, in keeping with your counsel, my lord, and that of those who respect the commandments of our God. And let it be done according to the law.

Then Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, “You have behaved in an unfaithful manner by taking foreign wives! This has contributed to the guilt of Israel.

It was determined that from the descendants of the priests, the following had taken foreign wives: from the descendants of Jeshua son of Jozadak, and his brothers: Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib, and Gedaliah.

Even I and my relatives and my associates are lending them money and grain. But let us abandon this practice of seizing collateral!

This very day return to them their fields, their vineyards, their olive trees, and their houses, along with the interest that you are exacting from them on the money, the grain, the new wine, and the olive oil.”

Should we then in your case hear that you do all this great evil, thereby being unfaithful to our God by marrying foreign wives?”