“…but to Hannah he gave a double portion, because he loved Hannah, even though Adonai had kept her from having children.“-1 Samuel 1:5
A lot of folks misunderstand verse 5 where we’re told Elkanah gave Hannah a double portion because he loved her…
They think this means Elkanah actually pitied Hannah…
And that’s why he gave her a double portion.
However, the actual Hebrew reads “It was Hannah whom he loved” and NOT that “he gave a double portion because he loved Hannah”.
In other words, Elkanah did NOT give a double portion to Hannah because he felt sorry for her.
He gave her a double portion because he had great affection for her and not so much for P’ninah.
It was open favoritism and discrimination.
This was something we’ve seen before in the Scriptures…
Like when Jacob favored Rachel over Leah.
Some folks will say this proves a man should only take one wife.
They’ll argue it’s not in the human nature of men to love several women at once…
Um…I think that notion can be contested…
Because men have always been capable of loving several women at once since the dawn of history.
Adam only loved one woman in the beginning because well, there was only one woman.
Heck, look at how the birth of the Hebrew nation came about…
The Chosen People literally originated from the loins of one man who impregnated four women with ZERO criticism from the Creator on how it happened.
It’s also argued it’s not in the human nature of women to accept being one of several in a man’s household,
I don’t buy that either because there are plenty of other Scriptural examples of harmonious households that had a husband with multiple wives.
But I do understand where they’re coming from…
Based on one’s temperament, I believe some men should only take one wife…
While others can handle more than one…
And some men shouldn’t take any wives at all.
Ya feel me?
CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT
“Let deacons be the husbands of one wife,
ruling their children and their own houses well.”
-1 Timothy 3:12
“Now for the matters you wrote about:
It is good for a man not to marry.
But since there is so much immorality,
each man should have his own wife,
and each woman her own husband.”
-1 Corinthians 7:1
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