Did David sin by having so many wives?

[tonychanyt]

Concerning the kings, Deuteronomy 17:

17 He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray.

David had eight wives: Michal, Ahinoam, Jezreel, Abigail, Maacah, Haggith, Abital, Eglah, and Bathsheba.
Did David sin by having so many wives?
Probably not, because they did not lead him astray. Also, God could have given him even more, 2 Samuel 12:

8 I gave your master’s house to you, and your master’s wives into your arms. I gave you all Israel and Judah. And if all this had been too little, I would have given you even more.

What about Solomon?
Yes, he sinned, 1 Kings 11:

3 He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines, and his wives led him astray.

 

[Laodicean60]

Agreed, that was the social norm of the time and that includes slavery.

 

[linux.poet]

Yes, David and Solomon did sin by having multiple wives. The design for wife and husband is one man and one woman, if we consult Genesis 2.

24 For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.

David's sin and greed in taking women for himself led to his adultery with Bathsheba, and also to demand Michael back after she was given to another man and then to leave her childless until she was dead. The Lord disciplined him for his misdeeds during the whole Ammon, Tamar, and Absalom incident.

 

[tonychanyt]

Yes, David and Solomon did sin by having multiple wives. The design for wife and husband is one man and one woman, if we consult Genesis 2.



David's sin and greed in taking women for himself led to his adultery with Bathsheba, and also to demand Michael back after she was given to another man and then to leave her childless until she was dead. The Lord disciplined him for his misdeeds during the whole Ammon, Tamar, and Absalom incident.

See Was polygamy a sin?