Genesis 4 Footnotes

4:19,23 The Bible nowhere explicitly forbids polygamy, and Lamech is the first of many polygamists in the OT, including favored patriarchs and kings (e.g., 29:21-30; 1Sm 27:3). We must not assume, however, that the absence of explicit prohibition entails divine approval. Plural marriage is not, and never has been, biblical marriage. When polygamy occurred, it had predictably disastrous results for the family (e.g., 2Sm 13:4-37). We may not fully understand why God did not denounce Abraham, Jacob, David, and others when they corrupted true marriage in this way, but we should not take his silence as indicating his lack of interest in the matter.