What is the meaning of Deuteronomy 21:15? If a man has two wives Deuteronomy 21:15 opens, “If a man has two wives….” Scripture consistently presents one-man/one-woman marriage as the ideal (Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:4-6), yet it also records instances—often troubled—of polygamy. Here the Law acknowledges that such situations existed in Israel and provides a just response. • God’s standard never changes, but He mercifully gives regulations to limit sin’s fallout (cf. Exodus 21:10-11). • The verse immediately signals a real-life setting where imperfect choices require righteous guidance, reminding us that the Lord rules even in messy family dynamics. One beloved and the other unloved “…one beloved and the other unloved….” Favoritism between wives (or children) breeds conflict (Genesis 29:30-31; 1 Samuel 1:4-6). • Jacob’s preference for Rachel over Leah sowed decades of rivalry, yet God still worked through the less-favored Leah (Genesis 29:32-35). • The law confronts partiality head-on, reflecting the Lord’s own impartial character (Deuteronomy 10:17; James 2:1). • Love is more than affection; in this context it influences legal decisions. The beloved wife must not become the excuse to sideline the rights of the unloved one. Both bear him sons “…and both bear him sons….” Sons were the principal heirs, carrying the family name and property (Numbers 27:8-11). • Multiple sons complicate inheritance; this statute ensures clarity (cf. Deuteronomy 25:5-6). • The text highlights that blessings can flow from every branch of a household, not just the favored one (Psalm 127:3-5). • God values each child’s place in His covenant people, regardless of parental feelings. But the unloved wife has the firstborn son “…but the unloved wife has the firstborn son.” By birthright, the firstborn received a “double portion” (Deuteronomy 21:17). • The father may be tempted to deny that legal privilege and elevate a son of his beloved wife instead (illustrated negatively by Jacob’s later preference for Joseph, Genesis 37:3). • The Lord forbids such injustice: “He must acknowledge the firstborn, the son of the unloved wife, by giving him a double portion of all he has” (Deuteronomy 21:17). • The birthright could be forfeited only for serious sin (1 Chronicles 5:1-2), not for the father’s shifting affections. • God defends the vulnerable—here, the unloved woman and her son—showing that covenant rights stand on His decree, not human emotions (Malachi 3:6). summary Deuteronomy 21:15 introduces a statute that guards the firstborn’s inheritance when family favoritism threatens justice. While acknowledging the imperfect reality of polygamy, the passage upholds God’s unchanging standard of impartiality: a father’s feelings must never override the lawful rights God assigns. The verse therefore affirms God’s sovereignty over family structures, His protection of the overlooked, and the enduring principle that His commands, not human preferences, determine righteousness. |
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