reply to Orange Yonason

Submitted by jennifer solis (United States), Dec 18, 2008 at 00:59

Dear Sir,

I wish to express apology if I in some way offended you, or your beliefs.

I gather you do not much care for exegesis of the Hebrew, as you chose to completely ignore the passage in which I clearly showed the context, as well as individual words, was in no way speaking of, nor insructing/condoning/permitting polygamous marriage.

You also chose to ignore Deut. 17:17 - instruction, by the way, given by 'elohiym Himself - "Neither shall he multiply wives unto himself."

Merriam-Webster dictionary - "permit": 1. To give consent to expressly or formally (permit access to roads)2. to give leave (AUTHORIZE) 3. to make possible (the design permits easy access).

I wrote, as you perhaps might recall, that "no where in the Torah (the first five books of the Old Testament) is polygamy instructed, condoned, or permitted". IT IS NOT. Going by the above "permit" definition, God does NOT "formally" permit polygamy; nor does He "authorize" it, ANYWHERE, in scripture. I suppose the argument could be made that He made it possible, as Adam and Eve "went forth and multiplied". I am well aware of the thousand-year-old tradition involving the Pentateuch, Talmud; the spiritual instruction, teaching, etc., with regards to the Torah; ergo my specific reference to the Torah as the "first five books", and nothing else.

If one should apply the Oral Torah (Talmud) with regards to polygamy; interpretations of such by rabbinical authorities, etc.; then we have a quite different scenario.

Quoting you: "The Torah has laws governing when polygamy is allowed, and how a man has to conduct himself (like supplying ALL his wifes' needs, including a separate home for each, and at his expense, not the governments - unless he's the king, in which he's the government)".

If, and you are, going by the Talmud and Jewish oral tradition, obviously, you will find such instruction.

BUT - if you go by the Old Testament - or, the New Testament - you won't.

Quoting you - "You can't impose your own "rules", no matter how much sense you think they make. If you are not following those rules you are wrong, period."

Again, I sense indignation on your part; for that I am truly sorry. I don't "make my own rules" in these matters; I go strictly by the Word of God. I have been blessed to study His Word in the original languages, Greek and Hebrew, for over thirty years; truly, it boggles my mind why anyone would want to add to such phenominal perfection. The original Hebrew, Greek, Septuagint are extremely clear and lucid. It is man who has performed machinations to dilute, or otherwise manipulate God's Word. But His Word is eternal, existing forever, open to all those who wish to learn it; orignal languages is key. With all due respect, you, and I, simply have a difference of opinion as to what constitutes God's Word, and what doesn't.

The Word of God is alive and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of the soul and the spirit, and of the joints of the marrow, and is a critic of thoughts and intents of the heart. - Hebrews 4:12

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