Paul mentions nearly every crime, in 1 Cor. 6. 9, 10, but, says nothing about plurality of wives. Every species of commerce between the sexes, outside of marriage, is often mentioned in the scriptures as crime, but plural marriage is never, except on the part of the woman, who is forbidden to marry another man during the lifetime of her husband; Rom. 7. 3.
Had plurality of wives been sinful in man, the inference is reasonable that it would have been equally condemned. Although plural marriage was customary in the days of the patriarchs, some assert that it was done away in Christ. This would seem very inconsistent when he himself was of a polygamous lineage. He was born and filled his earthly mission among a polygamous people, yet, he never reproved them for their plural marriages. There is nothing in the inspired writings to infer that he reproved or did away with either polygamy or monogamy. The following is from the Book of Mormon on this subject: The Lord, through dreams and visions and the ministry of angels, directed a Jewish prophet by the name of Lehi, to leave Jerusalem, 600 years B. C., with his family and others, for the purpose of colonizing America.
It was then a dark period in the history of Israel, as is evident from the Bible history of the times, and from the opening chapters of the Book of Mormon.
The brilliant reign of Solomon had deeply planted in Israel the sins of idolatry and sexual wickedness. His reign was the pride of Israel, and its effects were deep and lasting. It hastened the destruction of the ten tribes, as a people, some one hundred and twenty years before the exodus of Lehi, and at that time was about to culminate in the destruction of Jerusalem and in the Babylonish captivity.
With all his wisdom, Solomon had disobeyed two very important commandments, one especially to the kings of Israel: "Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away;" Deut. 17. 17. The other was to all Israel, that they should not marry into the idolatrous nations around them: "Neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son;" Deut. 7. 3. Ezra, chapters 9. 10.
Through disobedience to these injunctions, his heart had turned away from the Lord, and he had been led into idolatry and wickedness. At his death he not only left the influence of his personal example, but, also, a numerous family who, from their great wealth and high social position, must have exercised a powerful and lasting influence for evil, which, with other causes, resulted, in less than three hundred years, in the scattering of the ten tribes among the nations of Asia, and the occupation of their country by strangers, and in less than four hundred years, in the destruction of Jerusalem, and in the Babylonish captivity.
The sexual wickedness which had become prevalent in Israel, and the consequent abuse of the marriage relations, was, evidently, the reason why the Lord commanded that the children of Lehi should have but one wife, for he said to the Nephites, through his prophet Jacob, "This people begin to wax in iniquity; they understand not the scriptures; for they seek to excuse themselves in committing whoredoms, because of the things which were written concerning David, and Solomon his son;" 2. 23.
That is, they excused themselves with the example of these kings for breaking the special command of God to them, that they should have but one wife, and like those eminent persons, ran into excess and wickedness, as their fathers had done before them.
To neutralize the evil effects of the bad example of their fathers was evidently the reason why the Lord commanded the Nephites, "For there shall not any man among you have save it be one wife; and concubines he shall have none;" verse 27. Plural marriage would have been whoredom to the Nephites, because the Lord had forbidden it.
That the prophet Jacob foresaw, prophetically, that at some future period this restriction would be taken off is evident from verse 30, "For if I will, saith the Lord of hosts, raise up seed unto me, I will command my people; otherwise they shall hearken unto these things." That is, they were required to limit themselves to one wife, until the Lord should order it otherwise, and by implication, when he instructed them to take more than one wife, it would be justifiable.