(7) Details Regarding Marriages, Etc. It would seem, from the instance of Potiphar's wife, that monogamy was practiced in Egypt (Gen. xxxix:7). Pharaoh gave to Joseph one wife (Gen. xli:45). The Israelites, while in Egypt, seem to have restricted themselves to one. One case is recorded of an Israclitish woman who married an Egyptian man (Lev. xxiv :to). The giving of the law (B. C. 1490 acquaints us with many regulations concerning marriage, which were different from the practices of the Jews while in Egypt, and from those of the Canaanites, to whose land they were approaching (Lev. xviii: 3). There we find laws for regulating the mar riages of bondmen (Exod. xxi:3, 4), and of a bondmaid (verses 7-12). The prohibition against marriages with the Canaanites is established by a positive law (Deut. vii :3). Marriage is pro hibited with any one near of kin, 'of the re mainder of his flesh' (Lev. xviii :6-19). A priest is prohibited from marrying one that had been a harlot, or divorced (Lev. xxi :7). Thc high priest was also excluded from marrying a widow, and restricted to one wife (verses 13, 14). Daugh ters who, through want of brothers, were heir esses to an estate were required to marry into their own tribe, and if possible, a kinsman, to pre vent the cstate passing into another family (Num. xxvii:1-11; xxxvi:1-12). The husband had pow er to annul his wife's vow, if lie heard it, and interfered at the time (Num. xxx:6-16). If a rrtan had betrothed a wife, he was exempt from the wars, etc. (Deut. xx :7; xxiv :5). It was al lowed to marry a beautiful captive in war, whose husband probably had been killed (Deut. xxi : to-14, etc.). Abundance of offspring was one of the blessings promised to obedience, during the miraculous providence which superintended the Theocracy (Lev. xxvi :9 ; Dent. vii :13, 14; xxviii: II; Ps. cxxvii :3 ; cxxviii:3) ; and disappoint ment in marriage was one of the curses (Deut.
xxviii:18, 3o; comp. also Jer. vi:12 viii:io). A daughter of a distinguished person was offered in marriage as a reward for perilous services (Josh. xv:16, 17; I Sam. xvii:25). Con cubinage appears in Israel, B. C. 1413. (Judg. xix :1-4). The violation of a concubine is avenged (Judg. xx :5-1o). Polygamy (Judg. viii :3o). The state of marriage among the Philistines may be inferred, in the time of Samson, from the sud den divorce from him of his wife by her father, and her being given to his friend (Judg. xiv:2o), and from the father offering him a younger sis ter instead (Judg. xv:2). David's numerous wives (2 Sam. iii:3-5). In Ps. xlv., which is referred to this period by the best harmonists, there is a description of a royal marriage upon a most magnificent scale. The marriage of Solo mon to Pharaoh's daughter is recorded in 1 Kings ; to which the Song of Solomon probably relates, and from which it appears that his mother 'crowned him with a crown on the day of his espousals' (verses 3, ; and see Sept. and Vulg. of Is. lxi:io). It would appear that in his time females were married young (Prov. ii :17; comp. Joel i :8) ; also males (Pray. v: 18). An admirable description of a good wife is given in Prov. xxxi:to-3t. The excessive multiplication of wives and concubines was the cause and effect of Solomon's apostasy in his old age (1 Kings xi:1-8). He confesses his error in Ecclesiastes, where he eulogizes monogamy (ix:9; Rehoboam took a plurality of wives (2 Chron. xi :18-21) •, and so Abijah (2 Chron. xiii:21), and Ahab (1 Kings xx:3), and Belshazzar, king of Babylon (Dan. v:2). It would seem that the outward manners of the Jews, about the time of our Lord's advent, had become improved, since there is no case recorded in the New Testament of polygamy or concubin age among them.