Is There Any Bible Passage That Stops a Man from Having Two Wives?
1) Direct answer
Yes. The New Testament sets one man with one woman as God’s order, and it closes the door on adding another wife while the first is living.
2) Scriptural explanation
- From the beginning: “They two shall be one flesh” (Genesis 2:24; repeated by Jesus in Matthew 19:4–6; Mark 10:6–9). Notice, it’s two—one man and one woman—becoming one flesh.
- Church order and example: “Husband of one wife” is required for overseers and deacons (1 Timothy 3:2, 12; Titus 1:6). The same standard appears for widows: “wife of one man” (1 Timothy 5:9). God sets the pattern plainly.
- Purity in marriage: “To avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband” (1 Corinthians 7:2). Singular on both sides.
- Bound by the first covenant: Jesus said that marrying another while bound is adultery (Mark 10:11–12; Luke 16:18). If even a legal “putting away” doesn’t free a man to take another without guilt, taking an additional wife beside the first certainly doesn’t make it right.
- Warning against multiplying wives: God forbade kings to multiply wives (Deuteronomy 17:17), showing His displeasure with the practice.
-God allowed polygamy in the old testament because of the fall but restored back the original order in the new testament. However, those who came to Christ already married to many wives or part of a harem of wives were not forbidden from worshipping God, only they were not allowed to hold any leadership office in the church.
3) Simple clarifying logic
- God joined two to be one flesh. The Bible never says “three (or more) shall be one flesh.” You can’t be “one flesh” with several at the same time.
- If God requires leaders—the examples to the flock—to have one wife, that reveals the divine pattern for all believers.
- Jesus restored marriage to God’s original intent. Where men once tolerated arrangements, the Lord pointed back to the beginning and fixed it: one man, one woman, for life.
4) Reinforcing statement
So yes—the Scripture sets a clear stop: a believer is to have one living wife. That’s the Bible way.
Ask a Follow-up Question
What did the Laodicean Church Age (our age) Angel (- messenger) Say about this?
Ranked passages from the local William Branham sermon and Church Age Book database. Relevance is relative, not a statement of doctrinal certainty.
Going beyond the camp
64-0719E §19
For instance, I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings, but back and forth across the nation I have condemned women wearing short hair. That's the Bible. I've condemned women wearing shorts, using makeup; and every year it gets worse. It shows that there is another finger somewhere pointing them some other way. And they're not getting through to Christ. And they say, "We belong to a church; our church don't..." Don't make any difference what your church believes, God said, "It's wrong!" And if they did get through to...
From the beginning it wasn't so
59-1125 §14
Now, God, as we have taught, that He is infinite. [And Brother Gene, I hope you're getting this tape; it'll be short, but catch it, please. That's one of my precious brothers, the tape boy.] God is infinite. We all believe that. And when God says anything, it must forever be that way. Don't never lose that precious treasure from your heart: that when God says anything He cannot alter it, He cannot improve it; it's perfectly spoke, and it will be forever that way. If God is eternal and infinite, His Word is just lik...
Abraham restored
61-0211 §72
Now when you read the Bible, He's hid it from the eyes of the wise and prudent, and will reveal it to babes such as will learn. So when you go to reading this here, now watch what happened to show you that's what He done. The first thing... Now you say, "Oh, Brother Branham, they was just..." Now the Bible says they were well-stricken in years. That's right. Well-stricken in years. Now my legalistic brother, I don't want to pinch you very hard, but I want you to know I can still pinch just a little with the Word, s...
Israel and the Church: Israel at Kadesh-Barnea
53-0328 §65
Somebody said, "What do you think of that priest down here the other day, run away with that woman and married her?" I said, "He had a right to. He's got as much right to get married as I have, or anybody else. You can't find that in the Bible." Some Catholic boy said, "Is that right, Billy?" I said, "It's the truth." He said, "Show it to me." And I said, "Well, I'll show it to you in the Bible, that 'marriage is honorable among all.' Hallelujah! Paul said, 'Let every man have his own wife.' That's exactly right."...
The flashing red light of the sign of His coming
63-0623E §27
Notice, when people begin to multiply, many people, the daughters of men was fair. "And the sons of God looked upon them and took them wives." Now, that's not my own saying; I'm reading it out of the Bible, where Jesus said for us to go back to Genesis and compare these days together: the multiplication of people, and the beauty of women. Now, that's a great sign. Now, the warning, Jehovah's warning, the 3rd verse. And the LORD said, ... Immediately after this took place... Remember, the Holy Spirit wrote the Bible...