Multiple scriptural witnesses prove the doctrine. Here are a few of the scriptural witnesses to support this: 2 Nephi 11:3, Ether 5:4, Matthew 18:16, 2 Corinthians 31:1, D&C 6:28, D&C 128:3.

While there are multiple scriptural witnesses testifying against plural marriage, Jacob 2 is unique. It goes head-to-head with Section 132 hitting on many of the same points but with the opposite view. We can look at the contradictions between these scriptural passages and decide whether God commanded or condemned multiple wives. Here are five examples:

1) David and Solomon lead to conflicting commandments

The first part of Jacob 2 is about pride, the second part is about multiple wives.  Here’s the beginning of the multiple wives portion in Jacob 2: 

23. But the word of God burdens me because of your grosser crimes. For behold, thus saith the Lord: 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.

24. Behold, David and Solomon truly had many wives and concubines, which thing was abominable before me, saith the Lord

Jacob scolds the Nephites for excusing themselves for committing this whoredom because of what was written about David and Solomon.

All of Section 132 is about multiple wives. Here’s the first few verses:

1. Verily, thus saith the Lord unto you my servant Joseph, that inasmuch as you have inquired of my hand to know and understand wherein I, the Lord, justified my servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as also Moses, David and Solomon, my servants, as touching the principle and doctrine of their having many wives and concubines—

2. Behold, and lo, I am the Lord thy God, and will answer thee as touching this matter.

3. Therefore, prepare thy heart to receive and obey the instructions which I am about to give unto you; for all those who have this law revealed unto them must obey the same.

According to Section 132, Joseph, the early Saints, and men in the eternities will be justified in having many wives and concubines because of David and Solomon.

To beat a dead horse, Jacob 2 condemns the Nephites for using David and Solomon as an excuse to have multiple wives, and, in perfect contrast, Section 132 uses those same ancient polygamists—David and Solomon—to command multiple wives. Why would David and Solomon’s many wives be abominable in Jacob 2 but justified in 132? 

(Inspired changes made by Joseph to the Old Testament present a clearer view that God condemned David and Solomon’s multiple wives and concubines.  See Addendum below).  

2)  One condemns men, the other condemns women 

Here’s a sampling of Jacob 2 condemning men:

27 Wherefore, my brethren, hear me, and hearken to the word of the Lord: For there shall not any man among you have save it be one wife; and concubines he shall have none;

28 For I, the Lord God, delight in the chastity of women. And whoredomes are an abomination before me; thus saith the Lord of Hosts.

29 Wherefore, this people shall keep my commandments, saith the Lord of Hosts, or cursed be the land for their sakes.

Here’s a sampling from 132 condemning women (see Addendum below):

64 And again, verily, verily, I say unto you, if any man have a wife, who holds the keys of this power, and he teaches unto her the law of my priesthood, as pertaining to these things, then shall she believe and administer unto him, or she shall be destroyed, saith the Lord your God; for I will destroy her; for I will magnify my name upon all those who receive and abide in my law.

Hence, men are condemned for having multiple wives in Jacob 2 and women are condemned if they don’t become multiple wives in Section 132.  

3)  Polar opposite treatment of women

Women in general, or Emma specifically, are threatened with destruction (men are never threatened with destruction) in Section 132.  Here’s an example of the unpleasantly rough tone toward women:

51 Verily, I say unto you: A commandment I give unto mine handmaid, Emma Smith, your wife, whom I have given unto you, that she stay herself and partake not of that which I commanded you to offer unto her; for I did it, saith the Lord, to prove you all, as I did Abraham, and that I might require an offering at your hand, by covenant and sacrifice.

52 And let mine handmaid, Emma Smith, receive all those that have been given unto my servant Joseph, and who are virtuous and pure before me; and those who are not pure, and have said they were pure, shall be destroyed, saith the Lord God.

53 For I am the Lord thy God, and ye shall obey my voice; and I give unto my servant Joseph that he shall be made ruler over many things; for he hath been faithful over a few things, and from henceforth I will strengthen him.

54 And I command mine handmaid, Emma Smith, to abide and leave unto my servant Joseph, and to none else. But if she will not abide this commandment she shall be destroyed, saith the Lord; for I am the Lord thy God, and will destroy her if she abide not in my law.

In contrast, women are regarded with understanding and love in Jacob 2: 

31 For behold, I, the Lord, have seen the sorrow, and heard the mourning of the daughters of my people in the land of Jerusalem, yea, and in all the lands of my people, because of the wickedness and abominations of their husbands.

32 And I will not suffer, saith the Lord of Hosts, that the cries of the fair daughters of this people, which I have led out of the land of Jerusalem, shall come up unto me against the men of my people, saith the Lord of Hosts.

33 For they shall not lead away captive the daughters of my people because of their tenderness, save I shall visit them with a sore curse, even unto destruction; for they shall not commit whoredoms, like unto them of old, saith the Lord of Hosts.

The tone of 132 is very demeaning toward Emma, and all women, for not submitting to this degrading law.  It provides quite a contrast to Jacob 2 and the protective, sympathetic tone, where the Lord has “seen the sorrow, and heard the mourning” of His daughters suffering under this lifestyle.  

 Of course, women don’t always deserve the kid glove treatment they receive in Jacob 2.   God has reasons to call everyone—men and women—to repentance. All are sinners.  Nevertheless, would God be calling women to repentance and threatening them with destruction for not living polygamy? 

4) A switcheroo with ancient commandments

Section 132 says that God commanded certain men to marry multiple women anciently:

37 Abraham received concubines, and they bore him children; and it was accounted unto him for righteousness, because they were given unto him, and he abode in my law; as Isaac also and Jacob did none other things than that which they were commanded; and because they did none other things than that which they were commanded, they have entered into their exaltation, according to the promises, and sit upon thrones, and are not angels but are gods.

38 David also received many wives and concubines, and also Solomon and Moses my servants, as also many others of my servants, from the beginning of creation until this time; and in nothing did they sin save in those things which they received not of me.

Whereas Jacob reminds the Nephites that they had been taught and knew an opposite commandment—one wife only:

34.  And now behold, my brethren, ye know that these commandments were given to our father, Lehi; wherefore, ye have known them before; and ye have come unto great condemnation; for ye have done these things which ye ought not to have done.

Both groups of people—the Nephites and the early Saints—had a knowledge of God’s commandments relative to multiple wives. We’re left to decide who knew what and when. Had they been taught previously that God commanded one wife or multiple wives?   

5)  Seed: quantity or quality?

Of course, a key to all of this is Jacob 2 verse 30.  If you think verse 30 is commanding multiple wives as the Church’s interpretation says, then Jacob is not an antidote for 132, but rather a support.  In my opinion, it’s not.  In this post, I make the case for why the Church is wrong in its interpretation. 

Here’s that pivotal verse in Jacob 2:

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.

Preceding this we read:

25 Wherefore, thus saith the Lord, I have led this people forth out of the land of Jerusalem, by the power of mine arm, that I might raise up unto me a righteous branch from the fruit of the loins of Joseph.

26 Wherefore, I the Lord God will not suffer that this people shall do like unto them of old.

27 Wherefore, my brethren, hear me, and hearken to the word of the Lord: For there shall not any man among you have save it be one wife; and concubines he shall have none;

God brought Lehi’s family to raise a righteous seed which is only via monogamy.  In 1 Nephi 7, it says:

1 And now I would that ye might know, that after my father, Lehi, had made an end of prophesying concerning his seed, it came to pass that the Lord spake unto him again, saying that it was not meet for him, Lehi, that he should take his family into the wilderness alone; but that his sons should take daughters to wife, that they might raise up seed unto the Lord in the land of promise.

Just to clarify that Lehi’s family did not take more than one wife, here’s 1 Nephi 16:

7 Nephi took one of the daughters of Ishmael to wife and his brethren also

That’s one daughter. So in summary of these Book of Mormon verses, God brought this Nephite people out of Jerusalem to raise up a righteous branch or “seed unto me”.  In order to be righteous, this quality seed needed to be monogamist, unlike the bad example set by David and Solomon.  

In contrast, here’s what 132 says about seed:

30 Abraham received promises concerning his seed, and of the fruit of his loins—from whose loins ye are, namely, my servant Joseph—which were to continue so long as they were in the world; and as touching Abraham and his seed, out of the world they should continue; both in the world and out of the world should they continue as innumerable as the stars; or, if ye were to count the sand upon the seashore ye could not number them.

Section 132 is about plural wives and the justification is lots of kids in this life (it will only be lots for the polygamist men. It will decrease the number of children overall).   

 In This is My Doctrine, by Charles Harrell, “In the Old Testament account, however, it wasn’t Abraham’s immediate seed that would be unnumberable, but his extended posterity.  Moreover, the expression ‘sand of the sea’ or ‘stars of heaven’ didn’t mean countless in number, but was simply Near Eastern hyperbole meaning ‘a whole lot.’ ” (p.316)

 God’s seed is not about quantity, but instead quality—a righteous seed or righteous branch.  Jacob 2 provides the correct explanation and, again, 132 fails.

Addendum

Fun Facts about “Destroy” in 132

The word “destroy” or “destroyed” is used 11 times in Section 132. Seven times against women or Emma specifically, but never against men. 

·      In a general way, it’s used four times (verses 14, 26, 57). 

·      Referring to women who become adulterers it’s used three times (41, 52, 63), but is not used for adulterous women who are not in the new and everlasting covenant (42) nor for adulterous men who are under a vow (43) …But what vow? The new and everlasting covenant? 

·      For a woman who will NOT follow this plural marriage law, the word destroy or destroyed is applied to her four times…twice in each verse for emphasis (54, 64). 

Inspired Changes

“Joseph made inspired changes to the Bible that condemn David for the practice, instead of justifying it as suggested by the King James Version.”  (Joseph in the Gap, by Taylor Drake, p. 308). Here are some Joseph Smith Translation scriptures. Parts where the meaning is changed are bolded:

JST 2 Samuel 12:13 (JST not linked on lds.org)

13) And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord. And Nathan said unto David, The Lord also hath not put away thy sin that thou shalt not die.

JST 1 Kings 3:14 (JST not linked on lds.org)

14) And if thou wilt walk in my ways, to keep my statutes, and my commandments, then I will lengthen thy days, and thou shalt not walk in unrighteousness, as did thy father David.

JST 1 Kings 11:4-6 ( JST linked on lds.org)

4) For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods; and his heart was not perfect with the Lord his God, and it became as the heart of David his father.

5) For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.

6) And Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord, as David his father, and went not fully after the Lord.

JST 1 Kings 11: 33, 39 (JST linked on lds.org)

33) Because that they have forsaken me, and have worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Milcom the god of the children of Ammon, and have not walked in my ways, to do that which is right in mine eyes, and my statutes, and my judgments, and his heart is become as David his father; and he repenteth not as did David his father, that I may forgive him.

39) And for the transgression of David, and also for the people, I will have rent the kingdom, and for this I will afflict the seed of David, but not forever.

JST 1 Kings 14:8 (JST not linked on lds.org)

8) And rent the kingdom away from the house of David, because he kept not my commandments, and gave it thee: and yet thou hast not been as my servant David, who kept my commandments, and who followed me with all his heart, to do that only which was right in mine eyes;

JST 1 King 15:5 (JST not linked on lds.org)

5) Because David did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord, and turned not aside from any thing that he commanded him all the days of his life, save only in the matter of Uriah the Hittite, wherein the Lord cursed him.