KnoWhy #64 - What Does the Book of Mormon Say About Polygamy? (Jacob 2:30)

Jacob 2 describes how the prophet Jacob condemned materialism and sexual immorality, including unauthorized plural marriage. Jacob specified that plural marriage may be practiced when God commanded it, but insisted that monogamy was otherwise the norm. How might readers make sense of this connection between polygamy and material wealth? In fact, ancient cultures (including those in pre-Columbian Mesoamerica) often linked the two as social status signifiers. The more wives and material goods one possessed, the higher your social status was seen to be. This grounds the Book of Mormon in an ancient historical context and illuminate its teachings on polygamy.