Family in the Bible Encyclopedia - ISBE

fam'-i-li (mishpachah, bayith; patria): 1. The Foundation 2. Monogamy, the Ideal Relation 3. Equality of the Sexes 4. Polygamy 5. The Commandments and the Family (5th Commandment) 6. The Commandments and the Family (7th Commandment) 7. The Commandments and the Family (10th Commandment) 8. Primitive Monogamic Ideal 9. Reforms of Ezra and Nehemiah 10. The New Testament 11. The Teaching of Jesus 12. The Teaching of Paul 13. Modern Dangers LITERATURE 1. The Foundation: The Bible is the world's great teacher of monogamy--the union for life of one man and one woman in marriage as the basis of the family. Whatever may be said about the time of the writing of the books of the Bible, or of parts of them, the testimony of the whole is incontrovertibly to the point that marriage springs from the choice of one man and one woman of each other for a permanent family relation. Over and through the whole of the Bible this ideal is dominant. There may be instances shown here and there of violation of this rule. But such cases are to be regarded as contrary to the underlying principle of marriage--known even at the time of their occurrence to be antagonistic to the principle. There may be times when moral principle is violated in high places and perhaps over wide reaches in society. The Bible shows that there were such times in the history of man. But it is undeniable that its tone toward such lapses of men and of society is not one of condonation but one of regret and disapproval. The disasters consequent are faithfully set forth. The feeling that finds expression in its whole history is that in such cases there had been violation of the ideal of right in the sex relation. The ideal of monogamic relation is put in the forefront of the history of man. 2. Monogamy, the Ideal Relation: The race is introduced synthetically as a species in the incoming of life. "And God created man...