The author is incorrect in one assertion. The author states “...polygamy was merely tolerated by God and never commanded by Him.” That is not entirely true.
Levirate marriage is a type of marriage in which the brother of a deceased man is obliged to marry his brother’s widow, and the widow is obliged to marry her deceased husband’s brother. Levirate marriage is law under Deuteronomy 25: 5-6
While not always the case, this could result in a plural marriage. In fact, there is no excuse or “out” if the brother is already married.
Sorry...but the way you state this is completely inaccurate.
First of all, there are conditions even for this coerced arrangement:
One such "condition" is if the dead man did not leave a son to carry on his name.
So...that automatically left out ALL moms who already had sons.
A second condition was for those brothers to have ALREADY been living together (v. 5).
That condition then did not REQUIRE that even a sonless wife move in with her brother-in-law.
Then, on top of all of that, my reading of Deut. 25 -- and you'll have to give me additional sources for me to consider something different here -- doesn't assume that the remaining brother-in-law is already married.
It may have been assumed in that culture that this applied to an unmarried brother-in-law.
Finally, we also know that if the widow's sister was married to this "live-in" brother-in-law, then Leviticus 18:18 specifically forbid any such "arrangement": 18 “‘Do not take your wife’s sister as a rival wife and have sexual relations with her while your wife is living."
I also note that while you cite Deut. 25, you didn't cite Deut. 17:17: 17 He must not take many wives...
taxcontrol :” Levirate marriage is law under Deuteronomy 25: 5-6 “
Levirate marriage exists only for the sake of line of inhertance, which follows only the male line , according to Jewish tradition .
Traditional Jewish priesthood , and ‘Jewishness’ if you will , is traced matrilinially .