David Wilber
“One Woman in Addition to Another”: Leviticus 18:18 as a Prohibition of Polygamy
Leviticus 18:18 is usually understood to prohibit sororal polygyny, the practice of having two biological sisters as wives at the same time. Several scholars, however, understand the Hebrew expression אִשָּׁה אֶל־אֲחֹתָהּ (“a woman to her sister”) distributively and therefore interpret the verse as a general prohibition of polygamy. This article argues that the expression is…