Isaiah predicted some type of polygyny in the end days. What is this all about?

Readership: All
Theme: Wives and Mothers
Author’s Note: This question was posed by a reader through email.
Length: 600 words
Reading Time: 3 minutes

And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach…

Isaiah 4:1 (KJV)

Concubinage and/or polygyny in some form or fashion has been quite common since ancient times up to the present day and across cultures. The Bible contains many examples, including the Kings and Patriarchs of the Old Testament.

What is common in all the examples throughout time is that the MAN always takes on the role of a PROVIDER.

In Asian concubinage, the woman wants the man for comfort, pleasure, PROVISION, and security. In Western soft harems, the woman wants the man for attention, affirmation, PROVISION, and sex. In any culture, if a woman is looking for marriage then she is definitely seeking PROVISION.

But NO WHERE do we see women wanting a man for nothing other than his NAME, as the Biblical prophecy foretells.

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According to the Biblical prophecy cited above, one day we will reach a stage where women will provide for themselves and will want nothing from a man except his NAME.

In Biblical typology, a name represents more than just a moniker. It represents power, authority, domain, enforcement of will, formality, glory, identification, ownership, and reputation, among other things. So this passage might be interpreted in several ways…

  • Women will want an identity.
  • Women will want a formal marriage.
  • Women will desire a Headship covering.
  • Women will want to be an agent of the power and authority that men have.
  • Women will want a sense of acceptance / inclusion / security, or to actually belong to a larger group.
  • Women will want the hedge of protection that comes from being identified as one under a man’s domain of authority.

In addition to these possibilities, the scripture explicitly states that the reason is “to take away our reproach”.

This begs the following questions…

  1. What would be the nature of this reproach?
  2. How can a man’s NAME take away reproach?
  3. If a woman does not want a man’s PROVISION, then why would she want his NAME?
  4. What kind of social situation are we looking at here?
  5. How will the current structure of polygyny be reversed such that a man’s PROVISION is no longer required of him by women?
  6. What will precipitate this change?
  7. What needs to happen for this to become a reality?
  8. What kinds of events would need to take place for this to occur?
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Lest we jump to an apocalyptic conclusion, the above verse is followed by,

In that day the Branch of the Lord shall be beautiful and glorious;
And the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and appealing
For those of Israel who have escaped.

Isaiah 4:2 (NKJV)

Reproach?

“Reproach” could be interpreted as blame, disgrace, or shame. This pretty well sums up the P0rnocracy, as J. M. Smith described in a recent post at The Orthosphere. Thus, women may want to identify themselves as being different or separate from the cultural P0rnocracy zeitgeist.

In a comment, J. M. Smith writes,

“…in the jargon of therapy [shame] usually means the belief that one is unlovable. […] One interesting thing about shame so defined is that it would almost certainly spread through a population as that population dechristianized.”

Could it be that the women of the future might earnestly desire LOVE more than PROVISION?

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