“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 a Hebrew idiom meaning “one woman in addition to another,” a reading supported by its usage elsewhere in the Hebrew Bible. The different construction used to identify biological relatives in Leviticus 18:17 and the reference to rivalry between wives provide further support for this interpretation. The article also examines possible allusions to Leviticus 18:18 in the Qumran texts as evidence for an early Jewish interpretation of the verse as a general prohibition of polygamy and evaluates ancient Near Eastern legal parallels cited in support of the traditional reading. Although recent scholarly objections raise important questions about the literary context of the verse, the linguistic and contextual evidence favors understanding Leviticus 18:18 as a general prohibition of polygamy.

Faith • Civilization • Theology, Volume 2, Issue 1 (January–June 2027), pages 1–9. First published online 16 October 2026. Copyright © 2026 David Wilber. All rights reserved. Free reader access.