Jacob 2:30 — The Verse That Got Twisted
💍 Jacob 2:30 — The Verse That Got Twisted
What “Raise Up Seed” Really Means (and Doesn’t Mean)
I’ve heard this one many times:
“Jacob 2:30 proves that God sometimes commands polygamy—like when He needs to raise up seed.”
I get why people say that. It’s how most of us were taught.
But when I finally slowed down and really read the chapter, it surprised me.
Because Jacob 2:30 isn’t permitting polygamy.
It’s restricting it.
📖 Let’s Read It Together
Here’s the verse:
“For if I will, saith the Lord of Hosts, raise up seed unto me, I will command my people; otherwise they shall hearken unto these things.” (Jacob 2:30)
Now let’s ask:
What are “these things” He’s talking about?
Just two verses earlier:
“There shall not any man among you have save it be one wife, and concubines he shall have none.” (Jacob 2:27)
So “these things” = polygamy and concubines.
And the Lord says: “Otherwise… they shall hearken unto these things.”
In other words:
❌ Don’t do it…
✅ Unless I directly command it…
❌ Otherwise, don’t listen to those teachings.
🚫 No Command Ever Came
And here’s the kicker:
In the entire Book of Mormon, God never gives that command.
There’s no instance of righteous, God-commanded polygamy.
Not one.
Instead, we see:
David and Solomon condemned for having many wives (v. 24)
Sorrow and captivity caused by plural marriage (v. 31–33)
And the Lord calling it an abomination (v. 24, 28)
Jacob 2:30 is not a green light—it’s a red light with a rare exception clause that never gets used.
🌱 What Does “Raise Up Seed” Mean?
It’s not about multiplying wives to crank out children like cattle.
“Raise up seed” is a Hebrew phrase that refers to preserving a righteous lineage, often through specific Levirate law—like when Boaz marries Ruth to preserve her dead husband’s name.
It was rare, sacred, and individual—never a license for wholesale polygamy.
If Jacob 2:30 was about introducing a “higher law,” why is the entire chapter spent condemning it?
🧪 By Their Fruits
Let’s look at the fruit of that doctrine:
Secret marriages
Underage brides
Lies, coverups, heartbreak
Women and children left behind
Whole generations wounded
Does that sound like Jesus?
Does that sound like Zion?
🕊️ The Lord’s Voice in Nemenhah
“They shall justify their taking of many wives by the seed of Abraham, and they shall call it a higher law. But I say unto you, they shall fall for their pride and their perversions, for I commanded no such thing.”(Nemenhah)
That’s pretty clear.
💬 Final Thought
If someone quotes Jacob 2:30 to defend polygamy, ask them to read the whole chapter.
The Lord doesn’t say “This is okay.”
He says “This broke My daughters’ hearts.”
He says:
“I, the Lord, delight in the chastity of women. And whoredoms are an abomination before Me.” (Jacob 2:28)
One wife. One covenant.
That’s the pattern of Christ.
🙏 A Prayer for Discernment
Lord, help us read with eyes open.
Help us not twist Thy words to fit tradition.
Let us honor the daughters of Zion.
Let us cherish the sacred bond of marriage.
Let us remember what breaks Thy heart—and what builds Thy kingdom.
Even so, Lord, teach us again.
📖 SCRIPTURES
Jacob 2:23–35
Jacob 2:30
3 Nephi 14:20
Nemenhah (selected teachings)
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