The Book of Mormon is a monogamous book. There are no condoned polygamous marriages in its pages. This is encouraging to the closet polygamy haters in the church. It makes it clear that the Lord has a plan for us to receive eternal life, and that polygamy is not a prerequisite. Rather, polygamy is the exception not the rule.
On the other hand, the words of Jacob should not be construed to condemn completely the practice of polygamy. In verse 30, Jacob quotes the word of the Lord as referring to the exceptional instance in which polygamy is instituted, For if I will, saith the Lord of Hosts, raise up seed unto me, I will command my people. What is being condemned by Jacob is the way in which polygamy was practiced by David and Solomon.
Of these two kings, Solomon clearly abused the practice more than his father did. He had 700 wives and 300 concubines (1 Kings 11:3). Certainly, this many partners were taken only to satisfy his sexual appetite. This is hinted at by the book of the Song of Solomon. This book talks more about the body parts of his wives and concubines than it does about any eternal principles. This is what prompted the prophet, Joseph Smith, to declare in his retranslation of the Bible that the Song of Solomon is not an inspired writing.
Solomon also took wives of “strangers” or Gentiles which was expressly forbidden by the Lord. The Israelites were forbidden to intermarry with their Gentile neighbors because of their idolatrous practices. The Lord was afraid that the Israelites would turn to idolatry if they were exposed to these practices by their “strange” spouses. This is exactly what happened to Solomon. He was world renowned for wisdom but he was not smart enough to repel the idolatrous practices of his many wives. They turned his heart from the Lord and Solomon was condemned by the Lord for so doing:
’But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites;
Of the nations concerning which the Lord said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in unto you: for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods: Solomon clave unto these in love.
And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart.
For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the Lord his God….
And the Lord was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned from the LORD God of Israel’ (1 Kings 11:1-4, 9).
On the other hand, David had fewer wives and concubines. The exact number is not recorded in the Bible, but it does record at least 8 different women which were married to him (2 Sam 3:1-5 records the names of 6). It also states that he took an unnumbered group of concubines, And David took him more concubines and wives out of Jerusalem (2 Sam 5:13). Nevertheless, the scriptures state that this was justified before the Lord, in none of these things did he sin against me save in the case of Uriah and his wife; and, therefore he hath fallen from his exaltation (DC 132:39).
The story of Uriah begins with David’s voyeuristic episode with his wife, Bathsheba. David happened to see Bathesheba while she was bathing and was smitten with her beauty. He had her brought to him and committed adultery with her. After he found out that she was pregnant, he had her husband, Uriah, killed. This was done by placing him in the front of the battle lines and then commanding the rest of the troops to withdraw to expose him to the enemy without support. Having accomplished this, he took Bathsheba as his wife (see 2 Sam 11). Of David’s actions the Lord said:
’thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon.
Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife.
Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbour, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun.
For thou didst it secretly: but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun.’ (2 Sam 12:9-12)
From a doctrinal standpoint, David could have repented for the adultery with Bathsheba, but there was no forgiveness for the murder of Uriah the Hittite. This murder is the fundamental cause for David to have fallen from his exaltation as described in DC 132. Thus we see that the practice of polygamy by David and Solomon proved to be their undoing. Both fell because of their abominations before the Lord.