Q:Why did God allow so many wives in the Bible? Jacob for example had 4.

A:The union of one man and one woman until one of them dies is God's ideal intention for marriage (Genesis 2:24; Proverbs 31:10-31; Matthew 19:5-6; 1 Timothy 3:2); however, it is written in the Bible that some men had more than one wife (Genesis 4:19, 30 and 1 Kings 11:3). Nonetheless, that does not mean that God was necessarily happy with this arrangement nor that He agreed with it. I think the word you used in your question is a good one "God allowed" it to happen, but the consequences of polygamy were not so pleasant: jealousy, hate, plot to murder, etc.; not only between wives, but also among siblings (Genesis 30:1 and 37:3-4, 18). In the New Testament, we find Jesus and the apostle Paul saying that the husband is to be "a one woman's man," and the wife is to be "a one man's woman." (Matthew 19:5; John 4:18; 1 Timothy 3:2, 12; and Titus 1:6).