Shoftim 17:17 · unit 4

TT #104 · Parashas Shoftim · Second Aliyah · Passuk 17:17

The Complete Passuk

וְלֹ֤א יַרְבֶּה־לּוֹ֙ נָשִׁ֔ים וְלֹ֥א יָס֖וּר לְבָב֑וֹ וְכֶ֣סֶף וְזָהָ֔ב לֹ֥א יַרְבֶּה־לּ֖וֹ מְאֹֽד׃

And he must not multiply wives for himself, so that his heart not turn away; and he must not greatly multiply silver and gold for himself.

Torah Temimah points to Sifrei Devarim 159.

TT lemma: לֹא יַרְבֶּה לוֹ נָשִׁים.

Core Text

לֹא יַרְבֶּה לוֹ נָשִׁים – שֶׁלֹּא יִהְיוּ לוֹ אֶלָּא שְׁמוֹנֶה עֶשְׂרֵה.

English: ‘He shall not multiply wives for himself’ – so that he shall have only eighteen.

On the daf / in context: Sifrei (and the parallel Bavli) fix the traditional maximum at eighteen wives.

Derash fixing a numerical limit (Sifrei / Bavli) — the tradition settles on a concrete upper bound.

Traditional halakhah limits a king to eighteen wives, reading the verse as setting a practical boundary against excess.