Even when permitted it was very rare.<p>For one thing only the very wealthy could afford it - each wife was required to have her own house (separate rooms in one house was not enough).<p>For the most part it was practiced mainly by traveling businessmen&#x2F;salesmen who would have a wife in each city where they worked. (Don&#x27;t forget how slow and long travel used to be.)<p>The main reason for permitting it is that historically males died more often than females, so there is a small surplus of females, and permitting a small amount of polygamy helps with that.<p>It&#x27;s no longer relevant these days.