We are not told that Orihah had more than one wife, but having twenty three sons and then having more daughters strongly suggests that Orihah had more than one wife. Of course Jared and his brother are coming from the times of the early patriarchs were polygamy was rather common in the Biblical record, so it should not surprise us that it would be practiced by men coming from that time and place. In the New World, polygamy was an adaptive strategy that helped move smaller social units into larger and more successful ones.
The development of social segregation in Mesoamerica has been the subject of multiple theories and studies, but one study uses the archaeological information to support the hypothesis that the development of “institutionalized social inequality and political privilege”(John E. Clark and Michael Blake. “The Power of Prestige: Competitive Generosity and the Emergence of Rank Societies in Lowland Mesoamerica.” The Ancient Civilizations of Mesoamerica. Blackwell Publishers, 2000, p. 252.) was due to the internal social pressures of personal advancement. In terms of this theory, such seekers of advantage are termed “aggrandizers.”
“Aggrandizers simply strive to become more influential. It is the successful deployment of resources and labor that ultimately ensure the social and political longevity of an aggrandizer.” (Clark and Blake 2000, p. 253.) Building renown commences in the nuclear unit of production. An aggrandizer first accumulates deployable resources by the sweat of his brow, and through the efforts of his wife (wives) and children. The more wives and children the better.” (Clark and Blake 2000, p. 255)
This need to increase the economic influence was the probable impetus to polygamy in the early Nephite society, and it is no surprise to find it among the Jaredites. What is surprising, perhaps, is that while the implication of polygamy is clear, there is no indication that it was contrary to the will of God, such as we see in Nephite society with Jacob’s discourse in Jacob 2:23-33.
Chronology: The king-list chronology would place the reign of Orihah from 1120-1090 B.C.