Read the document
“I confess that I cannot forbid a person to marry several wives, for it does not contradict the Scripture. If a man wishes to marry more than one wife he should be asked whether he is satisfied in his conscience that he may do so in accordance with the Word of God.”
Luther, letter to Chancellor Gregor Brück · January 13, 1524; De Wette, Briefe II, no. 459
Standard English rendering of the De Wette text.
Put it in context
Luther applies his Scripture-first method and says he cannot forbid the practice from Scripture. In the same correspondence, he counsels strongly against it. Both conclusions belong to his position.
Some popular retellings date the remark to 1521. The documented letter is January 13, 1524, and this page cites the edition so you can hold it to that.
What is disputed
Luther's letters on this question carry both halves: that he cannot forbid from Scripture what Scripture does not forbid, and that he counsels strongly against it. Printing either half alone misrepresents him, and the dating and recipient of individual letters have to be checked against the edition.
How I read this record
This is my conclusion from the source, not part of the quotation.
Years before the Philip of Hesse controversy, Luther wrote that he could not ground a prohibition in Scripture even though he advised against the practice.
Open the sources
- De Wette's edition of Luther's letters, scanned volumes at archive.org ↗ · Volume II carries the letter of January 13, 1524, no. 459.
- A transcription of the letter with the De Wette citation ↗ · A secondary transcription, useful for finding the passage; the edition above is the source.