What is the wisdom behind limiting the number of wives to four, and why was the number not fewer or more?

Ibn Al-Qayyim indicates that limiting the number of wives to four is consistent with the number of temperaments (or elements), the pillars (of the earth or the body), and the seasons of the year, and that it reverts to one after patiently enduring three. The number three is considered the first stage of plurality, and the Lawgiver has attached several rulings to it, such as a migrant's stay in Mecca for three days, wiping over the leather socks for three days, the limit of hospitality for three days, and a woman's mourning for someone other than her husband for three days. This limitation contains mercy, wisdom, and benefit, and takes into account the rights of both the husband and the wife.