They answered, “Moses permitted a man to write his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away.”
Parallel translations
- WEB They said, “Moses allowed a certificate of divorce to be written, and to divorce her.”
- KJV And they said, Moses suffered to write a bill of divorcement, and to put her away.
- NKJV They said, “Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce, and to dismiss her.”
- NASB They said, “Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce and send his wife away.”
- NLT “Well, he permitted it,” they replied. “He said a man can give his wife a written notice of divorce and send her away.”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
They cite Moses' permission for a certificate of divorce. Their answer treats a regulated concession as if it were God's ideal.
Overview
The Pharisees point to Deuteronomy 24:1-4, which regulated divorce by requiring a written certificate. They frame this as Moses allowing divorce, focusing on permission rather than purpose. Jesus will show that this provision addressed human sinfulness and never overturned God's original plan for lifelong marriage.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- Deut 24:1–4If a man marries a woman, but she becomes displeasing to him because he finds some indecency in her, he may write her a certificate of divorce, hand it to her, and send her away from his house.
- Matt 5:31–32It has also been said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’
- Matt 19:7“Why then,” they asked, “did Moses order a man to give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?”
- Matt 1:19Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and was unwilling to disgrace her publicly, he resolved to divorce her quietly.
- Isa 50:1This is what the LORD says: “Where is your mother’s certificate of divorce with which I sent her away? Or to which of My creditors did I sell you? Look, you were sold for your iniquities, and for your transgressions your mother was sent away.
- Jer 3:1“If a man divorces his wife and she leaves him to marry another, can he ever return to her? Would not such a land be completely defiled? But you have played the harlot with many lovers—and you would return to Me?” declares the LORD.
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Christ at the center
Mark drives urgently to the cross, showing Jesus the Son of God as the suffering Servant who 'came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.'
How Mark 10:4 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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