And they said, Moses suffered to write a bill of divorcement, and to put her away.
Parallel translations
- WEB They said, “Moses allowed a certificate of divorce to be written, and to divorce her.”
- BSB They answered, “Moses permitted a man to write his wife a certificate of divorce and send 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 24:1–4When a man hath taken a wife, and married her, and it come to pass that she find no favour in his eyes, because he hath found some uncleanness in her: then let him write her a bill of divorcement, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house.
- Matt 5:31–32It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement:
- Matt 19:7They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away?
- Matt 1:19Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily.
- Isa 50:1Thus saith the LORD, Where is the bill of your mother’s divorcement, whom I have put away? or which of my creditors is it to whom I have sold you? Behold, for your iniquities have ye sold yourselves, and for your transgressions is your mother put away.
- Jer 3:1They say, If a man put away his wife, and she go from him, and become another man’s, shall he return unto her again? shall not that land be greatly polluted? but thou hast played the harlot with many lovers; yet return again to me, saith 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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