His disciples say unto him, If the case of the man be so with his wife, it is not good to marry.
Parallel translations
- WEB His disciples said to him, “If this is the case of the man with his wife, it is not expedient to marry.”
- BSB His disciples said to Him, “If this is the case between a man and his wife, it is better not to marry.”
- NKJV His disciples said to Him, “If such is the case of the man with his wife, it is better not to marry.”
- NASB The disciples *said to Him, “If the relationship of the man with his wife is like this, it is better not to marry.”
- NLT Jesus’ disciples then said to him, “If this is the case, it is better not to marry!”
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
The disciples react that if marriage is so binding, it is better not to marry. Jesus' high standard startles them.
Overview
Accustomed to easier divorce, the disciples find Jesus' teaching demanding and wonder whether marriage is worth the commitment. Their reaction reveals how counter-cultural his view of lifelong fidelity was. It opens the way for Jesus to speak about the calling of singleness.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- 1 Cor 7:32–35But I would have you without carefulness. He that is unmarried careth for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may please the Lord:
- 1 Tim 4:3Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.
- Prov 21:9It is better to dwell in a corner of the housetop, than with a brawling woman in a wide house.
- Prov 19:13–14A foolish son is the calamity of his father: and the contentions of a wife are a continual dropping.
- 1 Cor 7:39–40The wife is bound by the law as long as her husband liveth; but if her husband be dead, she is at liberty to be married to whom she will; only in the Lord.
- 1 Cor 7:1–2Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman.
- Prov 21:19It is better to dwell in the wilderness, than with a contentious and an angry woman.
- 1 Cor 7:8I say therefore to the unmarried and widows, It is good for them if they abide even as I.
- Prov 5:15–19Drink waters out of thine own cistern, and running waters out of thine own well.
- 1 Tim 5:11–15But the younger widows refuse: for when they have begun to wax wanton against Christ, they will marry;
- Prov 18:22Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the LORD.
- 1 Cor 7:26–28I suppose therefore that this is good for the present distress, I say, that it is good for a man so to be.
- Gen 2:18And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Matthew presents Jesus as the promised King — son of David, son of Abraham — the new Moses and true Israel in whom every prophecy reaches 'that it might be fulfilled.'
How Matthew 19:10 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
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.