They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away?
Parallel translations
- WEB They asked him, “Why then did Moses command us to give her a bill of divorce, and divorce her?”
- BSB “Why then,” they asked, “did Moses order a man to give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?”
- NKJV They said to Him, “Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away?”
- NASB They *said to Him, “Why, then, did Moses command to give her a certificate of divorce and send her away?”
- NLT “Then why did Moses say in the law that a man could give his wife a written notice of divorce and send her away?” they asked.
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 Pharisees object by asking why Moses then commanded a certificate of divorce. They press the apparent tension between Jesus' view and the Law.
Overview
Citing Deuteronomy 24:1-4, they assume Moses 'commanded' divorce, treating a regulation as a mandate. Their question seeks to pit Jesus against Moses. Jesus will clarify that Moses permitted, rather than commanded, divorce, and only as a concession to human sinfulness.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- 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 5:31It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement:
- Mark 10:4And they said, Moses suffered to write a bill of divorcement, and to put her away.
- Mal 2:16For the LORD, the God of Israel, saith that he hateth putting away: for one covereth violence with his garment, saith the LORD of hosts: therefore take heed to your spirit, that ye deal not treacherously.
- 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 3:8And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also.
- 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.
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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 19:7 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.