It has also been said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’
Parallel translations
- WEB “It was also said, ‘Whoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorce,’
- KJV It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement:
- NKJV “Furthermore it has been said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’
- NASB “Now it was said, ‘Whoever sends his wife away is to give her a certificate of divorce’;
- NLT “You have heard the law that says, ‘A man can divorce his wife by merely giving her a written notice of divorce.’
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
Jesus cites the practice of giving a certificate of divorce. It sets up His correction of a lax view of divorce.
Overview
Referring to Deuteronomy 24, Jesus notes how the certificate of divorce had been treated as easy permission to dismiss a wife. He prepares to recover God's high view of marriage against casual divorce. As elsewhere, He interprets the Law according to its true intent.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- 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.
- 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 19:7“Why then,” they asked, “did Moses order a man to give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?”
- Matt 19:3Then some Pharisees came and tested Him by asking, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any reason?”
- Mark 10:2–9Some Pharisees came to test Him. “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” they inquired.
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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 5:31 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.