Bible Strands
Mark 10:4
They answered, “Moses permitted a man to write his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away.”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The questioners answer Jesus’ inquiry about Mosaic law by citing the divorce procedure. They speak to Jesus in Mark 10:3-4, directly addressing his challenge regarding what Moses commanded.
The words — ἐπέτρεψεν (epetrepsen) translates literally as “permitted” or “allowed,” and βιβλίον ἀποστασίου (biblion apostasiou) means “a roll of divorce.” These terms denote the legal instrument Moses authorized for marital separation.
The thread — The passage directly references the regulation found in Deuteronomy 24:1, Matthew 5:31, and Matthew 19:7. The same Mosaic divorce document appears in the Synoptic Gospels as the baseline for Jesus’ subsequent teaching on marriage.
Why it lands — The text reports the exact legal mechanism the interlocutors use to test Jesus’ stance on divorce. It requires the reader to distinguish between a recorded concession and a stated ideal, demanding a direct evaluation of what the passage actually records versus what it implies.
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The Greek words
King James Version
And they said, Moses suffered to write a bill of divorcement, and to put her away.
Cross-references
- Deuteronomy 24:1 If 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.
- Matthew 5:31 It has also been said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’
- Matthew 19:7 “Why then,” they asked, “did Moses order a man to give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?”
- Isaiah 50:1 This 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.
- Jeremiah 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.
- Matthew 1:19 Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and was unwilling to disgrace her publicly, he resolved to divorce her quietly.