Bible Strands
Matthew 19:7
“Why then,” they asked, “did Moses order a man to give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The Pharisees question Jesus immediately after He declares that marriage forms an indivisible one-flesh union. They press Him on the apparent conflict between His teaching and the Mosaic divorce regulation.
The words — βιβλίον (biblion) literally denotes a small scroll or roll, specifying the formal written document. ἐνετέλατο (eneteilato) conveys a direct command or regulatory decree.
The thread — The divorce regulation appears in Deuteronomy 24:1 and is explicitly quoted in Matthew 5:31. Mark 10:4 records the identical question posed to Jesus in a parallel account.
Why it lands — The text requires a reader to distinguish between divine design and legal concession. It demands an honest assessment of how human hardness shapes religious practice.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing 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.’
- Mark 10:4 They answered, “Moses permitted a man to write his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away.”
- Malachi 2:16 “For I hate divorce,” says the LORD, the God of Israel. “He who divorces his wife covers his garment with violence,” says the LORD of Hosts. So guard yourselves in your spirit and do not break faith.
- 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 3:8 She saw that because faithless Israel had committed adultery, I gave her a certificate of divorce and sent her away. Yet that unfaithful sister Judah had no fear and prostituted herself as well.
- Matthew 1:19 Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and was unwilling to disgrace her publicly, he resolved to divorce her quietly.