Matthew 19:7

“They say to him, “Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce and to divorce her?””

Matthew 19:7 · direct translation from the Greek
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With the Greek beneath

7

Allusion · Deuteronomy 24:1

Go to Deuteronomy 24:1

Both texts speak of the “certificate of divorce” (literally “document of separation”) that the husband gives the wife when he sends her away.

They share words that are rare in the original, without a quotation.

  • βιβλίονbiblionG975סֵפֶרseferH5612“book, document”
  • ἀποστασίουapostasiouG647כְּרִיתֻתkeritutH3748“certificate of divorce”

Matthew 19:7, word by word

They sayλέγουσινlegousin

say

To express something in words to others.

Where else “legousin” appears
did MosesΜωϋσῆςMōysēs

Moses

Moses, who led Israel out of Egypt and received God's law.

Where else “Mōysēs” appears
commandἐνετείλατοeneteilato

command

Command, give orders.

Where else “eneteilato” appears
to giveδοῦναιdounai

give

To hand something to another freely, as a gift.

Where else “dounai” appears
a certificateβιβλίονbiblion

certificate

An official paper, like a writ of divorce.

Where else “biblion” appears
of divorceἀποστασίουapostasiou

divorce certificate

Certificate of divorce.

Where else “apostasiou” appears
to divorceἀπολῦσαιapolysai

divorce

To end a marriage by sending the wife away.

Where else “apolysai” appears

Parallel passages

Other books that tell the same thing or quote these words.

The question about divorce

Mark 10:1-12

See them side by side

Matthew 19:1-12

1And it happened when Jesus had finished these words that he departed from Galilee and came into the region of Judea beyond the Jordan. 2And many crowds followed him, and he healed them there. 3And Pharisees came to him, testing him and saying, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any reason?” 4But he answered and said, “Have you not read that the one who created them from the beginning made them male and female, 5and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and his mother and will be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? 6So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.” 7They say to him, “Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce and to divorce her?” 8He says to them, “Moses, because of your hardness of heart, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it has not been so. 9And I tell you that whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and he who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.” 10The disciples say to him, “If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry.” 11But he said to them, “Not everyone can accept this word, but only those to whom it has been given. 12For there are eunuchs who were born that way from their mother’s womb, and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. The one who is able to accept this, let him accept it.”

Mark 10:1-12

1And getting up from there, he goes into the region of Judea and beyond the Jordan; and crowds gather around him again, and as was his custom, he was again teaching them. 2And they were asking him whether it is lawful for a man to divorce his wife, testing him. 3But he answered and said to them, “What did Moses command you?” 4And they said, “Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce and to divorce her.” 5But Jesus said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart he wrote you this commandment. 6But from the beginning of creation, ‘male and female he made them.’ 7‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, 8and the two will become one flesh’; so they are no longer two but one flesh. 9So what God has joined together, let man not separate.” 10And in the house the disciples were asking him again about this. 11And he says to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her; 12and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.”

The context

6So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.”

7 · This verse (above)

8He says to them, “Moses, because of your hardness of heart, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it has not been so.

Read all of Matthew 19

To study Matthew 19 in a group

  1. 1. What it says

    What did Jesus answer the young man who asked what good to do to have eternal life, and how did he react (vv. 16–22)?

  2. 2. What it means

    Why did Jesus welcome the children and say the kingdom belongs to those like them (vv. 13–14)?

  3. 3. How I live it

    The young man left sad because of his possessions (v. 22). What is hard for you to let go of, and what might Jesus say about it?

How to use it