Mark 10:9
What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
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Mark 10:9
What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
Jesus isn't just talking about marriage as a human institution here; He's revealing a divine principle that transcends it. The phrase "what God has joined together" points to the fundamental unity and sacredness of the union that God Himself establishes, suggesting that any separation attempts to sever a connection rooted in the Creator's design. This elevates marriage beyond a contract to a sacred bond reflecting God's own creative act.
Jesus is directly answering a question from the Pharisees who are trying to trap him regarding the permissibility of divorce. He appeals to the creation account in Genesis, establishing God's original design for marriage as a lifelong, unified bond, and then directly quotes this principle to refute their attempts to find loopholes. This statement is the climax of his argument against easy divorce, setting the stage for further discussion with his disciples about the sanctity of marriage.
Did you know Jesus didn't just allow marriage, He pointed to its very beginning to define it? See how creation itself speaks to this sacred union.
Jesus grounds His teaching on marriage not in human tradition or even Mosaic law, but in the original creation. He reminds the Pharisees (and us!) that God's design for male and female to become 'one flesh' was established from the very start. This isn't just a social contract; it's a divine blueprint.
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Jesus' words are a bold declaration against divorce. What makes this union so sacred that 'no man' can break it?
The core of Jesus' statement is the phrase, 'What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.' This isn't a suggestion; it's a profound truth about the nature of a God-ordained marriage.
Understand the original words
synezeuxen · Greek Verb
The divine act of binding two people together in marriage, underscoring that the covenant is fundamentally initiated and sanctified by God rather than human contract.
chōrizetō · Greek Verb
The act of dissolving a marriage bond; biblically condemned in this context as an intrusion into what God has sovereignly unified.
Jesus' teaching in Mark 10:9 goes against the prevailing lax attitudes towards divorce in His day, including practices seen in Herod's court. He re-establishes marriage as a sacred, God-ordained covenant, grounded in creation, and not to be broken by human caprice or even by the concessions later made in the Mosaic Law.
c. 1400 BC
Mosaic Law Established
The Law of Moses is given to Israel, which includes regulations concerning divorce (Deuteronomy 24:1-4). While allowing divorce under certain conditions, it is debated whether Moses commanded or merely permitted it due to Israel's 'hardness of heart.'
c. 25 BC - AD 30
Herod the Great's Marriages
Herod the Great, the client king of Judea, engaged in multiple marriages and divorces, including his marriage to Mariamne and later divorcing her. His illicit marriage to Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, scandalized many and eventually led to John the Baptist's execution.
c. AD 28-30— this verse
Jesus Teaches on Marriage and Divorce
During His ministry, Jesus is challenged by Pharisees about the lawfulness of divorce. He responds by pointing to the original creation order as God's ideal, emphasizing that marriage is a divine union intended to be indissoluble.
c. AD 30
John the Baptist Executed
John the Baptist boldly condemned Herod Antipas for his unlawful marriage to Herodias. This act of prophetic denunciation, directly related to the sanctity of marriage, resulted in John's imprisonment and execution.
This passage lays the foundation for marriage as a divine institution, stating 'a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh,' directly echoing Jesus' reasoning in Mark 10:9.
Matthew 19:6This verse is the parallel account in Matthew's Gospel, where Jesus states, 'So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.' It reinforces the unchanging nature of this divine decree.
Malachi 2:15-16This Old Testament passage condemns divorce, stating, 'the Lord... watches over the wife of your youth, against whom you have dealt treacherously. ... 'For I hate divorce, says the Lord God of Israel.' This highlights the consistent divine displeasure with marital separation throughout Scripture.
1 Corinthians 7:10-11The Apostle Paul, drawing from Jesus' teaching, instructs married people not to separate, indicating that divorce is not a permissible option within the Christian community unless it involves separation due to a partner's unlawful actions.
bengelMark 10:9: "What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder."
[9. Ὁ Θεὸς — ἄνθρωπος , God—man ) Whatsoever God doeth and ordaineth, it is man’s part to regard as an established principle. It is an impiety to accept as authoritative what God rejects; or to approve of what God censures.—V. g.]
calvinMark 10:2-12: "And the Pharisees came to him, and asked him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife? tempting him."
- And the Pharisees came to him, tempting him, and saying to him, Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause whatever? 4. Who answering said to them, Have you not read, that he who made them at first, [593] made them male and female? 5. And he said, Therefore shall a man leave his father and mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall be one flesh. 6. The…
Jesus isn't just talking about marriage as a human institution here; He's revealing a divine principle that transcends it. The phrase "what God has joined together" points to the fundamental unity and sacredness of the union that God Himself establishes, suggesting that any separation attempts to sever a connection rooted in the Creator's design. This elevates marriage beyond a contract to a sacred bond reflecting God's own creative act.
Jesus is directly answering a question from the Pharisees who are trying to trap him regarding the permissibility of divorce. He appeals to the creation account in Genesis, establishing God's original design for marriage as a lifelong, unified bond, and then directly quotes this principle to refute their attempts to find loopholes. This statement is the climax of his argument against easy divorce, setting the stage for further discussion with his disciples about the sanctity of marriage.
Jesus is directly answering a question from the Pharisees who are trying to trap him regarding the permissibility of divorce. He appeals to the creation account in Genesis, establishing God's original design for marriage as a lifelong, unified bond, and then directly quotes this principle to refute their attempts to find loopholes. This statement is the climax of his argument against easy divorce, setting the stage for further discussion with his disciples about the sanctity of marriage.
"What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”" — Jesus isn't just talking about marriage as a human institution here; He's revealing a divine principle that transcends it. The phrase "what God has joined together" points to the fundamental unity an…
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