He said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jesus highlights that Moses' allowance for divorce wasn't a divine ideal but a concession to a difficult people, showing that God's original design for marriage was unbreakable union. He's not just contrasting Moses with God's perfect will, but also correcting the Pharisees' misuse of the Law by elevating the heart of God's design over human legalisms.
He said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jesus is responding to the Pharisees who are trying to trap him by asking about divorce. After he reminds them of God's original design for marriage as a lifelong union between one man and one woman, they push back, pointing to Moses' law that permitted divorce. Jesus then clarifies that this permission was a concession, not God's ideal, and was given due to the people's stubborn resistance to God's will.
The Pharisees tried to trap Jesus by asking about divorce. His answer reveals a tension between God's original design and the concessions made to human weakness.
Jesus confronts the Pharisees' legalistic question about divorce by pointing to the creation ordinance. He clarifies that Moses' permission for divorce wasn't God's ideal, but a concession.
A Necessary Compromise
Jesus identifies 'hardness of heart' as the reason for Moses' allowance of divorce. What does this spiritual condition look like in practice?
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The phrase 'hardness of heart' (Greek: sklerokardia) points to a stubborn, unfeeling, and rebellious disposition, particularly towards God and His ways.
Understanding the 'Hard Heart'
Understand the original words
sklerokardian · Greek Noun
A figurative expression describing spiritual stubbornness, obstinacy, or a heart that is resistant to God’s will and moral truth, rendering people incapable of fully adhering to God's original standards.
This verse highlights a critical tension between God's original design for marriage and the concessions made in the Mosaic Law due to human sinfulness. It shows Jesus pushing back against rabbinic interpretations that had diluted the sanctity of marriage, grounding his teaching in creation, not merely legal permission.
~1445 BC
Mosaic Law Promulgated
During the Exodus, Moses delivers the Law to the Israelites, including regulations for marriage and divorce that reflect the societal norms and challenges of the time.
c. 500 BC - 1st Century AD
Development of Divorce Interpretations
Over centuries, different rabbinical schools debate the interpretation of Deuteronomy 24:1-4, leading to a more lenient view on divorce, particularly the Hillelite school's acceptance of divorce for 'any cause'. This period sees the codification of practices that Jesus addresses.
c. AD 30— this verse
Jesus Teaches on Marriage and Divorce
In response to Pharisees challenging him, Jesus references the creation account to argue for the original, indissoluble nature of marriage, stating that Moses permitted divorce only because of the people's 'hardness of heart'.
c. AD 60-62
Paul's Epistles Address Marriage
The Apostle Paul writes letters that touch upon marriage and divorce within the context of the early church, offering guidance that aligns with Jesus' emphasis on faithfulness and discusses separation in specific circumstances.
This passage establishes the foundational, God-ordained union of one man and one woman as the ideal from creation, directly contrasting with the allowance for divorce mentioned in Matthew 19:8.
Genesis 2:24Jesus directly quotes this verse to emphasize the profound unity of marriage ('one flesh'), highlighting that divorce is a violation of this divine design, which Moses' allowance accommodated but did not reflect as its original intent.
Deuteronomy 24:1-4This passage is the Mosaic Law that permitted divorce, which Jesus addresses in Matthew 19:8 as a concession to Israel's 'hardness of heart,' not as God's original ideal for marriage.
Malachi 2:14-16This prophet condemns divorce, calling it a 'hatred' and a violation of the covenant of marriage, echoing Jesus' emphasis on the sanctity of the marital bond that the allowance for divorce undermined.
calvinMatthew 19:3-9: "The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?"
- 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…
henryMatthew 19:3-12: "The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?"
19:3-12 The Pharisees were desirous of drawing something from Jesus which they might represent as contrary to the law of Moses. Cases about marriage have been numerous, and sometimes perplexed; made so, not by the law of God, but by the lusts and follies of men; and often people fix what they will do, before they ask for advice. Jesus replied by as…
Jesus highlights that Moses' allowance for divorce wasn't a divine ideal but a concession to a difficult people, showing that God's original design for marriage was unbreakable union. He's not just contrasting Moses with God's perfect will, but also correcting the Pharisees' misuse of the Law by elevating the heart of God's design over human legalisms.
Jesus is responding to the Pharisees who are trying to trap him by asking about divorce. After he reminds them of God's original design for marriage as a lifelong union between one man and one woman, they push back, pointing to Moses' law that permitted divorce. Jesus then clarifies that this permission was a concession, not God's ideal, and was given due to the people's stubborn resistance to God's will.
Jesus is responding to the Pharisees who are trying to trap him by asking about divorce. After he reminds them of God's original design for marriage as a lifelong union between one man and one woman, they push back, pointing to Moses' law that permitted divorce. Jesus then clarifies that this permission was a concession, not God's ideal, and was given due to the people's stubborn resistance to God's will.
"He said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so." — Jesus highlights that Moses' allowance for divorce wasn't a divine ideal but a concession to a difficult people, showing that God's original design for marriage was unbreakable union. He's not just c…
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Last reviewed October 2026