Matthew 5:31-32
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Jesus is quoting a common interpretation of Old Testament law, but the text highlights that the "writing of divorcement" was meant to be a safeguard, not a casual permission slip, and was often abused for trivial reasons by men who thought mere formality absolved them. This reveals how easily religious rules can be distorted to serve personal convenience rather than God's intention for marriage.
“It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jesus is continuing His sermon on the mount, directly addressing the common understanding of the Mosaic Law regarding divorce. He quotes a prevailing interpretation of Deuteronomy 24:1, which permitted divorce with a certificate. This interpretation had become so lax that many Jews believed divorce was permissible for almost any reason, leading to widespread marital instability and abuse.
It seems straightforward enough: a husband could divorce his wife if he just gave her a 'certificate of divorce.' But Jesus saw something far deeper.
The religious leaders of Jesus' day had twisted the Mosaic Law concerning divorce. Deuteronomy 24:1 allowed for a 'bill of divorcement' in cases of 'some uncleanness.' However, the popular interpretation, especially championed by the school of Hillel, had reduced this to almost anything a husband disliked about his wife – even if he simply found another woman he preferred.
This turned a legal safeguard, intended to manage difficult situations and protect the woman in some way, into a license for casual dismissal. They focused on the external act of providing a document, believing that as long as they followed this procedure, they were in the clear with God.
Jesus, however, pulls back the curtain. He reveals that marriage isn't just a societal contract that can be easily dissolved by observing a legalistic loophole. It's a profound, God-ordained union, meant to be sacred and lasting.
Jesus wasn't just correcting a legalistic error; he was redefining the very nature of marriage. What did he say about its permanence?
When Jesus addresses divorce, he’s not just talking about the ceremony of separation. He’s talking about the spiritual reality of the marital bond. The 'certificate of divorce' was seen by many as completely severing the tie. But Jesus declared that this was not the case, except for a very specific reason.
He states that a man who divorces his wife (unless she has been unfaithful) causes her to commit adultery. This is a powerful statement! It means that, in God’s eyes, the marriage bond remains intact even after a civil divorce, if it wasn't justified by sexual unfaithfulness. The 'certificate' was a human legal tool, but the divine bond was something much stronger, meant to be broken only by extreme sin or by death.
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Understand the original words
apolyō · Greek Verb
To dismiss, release, or send away; in a marital context, it refers to the legal dissolution of the marriage bond.
apostasion · Greek Noun
A legal document or writing of separation given to a wife to certify the termination of a marriage, providing her legal protection.
porneia · Greek Noun
A broad term for sexual sin and unchastity, encompassing any sexual activity outside the biblical marriage covenant between a man and a woman.
moicheuō · Greek Verb
The violation of the marriage covenant through sexual relations with someone other than one's spouse, breaking the 'one flesh' union.
Jesus here directly addresses the lax interpretation of the Law regarding divorce that had become common practice. The Pharisees' popular understanding, influenced by the school of Hillel, allowed divorce for almost any reason, which Jesus corrects by pointing back to God's original design for marriage.
c. 1400 BC
Torah Given at Sinai
God gives the Law, including principles for marriage and divorce, to the Israelites through Moses.
c. 900 BC
Malachi's Warning
The prophet Malachi condemns the Israelites for treachery in marriage, lamenting that God 'hates divorce' (Malachi 2:16). This indicates a history of widespread, likely frivolous, divorce.
c. 40 BC - AD 30
Rabbinic Divorce Debates
The schools of Hillel and Shammai fiercely debated the grounds for divorce. Hillel's school allowed divorce for almost any reason a man disliked his wife, while Shammai's was stricter, allowing it only for unchastity.
c. AD 25— this verse
Jesus' Sermon on the Mount
Jesus addresses the crowds, teaching on the Law's true intent. He quotes the commonly accepted interpretation of Deuteronomy 24:1 regarding divorce.
c. AD 30
Jesus Teaches on Divorce
Later, in Mark 10, Jesus directly confronts the Pharisee's questions about divorce, stating that Moses permitted it 'because of your hardness of heart,' but that from the beginning it was not so.
This passage from the Old Testament is the direct source of the 'certificate of divorce' that Jesus references, showing the legal allowance for divorce in the Mosaic Law.
Malachi 2:16The prophet Malachi speaks out against divorce, stating that God 'hates it,' providing a strong prophetic voice against the common practice Jesus is addressing.
Matthew 19:8-9Here, Jesus directly addresses the Pharisees' question about divorce, referencing Moses' allowance 'because of your hardness of heart' and restoring the original intention of marriage from creation.
1 Corinthians 7:10-11The Apostle Paul echoes Jesus' teaching, instructing that a wife should not separate from her husband, and if she does, she should remain unmarried or be reconciled, reinforcing the sanctity of marriage.
This verse from the Apocrypha reflects the lax attitude towards divorce prevalent in Jewish thought, where a husband could discard a wife if she didn't please him, highlighting the societal norms Jesus was confronting.
calvinMatthew 5:31-32: "It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement:"
Again, it hath been said, Whoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement. [408] 32. But I say to you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, except on account of unchastity, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry a woman that is put away committeth adultery.
Whosoever putteth away his wife, and marrieth another, committeth a…
henryMatthew 5:27-32: "Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:"
5:27-32 Victory over the desires of the heart, must be attended with painful exertions. But it must be done. Every thing is bestowed to save us from our sins, not in them. All our senses and powers must be kept from those things which lead to transgression. Those who lead others into temptation to sin, by dress or in other ways, or leave them in it, or expose them to it, make themselves guilty…
Jesus is quoting a common interpretation of Old Testament law, but the text highlights that the "writing of divorcement" was meant to be a safeguard, not a casual permission slip, and was often abused for trivial reasons by men who thought mere formality absolved them. This reveals how easily religious rules can be distorted to serve personal convenience rather than God's intention for marriage.
Jesus is continuing His sermon on the mount, directly addressing the common understanding of the Mosaic Law regarding divorce. He quotes a prevailing interpretation of Deuteronomy 24:1, which permitted divorce with a certificate. This interpretation had become so lax that many Jews believed divorce was permissible for almost any reason, leading to widespread marital instability and abuse.
Jesus is continuing His sermon on the mount, directly addressing the common understanding of the Mosaic Law regarding divorce. He quotes a prevailing interpretation of Deuteronomy 24:1, which permitted divorce with a certificate. This interpretation had become so lax that many Jews believed divorce was permissible for almost any reason, leading to widespread marital instability and abuse.
"“It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a di…" — Jesus is quoting a common interpretation of Old Testament law, but the text highlights that the "writing of divorcement" was meant to be a safeguard, not a casual permission slip, and was often abuse…
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Last reviewed October 2026
