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Read the Bible

Contemporary English Version

Matthew 19:7

The Pharisees asked Jesus, "Why did Moses say that a man could write out divorce papers and send his wife away?"

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Divorce;   Jesus, the Christ;   Marriage;   Scofield Reference Index - Kingdom;   Thompson Chain Reference - Divorce;   Foes of the Home;   Home;   The Topic Concordance - Divorce;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Husbands;   Marriage;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Woman;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Adultery;   Divorce;   Ethics;   Government;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Divorce;   Hardening, Hardness of Heart;   Homosexuality;   Marriage;   Woman;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Hutchinsonians;   Marriage;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Concubine;   Deuteronomy;   Divorce;   Wife;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Law;   Matthew, the Gospel According to;   Pentateuch;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Apostasy;   Divorce;   History;   Marriage;   Matthew, the Gospel of;   Woman;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Christianity;   Law;   Moses;   Text of the New Testament;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Asceticism (2);   Bill;   Celibacy (2);   Character;   Common Life;   Discourse;   Divorce (2);   Eunuch ;   Example;   Home (2);   Law of God;   Moses ;   Questions and Answers;   Searching;   Supremacy;   Womanliness;   Writing;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Divorce;   Marriage;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Concubine;   Lamech;   Marriage;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Deuteronomy;   Law of Moses;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Pharisees;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Garden of Eden;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Divorce in Old Testament;   Divorce in New Testament;   Family;   Law in the New Testament;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Divorce;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
“Why then,” they asked him, “did Moses command us to give divorce papers and to send her away?”
King James Version (1611)
They say vnto him, Why did Moses then command to giue a writing of diuorcement, and to put her away?
King James Version
They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away?
English Standard Version
They said to him, "Why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce and to send her away?"
New American Standard Bible
They said to Him, "Why, then, did Moses command to GIVE HER A CERTIFICATE OF DIVORCE AND SEND HER AWAY?"
New Century Version
The Pharisees asked, "Why then did Moses give a command for a man to divorce his wife by giving her divorce papers?"
Amplified Bible
The Pharisees said to Him, "Why then did Moses command us to GIVE HER A CERTIFICATE OF DIVORCE AND SEND HER AWAY?"
Geneva Bible (1587)
They said to him, Why did then Moses commaund to giue a bill of diuorcement, and to put her away?
New American Standard Bible (1995)
They said to Him, "Why then did Moses command to GIVE HER A CERTIFICATE OF DIVORCE AND SEND her AWAY?"
Legacy Standard Bible
They *said to Him, "Why then did Moses command to give her a certificate of divorce and send her away?"
Berean Standard Bible
"Why then," they asked, "did Moses order a man to give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?"
Complete Jewish Bible
They said to him, "Then why did Moshe give the commandment that a man should hand his wife a get and divorce her?"
Darby Translation
They say to him, Why then did Moses command to give a letter of divorce and to send [her] away?
Easy-to-Read Version
The Pharisees asked, "Then why did Moses give a command allowing a man to divorce his wife by writing a certificate of divorce?"
George Lamsa Translation
They said to him, Why then did Moses command to give a letter of separation and then divorce her?
Good News Translation
The Pharisees asked him, "Why, then, did Moses give the law for a man to hand his wife a divorce notice and send her away?"
Lexham English Bible
They said to him, "Why then did Moses command us to give a document—a certificate of divorce—and to divorce her?"
Literal Translation
They said to Him, Why then did Moses command to "give a bill of divorce," "and to put her away"? Deut. 24:1
American Standard Version
They say unto him, Why then did Moses command to give a bill of divorcement, and to put her away?
Bible in Basic English
They say to him, Why then did Moses give orders that a husband might give her a statement in writing and be free from her?
Hebrew Names Version
They asked him, "Why then did Moshe command us to give her a bill of divorce, and divorce her?"
International Standard Version
They asked him, "Why, then, did Moses order us 'to give a certificate of divorce and divorce her'?"Deuteronomy 24:1,3">[fn]Deuteronomy 24:1; Matthew 5:31;">[xr]
Etheridge Translation
They said to him, Why then did Musha direct that he should give a writing of dismissal and send her away?
Murdock Translation
They say to him: Why then did Moses command to give a bill of divorce, and to put her away?
Bishop's Bible (1568)
They say vnto hym: why did Moyses then commaunde to geue a writyng of diuorcement, and to put her away?
English Revised Version
They say unto him, Why then did Moses command to give a bill of divorcement, and to put her away?
World English Bible
They asked him, "Why then did Moses command us to give her a bill of divorce, and divorce her?"
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
They say to him, Why then did Moses command to give a writing of divorce and put her away?
Weymouth's New Testament
"Why then," said they, "did Moses command the husband to give her `a written notice of divorce,' and so put her away?"
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Thei seien to hym, What thanne comaundide Moises, to yyue a libel of forsakyng, and to leeue of?
Update Bible Version
They say to him, Why then did Moses command to give a bill of divorce, and to divorce her?
Webster's Bible Translation
They say to him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away?
New English Translation
They said to him, "Why then did Moses command us to give a certificate of dismissal and to divorce her?"
New King James Version
They said to Him, "Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away?"
New Living Translation
"Then why did Moses say in the law that a man could give his wife a written notice of divorce and send her away?" they asked.
New Life Bible
The proud religious law-keepers said to Jesus, "Then why did the Law of Moses allow a man to divorce his wife if he put it down in writing and gave it to her?"
New Revised Standard
They said to him, "Why then did Moses command us to give a certificate of dismissal and to divorce her?"
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
They say unto him - Why then did, Moses, command, to give a writing of repudiation and to divorce?
Douay-Rheims Bible
They say to him: Why then did Moses command to give a bill of divorce, and to put away?
Revised Standard Version
They said to him, "Why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away?"
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
The sayde they to him: why did Moses comaunde to geve a testimoniall of divorsemet and to put hyr awaye?
Young's Literal Translation
They say to him, `Why then did Moses command to give a roll of divorce, and to put her away?'
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Then sayde they: Why dyd Moses then comaunde to geue a testimonyall of deuorsement, & to put her awaye?
Mace New Testament (1729)
why then, said they, did Moses permit to give a writ of divorce to repudiate the wife?
THE MESSAGE
They shot back in rebuttal, "If that's so, why did Moses give instructions for divorce papers and divorce procedures?"
Simplified Cowboy Version
"Why then," they replied, "did Moses say a man could fill out a piece of paper that busted up the wedlock and then he could send her packin'?"

Contextual Overview

3 Some Pharisees wanted to test Jesus. They came up to him and asked, "Is it right for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?" 4 Jesus answered, "Don't you know that in the beginning the Creator made a man and a woman? 5 That's why a man leaves his father and mother and gets married. He becomes like one person with his wife. 6 Then they are no longer two people, but one. And no one should separate a couple that God has joined together." 7 The Pharisees asked Jesus, "Why did Moses say that a man could write out divorce papers and send his wife away?" 8 Jesus replied, "You are so heartless! That's why Moses allowed you to divorce your wife. But from the beginning God did not intend it to be that way. 9 I say that if your wife has not committed some terrible sexual sin, you must not divorce her to marry someone else. If you do, you are unfaithful." 10 The disciples said, "If that's how it is between a man and a woman, it's better not to get married." 11 Jesus told them, "Only those people who have been given the gift of staying single can accept this teaching. 12 Some people are unable to marry because of birth defects or because of what someone has done to their bodies. Others stay single for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Anyone who can accept this teaching should do so."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Why: Matthew 5:31, Deuteronomy 24:1-4, Isaiah 50:1, Jeremiah 3:8, Mark 10:4

and to: Matthew 1:19, Malachi 2:16

Reciprocal: John 5:45 - in

Cross-References

Genesis 19:4
Before Lot and his guests could go to bed, every man in Sodom, young and old, came and stood outside his house
Genesis 19:9
"Don't get in our way," the crowd answered. "You're an outsider. What right do you have to order us around? We'll do worse things to you than we're going to do to them." The crowd kept arguing with Lot. Finally, they rushed toward the door to break it down.
Genesis 19:11
Then they struck everyone in the crowd blind, and none of them could even find the door.
Genesis 19:23
The sun was coming up as Lot reached the town of Zoar,
Genesis 19:24
and the Lord sent burning sulfur down like rain on Sodom and Gomorrah.
Leviticus 18:22
It is disgusting for a man to have sex with another man.
Leviticus 20:13
It's disgusting for men to have sex with one another, and those who do will be put to death, just as they deserve.
Deuteronomy 23:17
Moses said: People of Israel, don't any of you ever be temple prostitutes.
Judges 19:23
The old man went outside and said, "My friends, please don't commit such a horrible crime against a man who is a guest in my house.
Acts 17:26
From one person God made all nations who live on earth, and he decided when and where every nation would be.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

They say unto him,.... That is the Pharisees, who object the law of Moses to him, hoping hereby to ensnare him, and expose him to the resentment of the people, should he reject that, as they supposed he would;

why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and put her away? referring to Deuteronomy 24:1 which they thought to be a contradiction, and what they knew not how to reconcile to the doctrine Christ had delivered, concerning the original institution of marriage, and the close union there is between a man and his wife, by virtue of it, and which is not to be dissolved by men. Concerning a writing of divorcement and the form, and manner of it,

see Gill "Mt 5:31"

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Why did Moses ... - To this they objected that Moses had allowed such divorces Deuteronomy 24:1; and if he had allowed them, they inferred that they could not be unlawful. See the notes at Matthew 5:31.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Matthew 19:7. Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement? — It is not an unusual case for the impure and unholy to seek for a justification of their conduct from the law of God itself, and to wrest Scripture to their own destruction. I knew a gentleman, so called, who professed deep reverence for the sacred writings, and, strange as it may appear, was outwardly irreproachable in every respect but one; that was, he kept more women than his wife. This man frequently read the Bible, and was particularly conversant with those places that spoke of or seemed to legalize the polygamy of the patriarchs!

A writing of divorcement — See the form of it in Clarke's note on "Matthew 5:31".


 
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