the Week of Proper 25 / Ordinary 30
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King James Version
Matthew 5:31
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"It was also said, ‘Any man who divorces his wife must give her a written notice of divorce.'
It ys sayd whosoever put awaye his wyfe let hym geve her a testymonyall also of the devorcement.
"It was also said, 'Whoever divorces his wife must give her a written notice of divorce.'Deuteronomy 24:1,3">[fn]Deuteronomy 24:1; Jeremiah 3:1; Matthew 19:3; Mark 10:2;">[xr]
"Now it was said, 'WHOEVER SENDS HIS WIFE AWAY IS TO GIVE HER A CERTIFICATE OF DIVORCE';
"It was also said, ‘Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a written divorce paper.'
It was said also, Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a writing of divorce:
It hath been said, Whoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement:
"It has also been said, 'WHOEVER DIVORCES HIS WIFE IS TO GIVE HER A CERTIFICATE OF DIVORCE';
"It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.'
"It was also said, 'Whoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorce,'
It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of Divorce.
"It was also said, `If any man puts away his wife, let him give her a written notice of divorce.'
And it hath be seyd, Who euere leeueth his wijf, yyue he to hir a libel of forsakyng.
It was said also, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement:
It has also been said, 'Whoever divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.'
You have been taught that a man who divorces his wife must write out divorce papers for her.
It was said also, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement:
Again, it was said, Whoever puts away his wife has to give her a statement in writing for this purpose:
"It was said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife must give her a get.'
It has been said too, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a letter of divorce.
It hath been said, that he who looseth his wife should give her a writing of divorcement.
It hath been said, That if a man will put away his wife, he must give her a writing of divorcement.
It hath beene said, Whosoeuer shall put away his wife, let him giue her a writing of diuorcement.
"You have heard the law that says, ‘A man can divorce his wife by merely giving her a written notice of divorce.'
"It has been said, ‘Whoever wants to divorce his wife should have it put in writing, telling her he is leaving her.'
"It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.'
It hath bene sayd also, Whosoeuer shall put away his wife, let him giue her a bill of diuorcement.
It has been said that whoever divorces his wife, must give her the divorce papers.
It was said, moreover, Whosoever shall divorce his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement;
And it hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a bill of divorce.
"It was also said, 'Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.'
It is saide: whosoeuer putteth away his wyfe, let hym geue her a wrytyng of diuorcement.
"It was also said, ‘Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a written notice of divorce.'
“It was also said, Whoever divorces
"It was also said, 'Whoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorce,'
"And it was said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.'
It was also said, Whoever puts away his wife, "let him give her a bill of divorce." Deut. 24:1
`And it was said, That whoever may put away his wife, let him give to her a writing of divorce;
It is sayde: whosoeuer putteth awaye his wyfe, let hym geue her a testimony all of the deuorcemet.
It hath been said, whoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a bill of divorce.
"Remember the Scripture that says, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him do it legally, giving her divorce papers and her legal rights'? Too many of you are using that as a cover for selfishness and whim, pretending to be righteous just because you are ‘legal.' Please, no more pretending. If you divorce your wife, you're responsible for making her an adulteress (unless she has already made herself that by sexual promiscuity). And if you marry such a divorced adulteress, you're automatically an adulterer yourself. You can't use legal cover to mask a moral failure.
"It was said, ‘ Whoever divorces his wife must give her a legal document .'
Matthew 19:9; Mark 10:11,12; Luke 16:18">[xr] "Furthermore it has been said, "Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.'
"It's been said that, 'If anyone gets a divorce from his wife, he's gotta give her the papers that say so.'
"It was said, 'WHOEVER SENDS HIS WIFE AWAY, LET HIM GIVE HER A CERTIFICATE OF DIVORCE';
"Now it was said, ‘Whoever sends his wife away, let him give her a certificate of divorce';
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
whosoever: Matthew 19:3, Matthew 19:7, Deuteronomy 24:1-4, Jeremiah 3:1, Mark 10:2-9
Reciprocal: Malachi 2:16 - the Lord Mark 10:4 - General Mark 10:11 - Whosoever
Gill's Notes on the Bible
It hath been said,.... It is not added here, as in the former instances, "by them of old time"; nor prefaced with these words, "ye have heard"; because the case of divorce was not any law of Moses, or of God by him; but only a permission, because of the hardness of the hearts of the Jews: and as to the controversy, about the causes of divorce, this was not debated by them of old time, but was a new thing, just started in the time of Christ; and was a controversy then agitating, between the schools of Hillell and Shammai: the one allowing it upon any frivolous cause; the other, only on account of adultery.
Whosoever shall put away his wife, dissolve the marriage bond, dismiss her from his bed, and send her from his house, see
Deuteronomy 24:1 "let him give her a writing of divorcement", ספר ×ר×תת, "a bill of divorcement", or "a book of cutting off". For though a wife was obtained by several ways, there was but one way of dismissing her, as the Jews observe f, and that was, by giving her a bill. The form of a writing of divorcement, as given by Maimonides g, is as follows:
"On such a day of the week, in such a month, of such a year, either from the creation, or the epocha of contracts, according to the usual way of computation, which we observe in such a place; I such an one, the son of such an one, of such a place; or if I have any other name, or surname, or my parents, or my place, or the place of my parents; by my own will, without any force, I put away, dismiss, and divorce thee. Thee, I say, who art such an one, the daughter of such an one, of such a place; or if thou hast any other name, or surname, or thy parents, or thy place, or the place of thy parents; who wast my wife heretofore, but now I put thee away, dismiss and divorce thee; so that thou art in thine own hand, and hast power over thyself, to go, and marry any other man, whom thou pleasest; and let no man hinder thee in my name, from this day forward and for ever; and lo! thou art free to any man: and let this be unto thee, from me, a bill of divorce, an instrument of dismission, and a letter of forsaking, according to the law of Moses and Israel.''
"Such an one, the son of such an one, witness. Such an one, the son of such an one, witness.''
Would you choose to have one of these bills, filled up in proper form, take it in manner h following.
"On the fourth day of the week, on the eleventh day of the month Cisleu, in the year five thousand four hundred and fifty four, from the creation of the world; according to the computation which we follow here, in the city of Amsterdam, which is called Amstelredam; situated by the sea side, called Taya, and by the river Amstel; I Abraham, the son of Benjamin, surnamed Wolphius, the priest; and at this time dwelling in the city of Amsterdam, which is called Amstelredam, which is situated by the sea side, called Taya, and by the river Amstel; or if I have any other name, or surname, or my parents, or my place, or the place of my parents; by my own free will, without any compulsion, I put away, dismiss, and divorce thee, my wife Rebecca, the daughter of Jonas the Levite; who at this time abides in the city of Amsterdam, called Amstelredam, situated by the sea side, called Taya, and by the river Amstel; or if thou hast any other name, or surname, or thy parents, or thy place, or the place of thy parents, who wast heretofore my wife; but now I put thee away, dismiss, and divorce thee; so that thou art in thine own hands, and hast power over thyself, to go and marry any other man, whom thou pleasest: and let no man hinder thee in my name, from this day forward, and for ever; and lo! thou art free to any man. Let this be to thee, from me, a bill of divorce, an instrument of dismission, and a letter of forsaking, according to the law of Moses and Israel.''
"Sealtiel, the son of Paltiel, witness. Calonymus, the son of Gabriel, witness.''
This bill being written in twelve lines, neither more nor less, and being sealed by the husband, and signed by the witnesses, was delivered, either by him, or by a messenger, or deputy of his or hers, into her hand, lap, or bosom, in the presence of two persons; after which, she might, if she would, enrol it in the public records, and marry whom she pleased.
f Baal Hatturim in Deut. xxiv. 1. Maimon. Hilchot Ishot, c. 1. sect. 2, 3. g Hilchot Gerushin, c. 4. sect. 12. h In Surenhusii Misna, Vol. III. p. 324. Vid. Moses Kotsensis Mitzvot Tora pr. affirm. 50.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
It hath been said ... - That is, by Moses, Deuteronomy 24:1-2. The husband was directed, if he put his wife away, to give her a bill of divorce, that is a certificate of the fact she had been his wife, and that he had dissolved the marriage. There was considerable difference of opinion among the Jews for what causes the husband was permitted to do this. One of their famous schools maintained that it might be done for any cause, however trivial. The other maintained that adultery only could justify it. The truth was, however, that the husband exercised this right at pleasure; that he was judge in the case, and dismissed his wife when and for what cause he chose. And this seems to be agreeable to the law in Deuteronomy. Our Saviour in Mark 10:1-12, says that this was permitted on account of the hardness of their hearts, but that in the beginning it was not so. God made a single pair, and ordained marriage for life. But Moses found the people so much hardened; so long accustomed to the practice, and so rebellious, that, as a matter of civil appointment, he thought it best not to attempt any change. Our Saviour brought marriage back to its original intention, and declared that whosoever put away his wife henceforward, except for one offence, should be guilty of adultery. This is now the law of God. This was the original institution. This is the only law that is productive of peace and good morals, and that secures the respect due to a wife, and the good of children. Nor has any man or set of men - any legislature or any court, civil or ecclesiastical - a right to interfere, and declare that divorces may be granted for any other cause. They, therefore, whoever they may be, who are divorced for any cause except the single one of adultery, if they marry again, are, according to the Scriptures, living in adultery. No earthly laws can trample down the laws of God, or make that right which he has solemnly pronounced wrong.
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse 31. Whosoever shall put away his wife — The Jewish doctors gave great license in the matter of divorce. Among them, a man might divorce his wife if she displeased him even in the dressing of his victuals!
Rabbi Akiba said, "If any man saw a woman handsomer than his own wife, he might put his wife away; because it is said in the law, If she find not favour in his eyes." Deuteronomy 24:1.
Josephus, the celebrated Jewish historian, in his Life, tells us, with the utmost coolness and indifference, "About this time I put away my wife, who had borne me three children, not being pleased with her manners."
These two cases are sufficient to show to what a scandalous and criminal excess this matter was carried among the Jews. However, it was allowed by the school of Shammai, that no man was to put away his wife unless for adultery. The school of Hillel gave much greater license.
A writing of divorcement — The following is the common form of such a writing. See Maimonides and Lightfoot.
"On the day of the week A. in the month B. in the year C. from the beginning of the world, according to the common computation in the province of D., I, N. the son of N. by whatever name I am called, of the city E. with entire consent of mind, and without any compulsion, have divorced, dismissed, and expelled thee-thee, I say, M. the daughter of M. by whatever name thou art called, of the city E. who wast heretofore my wife: but now I have dismissed thee-thee, I say, M. the daughter of M. by whatever name thou art called, of the city E. so as to be free, and at thine own disposal, to marry whomsoever thou pleasest, without hinderance from any one, from this day for ever. Thou art therefore free for any man. Let this be thy bill of divorce from me, a writing of separation and expulsion, according to the law of Moses and Israel.
REUBEN, son of Jacob, Witness.
ELIEZAR, son of Gilead, Witness."
God permitted this evil to prevent a greater; and, perhaps, to typify his repudiating the Jews, who were his first spouse.
