Mark 10:4

Analysis & Commentary

The Pharisees answered, 'Moses suffered to write a bill of divorcement, and to put her away' (Μωϋσῆς ἐπέτρεψεν βιβλίον ἀποστασίου γράψαι καὶ ἀπολῦσαι). They cite Deuteronomy 24:1's provision for divorce certificate (biblion apostasiou, βιβλίον ἀποστασίου, 'certificate of dismissal'). Notably, they changed Jesus' word 'command' (v. 3) to 'suffered' (epetrepsen, ἐπέτρεψεν, 'permitted')—tacitly acknowledging this was concession, not divine ideal. The certificate's purpose was to protect the divorced woman—providing legal documentation of her freedom to remarry without being charged with adultery. This regulation assumed divorce's reality and sought to mitigate harm, but didn't endorse divorce as good. The Pharisees' answer reveals their focus on legal technicalities rather than God's heart for marriage.

Historical Context

Deuteronomy 24:1-4 required a written divorce certificate, protecting women from capricious abandonment without legal recourse. In ancient Near Eastern patriarchal society, divorced women faced severe economic and social disadvantage. The certificate (get in Hebrew, biblion apostasiou in Greek) provided legal proof the marriage was dissolved, allowing remarriage. Without it, a divorced woman remarrying could be charged with adultery (punishable by death, Leviticus 20:10). Moses' law thus regulated an evil practice, preventing worse evil. Jewish divorce procedure in Jesus' day involved witnesses and proper documentation. The debate wasn't whether divorce was legal (Mosaic law permitted it) but under what circumstances. Jesus would transcend this legal debate by returning to Genesis' creational norm.

Questions for Reflection

• How does the shift from 'command' to 'permitted' reveal the difference between God's ideal and His accommodation to human sin?
• What does Moses' protective regulation (requiring a certificate) teach about the role of law in restraining evil's harm even when it cannot eliminate evil?