Matthew 5:31
It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement:
Original Language Analysis
ὅτι
G3754
ὃς
Whosoever
G3739
ὃς
Whosoever
Strong's:
G3739
Word #:
4 of 12
the relatively (sometimes demonstrative) pronoun, who, which, what, that
ἀπολύσῃ
shall put away
G630
ἀπολύσῃ
shall put away
Strong's:
G630
Word #:
6 of 12
to free fully, i.e., (literally) relieve, release, dismiss (reflexively, depart), or (figuratively) let die, pardon or (specially) divorce
τὴν
G3588
τὴν
Strong's:
G3588
Word #:
7 of 12
the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in english idiom)
αὐτῇ
her
G846
αὐτῇ
her
Strong's:
G846
Word #:
9 of 12
the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative g1438) of the third person, and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other persons
δότω
let him give
G1325
δότω
let him give
Strong's:
G1325
Word #:
10 of 12
to give (used in a very wide application, properly, or by implication, literally or figuratively; greatly modified by the connection)
Cross References
Jeremiah 3:1They say, If a man put away his wife, and she go from him, and become another man's, shall he return unto her again? shall not that land be greatly polluted? but thou hast played the harlot with many lovers; yet return again to me, saith the LORD.Matthew 19:7They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away?Matthew 19:3The 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?
Historical Context
Jewish rabbis debated divorce grounds extensively. Rabbi Hillel's school allowed divorce for nearly any reason ('she burned dinner'), while Rabbi Shammai permitted it only for adultery. Men could divorce easily; women had no such right. Jesus will affirm Shammai's stricter view.
Questions for Reflection
- How has cultural acceptance of easy divorce affected our view of marriage's permanence?
- What does God's original design for marriage teach about His covenant faithfulness?
Related Resources
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Analysis & Commentary
Jesus addresses the Law's provision for divorce (Deuteronomy 24:1-4), which Moses allowed because of hard hearts. But divorce was never God's ideal. The 'writing of divorcement' was meant to protect women from being abandoned without legal status, but men abused this provision.