Matthew 19:9

"He said to them, “Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it has not been so."

Key Reflection

In the first-century Jewish context, the commandment given by Moses in Deuteronomy 24:1 allowed for divorce, but this was due to the hardness of hearts and not God's original intention. Jesus clarifies that according to the divine plan from the creation of humanity, marriage was meant to be lifelong and indissoluble, highlighting the distortion caused by human stubbornness and lack of understanding of God's original design.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

Verse 9. And I say unto you. Emphasis should be laid here on the word I. This was the opinion of Jesus--this he proclaimed to be the law of his kingdom--this the command of God ever afterwards. Indulgence had been given by. the laws of Moses; but that indulgence was to cease, and the marriage relation to be brought back to its original intention. Only one offence was to make divorce lawful. This is the law of God. And by the same law, all marriages which take place after divorce, where adultery is not the cause of divorce, are adulterous.

Related Verses

More from Matthew 19

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

Go deeper with Bible.talk - your AI Bible study companion