Matthew 19:3–9

Context

This passage records Jesus' answer to a question from the Pharisees, who came to him "tempting him" after he had left Galilee and come into the region of Judea beyond the Jordan (Matthew 19:1–2). The Pharisees asked whether it was lawful for a man to put away his wife "for every cause," that is, for any reason at all. The background commonly cited for this question is the debate among the rabbinic schools of the time (the schools of Hillel and Shammai) over whether the "uncleanness" of Deuteronomy 24:1–4 should be understood broadly or narrowly.

Jesus cited Genesis 1:27 and 2:24 to explain that husband and wife are "one flesh." He answered that the Mosaic provision for a writing of divorcement was permitted "because of the hardness of your hearts," that is, on account of the stubbornness of the human heart. The exception clause in verse 9, "except it be for fornication," also appears in Matthew 5:31–32, but it is absent from the parallel passages in Mark 10:2–12 and Luke 16:18.

Interpretations

• Catholic reading: The Catholic Church regards a validly contracted marriage as a sacrament (a holy rite that conveys grace) and holds that it cannot be dissolved while both spouses are living. It permits separation but not remarriage. One well-known interpretation understands the "fornication" (Greek porneia) of the exception clause as referring to a marriage that was never valid from the beginning, such as an incestuous union.
• Presbyterian and Reformed reading: Chapter 24 of the Westminster Confession of Faith recognizes adultery and willful desertion (a spouse's deliberate abandonment of the other) as grounds for divorce and permits the innocent party to remarry.
• Strict reading: Some evangelical scholars and churches hold that even if the exception clause permits divorce, it does not extend to remarriage. Another view limits the exception to unfaithfulness during the betrothal period.
• Pastoral reading: Some theologians and denominations regard these words less as a legal provision than as a declaration intended to restore the original meaning of marriage. They hold that practical application must also take into account individual circumstances such as domestic violence.

Debates and Issues

• The scope of "fornication": Interpreters differ over whether porneia refers only to adultery or to sexual immorality more broadly.
• Textual question: Some manuscripts add words at the end of verse 9 to the effect that "whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery." A number of translations, including the Korean Revised Version (Gaeyeok Hangeul), do not include these words in the text.
• Citation beyond the original context: The phrase "male and female" in verse 4 is also cited in debates over the definition of marriage. One side sees it as expressing an understanding of marriage grounded in the created order, while the other, noting that it was originally an answer to a question about divorce, takes a different view of how far it can serve as a basis for argument.

In the Korean Church

Verse 6, "What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder," is frequently quoted in the pronouncement of marriage at wedding services and in officiants' wedding sermons. Standards for whether divorced or remarried church members may hold church office differ among denominations and individual congregations (see Divorce and Remarriage).

Related Passages

• Genesis 2:20–24
• Mark 10:2–12
• Deuteronomy 24:1–4
• 1 Corinthians 7:10–15
• Malachi 2:14–16