1 If a man takes a wife, and after they are married she is unpleasing to him because of some bad quality in her, let him give her a statement in writing and send her away from his house.
They say to him, Why then did Moses give orders that a husband might give her a statement in writing and be free from her? He says to them, Moses, because of your hard hearts, let you put away your wives: but it has not been so from the first. And I say to you, Whoever puts away his wife for any other cause than the loss of her virtue, and takes another, is a false husband: and he who takes her as his wife when she is put away, is no true husband to her.
If any man takes a wife, and having had connection with her, has no delight in her,
And though she saw that, because Israel, turning away from me, had been untrue to me, I had put her away and given her a statement in writing ending the relation between us, still Judah, her false sister, had no fear, but went and did the same.
And if he takes another woman, her food and clothing and her married rights are not to be less.
And if the second husband has no love for her and, giving her a statement in writing, sends her away; or if death comes to the second husband to whom she was married;
This is the word of the Lord: Where is the statement which I gave your mother when I put her away? or to which of my creditors have I given you for money? It was for your sins that you were given into the hands of others, and for your evil-doing was your mother put away.
Again, it was said, Whoever puts away his wife has to give her a statement in writing for this purpose: But I say to you that everyone who puts away his wife for any other cause but the loss of her virtue, makes her false to her husband; and whoever takes her as his wife after she is put away, is no true husband to her.
Everyone who puts away his wife and takes another, is a false husband: and he who is married to a woman whose husband has put her away, is no true husband to her.
If a man has two wives, one greatly loved and the other hated, and the two of them have had children by him; and if the first son is the child of the hated wife:
And Joseph, her husband, being an upright man, and not desiring to make her a public example, had a mind to put her away privately.
And they said to him, Moses let us give her a statement in writing, and be free from her. But Jesus said to them, Because of your hard hearts he gave you this law. But from the first, male and female made he them. For this cause will a man go away from his father and mother, and be joined to his wife; And the two will become one flesh; so that they are no longer two, but one flesh. Let not that which has been joined together by God be parted by man. And in the house the disciples put questions to him again about this thing. And he said to them, Whoever puts away his wife and takes another, is false to his wife; And if she herself puts away her husband and takes another, she is false to her husband.
(Or if she goes away from him, let her keep unmarried, or be united to her husband again); and that the husband may not go away from his wife. But to the rest I say, and not the Lord; If a brother has a wife who is not a Christian, and it is her desire to go on living with him, let him not go away from her.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Deuteronomy 24
Commentary on Deuteronomy 24 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 24
In this chapter we have,
Deu 24:1-4
This is that permission which the Pharisees erroneously referred to as a precept, Mt. 19:7, Moses commanded to give a writing of divorcement. It was not so; our Saviour told them that he only suffered it because of the hardness of their hearts, lest, if they had not had liberty to divorce their wives, they should have ruled them with rigour, and it may be, have been the death of them. It is probable that divorces were in use before (they are taken for granted, Lev. 21:14), and Moses thought it needful here to give some rules concerning them.
Deu 24:5-13
Here is,
Deu 24:14-22
Here,