Matthew 19:7

Mace New Testament

why then, said they, did Moses permit to give a writ of divorce to repudiate the wife?

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
“Why then,” they asked him, “did Moses command us to give divorce papers and to send her away?”

King James Version (1611)
They say vnto him, Why did Moses then command to giue a writing of diuorcement, and to put her away?

King James Version
They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away?

English Standard Version
They said to him, "Why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce and to send her away?"

New American Standard Bible
They said to Him, "Why, then, did Moses command to GIVE HER A CERTIFICATE OF DIVORCE AND SEND HER AWAY?"

New Century Version
The Pharisees asked, "Why then did Moses give a command for a man to divorce his wife by giving her divorce papers?"

Amplified Bible
The Pharisees said to Him, "Why then did Moses command us to GIVE HER A CERTIFICATE OF DIVORCE AND SEND HER AWAY?"

Geneva Bible (1587)
They said to him, Why did then Moses commaund to giue a bill of diuorcement, and to put her away?

New American Standard Bible (1995)
They said to Him, "Why then did Moses command to GIVE HER A CERTIFICATE OF DIVORCE AND SEND her AWAY?"

Legacy Standard Bible
They *said to Him, "Why then did Moses command to give her a certificate of divorce and send her away?"

Berean Standard Bible
"Why then," they asked, "did Moses order a man to give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?"

Contemporary English Version
The Pharisees asked Jesus, "Why did Moses say that a man could write out divorce papers and send his wife away?"

Complete Jewish Bible
They said to him, "Then why did Moshe give the commandment that a man should hand his wife a get and divorce her?"

Darby Translation
They say to him, Why then did Moses command to give a letter of divorce and to send [her] away?

Easy-to-Read Version
The Pharisees asked, "Then why did Moses give a command allowing a man to divorce his wife by writing a certificate of divorce?"

George Lamsa Translation
They said to him, Why then did Moses command to give a letter of separation and then divorce her?

Good News Translation
The Pharisees asked him, "Why, then, did Moses give the law for a man to hand his wife a divorce notice and send her away?"

Lexham English Bible
They said to him, "Why then did Moses command us to give a document—a certificate of divorce—and to divorce her?"

Literal Translation
They said to Him, Why then did Moses command to "give a bill of divorce," "and to put her away"? Deut. 24:1

American Standard Version
They say unto him, Why then did Moses command to give a bill of divorcement, and to put her away?

Bible in Basic English
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?

Hebrew Names Version
They asked him, "Why then did Moshe command us to give her a bill of divorce, and divorce her?"

International Standard Version
They asked him, "Why, then, did Moses order us 'to give a certificate of divorce and divorce her'?"Deuteronomy 24:1,3">[fn]Deuteronomy 24:1; Matthew 5:31;">[xr]

Etheridge Translation
They said to him, Why then did Musha direct that he should give a writing of dismissal and send her away?

Murdock Translation
They say to him: Why then did Moses command to give a bill of divorce, and to put her away?

Bishop's Bible (1568)
They say vnto hym: why did Moyses then commaunde to geue a writyng of diuorcement, and to put her away?

English Revised Version
They say unto him, Why then did Moses command to give a bill of divorcement, and to put her away?

World English Bible
They asked him, "Why then did Moses command us to give her a bill of divorce, and divorce her?"

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
They say to him, Why then did Moses command to give a writing of divorce and put her away?

Weymouth's New Testament
"Why then," said they, "did Moses command the husband to give her `a written notice of divorce,' and so put her away?"

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Thei seien to hym, What thanne comaundide Moises, to yyue a libel of forsakyng, and to leeue of?

Update Bible Version
They say to him, Why then did Moses command to give a bill of divorce, and to divorce her?

Webster's Bible Translation
They say to him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away?

New English Translation
They said to him, "Why then did Moses command us to give a certificate of dismissal and to divorce her?"

New King James Version
They said to Him, "Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away?"

New Living Translation
"Then why did Moses say in the law that a man could give his wife a written notice of divorce and send her away?" they asked.

New Life Bible
The proud religious law-keepers said to Jesus, "Then why did the Law of Moses allow a man to divorce his wife if he put it down in writing and gave it to her?"

New Revised Standard
They said to him, "Why then did Moses command us to give a certificate of dismissal and to divorce her?"

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
They say unto him - Why then did, Moses, command, to give a writing of repudiation and to divorce?

Douay-Rheims Bible
They say to him: Why then did Moses command to give a bill of divorce, and to put away?

Revised Standard Version
They said to him, "Why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away?"

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
The sayde they to him: why did Moses comaunde to geve a testimoniall of divorsemet and to put hyr awaye?

Young's Literal Translation
They say to him, `Why then did Moses command to give a roll of divorce, and to put her away?'

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Then sayde they: Why dyd Moses then comaunde to geue a testimonyall of deuorsement, & to put her awaye?

THE MESSAGE
They shot back in rebuttal, "If that's so, why did Moses give instructions for divorce papers and divorce procedures?"

Simplified Cowboy Version
"Why then," they replied, "did Moses say a man could fill out a piece of paper that busted up the wedlock and then he could send her packin'?"

Contextual Overview

³ The Pharisees likewise came to him, and maliciously propos'd this question, may a man lawfully put away his wife at discretion? ⁴ and he answered them, have ye not read, that when the creator, at the beginning, made male and female, ⁵ he said, "for this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and be attach'd to his wife: and they two shall be one flesh?" ⁶ so that they are not now two, but one. what therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. ⁷ why then, said they, did Moses permit to give a writ of divorce to repudiate the wife? ⁸ he answer'd them, 'twas because of your perverse temper that Moses suffered you to repudiate your wives: but from the beginning this was not in practice. ⁹ and I tell you, that whoever shall put away his wife, except it be for adultery, and shall marry another, he committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her that is put away, causeth her to commit adultery. ¹⁰ thereupon his disciples said, if the case between man and wife be such, it is best not to marry. ¹¹ but he reply'd, 'tis not everyman can live single, but only such as have the gift of continency. ¹² as there are some eunuchs, who were such from their very birth: and others who were made such by men: so there are some who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of religion. he that can bear the state of celibacy, let him bear it.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Why: Matthew 5:31, Deuteronomy 24:1-4, Isaiah 50:1, Jeremiah 3:8, Mark 10:4

and to: Matthew 1:19, Malachi 2:16

Reciprocal: John 5:45 - in

Cross-References

Acts 17:26
he he has deduced all mankind from one parent, to inhabit the surface of the whole earth, having pre-establish'd the appointed periods, and the boundarys of their dominions:

Romans 1:24
wherefore God abandon'd them to the impure passions of their own hearts, so that they themselves dishonour'd their own bodies;

Jude 1:7
so it was with Sodom, Gomorrha, and the neighbouring cities, who abandoning themselves to the same licentiousness and abominable passions, were made examples by suffering the punishment of eternal fire.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

They say unto him,.... That is the Pharisees, who object the law of Moses to him, hoping hereby to ensnare him, and expose him to the resentment of the people, should he reject that, as they supposed he would;

why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and put her away? referring to Deuteronomy 24:1 which they thought to be a contradiction, and what they knew not how to reconcile to the doctrine Christ had delivered, concerning the original institution of marriage, and the close union there is between a man and his wife, by virtue of it, and which is not to be dissolved by men. Concerning a writing of divorcement and the form, and manner of it,

see Gill "Mt 5:31"

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Why did Moses ... - To this they objected that Moses had allowed such divorces Deuteronomy 24:1; and if he had allowed them, they inferred that they could not be unlawful. See the notes at Matthew 5:31.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Matthew 19:7. Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement? — It is not an unusual case for the impure and unholy to seek for a justification of their conduct from the law of God itself, and to wrest Scripture to their own destruction. I knew a gentleman, so called, who professed deep reverence for the sacred writings, and, strange as it may appear, was outwardly irreproachable in every respect but one; that was, he kept more women than his wife. This man frequently read the Bible, and was particularly conversant with those places that spoke of or seemed to legalize the polygamy of the patriarchs!

A writing of divorcement — See the form of it in Clarke's note on "Matthew 5:31".