Every one that putteth away his wife and marrieth another committeth adultery: and he that marrieth her that is put away from her husband committeth adultery.
πας ο απολυων την γυναικα αυτου και γαμων ετεραν μοιχευει και πας ο απολελυμενην απο ανδρος γαμων μοιχευει
13 Church Fathers comment on this verse · 21 commentaries
He hereby disposes them readily to believe on Him, because if as far as John’s time all things were complete, I am He who am come. For the Prophets had not ceased unless I had come; but you will say, “how” were the Prophets until John, since there have been many more Prophets in the New than the Old Testament. But He spoke of those prophets who foretold Christ’s coming.
But the Lord detecting in them a hidden malice, proves that they make a pretence of righteousness. Therefore it is added, And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men.
And therefore ye are an abomination to Him because of your arrogance, and love of seeking after the praise of men; as He adds, For that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.
For that to the imperfect the Law spoke imperfectly is plain from what he says to the hard hearts of the Jews, “If a man hate his wife, let him put her away,” (Deut. 24:1.) because since they were murderers and rejoiced in blood, they had no pity even upon those who were united to them, so that they slew their sons and daughters for devils. But now there is need of a more perfect doctrine. Wherefore I say, that if a man puts away his wife, having no excuse of fornication, he commits adultery, and he who marrieth another commits adultery.
They also do violence to the kingdom of heaven, in that they not only despise all temporal things, but also the tongues of those who desire their doing so. This the Evangelist added, when he said that Jesus was derided when He spoke of despising earthly riches.
For the Law delivered many things according to nature, as being more indulgent to our natural desires, that it might call us to the pursuit of righteousness. Christ breaks through nature as cutting off even our natural pleasures. But therefore we keep under nature, that it should not sink us down to earthly things, but raise us to heavenly.
But we must first speak, I think, of the law of marriage, that we may afterwards discuss the forbidding of divorce. Some think that all marriage is sanctioned by God, because it is written, Whom God hath joined, let not man put asunder. (Matt. 19:6.) How then does the Apostle say, If the unbelieving depart, let him depart? (Mark 10:9, 1 Cor. 7:15.) Herein he shews that the marriage of all is not from God. For neither by God’s approval are Christians joined with Gentiles. Do not then put away thy wife, lest thou deny God to be the Author of thy union. For if others, much more oughtest thou to bear with and correct the behaviour of thy wife.
And if she is sent away pregnant with children, it is a hard thing to shut out the parent and keep the pledge; so as to add to the parents’ disgrace the loss also of filial affection. Harder still if because of the mother thou drivest away the children also. Wouldest thou suffer in thy lifetime thy children to be under a step-father, or when the mother was alive to be under a step-mother? How dangerous to expose to error the tender age of a young wife. How wicked to desert in old age one, the flower of whose growth thou hast blighted. Suppose that being divorced she does not marry, this also ought to be displeasing to you, to whom though an adulterer, she keeps her troth. Suppose she marries, her necessity is thy crime, and that which thou supposest marriage, is adultery.
Not that the Law failed, but that the preaching of the Gospel began; for that which is inferior seems to be completed when a better succeeds.
Though He was not specifically questioned about it at that time, He nonetheless addressed the issue, speaking about those who were engaged in such transgressions. In the forty-second chapter of the Gospel according to Matthew, when He was asked whether a man is permitted to divorce his wife for any cause (Matt. 19:3), He provided an extensive response and presented the full explanation of the matter.
Now the ancient prophets knew the preaching of the kingdom of heaven, but none of them had expressly announced it to the Jewish people, because the Jews having a childish understanding were unequal to the preaching of what is infinite. But John first openly preached that the kingdom of heaven was at hand, as well as also the remission of sins by the laver of regeneration. Hence it follows, Since that time the kingdom of heaven is preached, and every one presseth into it.
A great struggle befals men in their ascent to heaven. For that men clothed with mortal flesh should be able to subdue pleasure and every unlawful appetite, desiring to imitate the life of angels, must be compassed with violence. But who that looking upon those who labour earnestly in the service of God, and almost put to death their flesh, will not in reality confess that they do violence to the kingdom of heaven.
The one who abandons his legally bound wife to marry another incurs, based on the teachings of the Lord, the sin of adultery. Our forebears established that those in mourning should grieve for a year, while those who listen grieve for two years. Those who deeply lament are to grieve for three years, and in the seventh year, they are to join the faithful and thus receive honor through an offering.
Christ had told the Pharisees not to boast of their own righteousness, but to receive penitent sinners, and to redeem their sins by almsgiving. But they derided the Preacher of mercy, humility, and frugality; as it is said, And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard these things; and derided him: it may be for two reasons, either because He commanded what was not sufficiently profitable, or cast blame upon their past superfluous actions.
They justify themselves before men who despise sinners as in a weak and hopeless condition, but fancy themselves to be perfect and not to need the remedy of almsgiving; but how justly the depth of deadly pride is to be condemned, He sees who will enlighten the hidden places of darkness. Hence it follows, But God knoweth your hearts.
Now the Pharisees derided our Saviour disputing against covetousness, as if He taught things contrary to the Law and the Prophets, in which many very rich men are said to have pleased God; but Moses also himself promised that the people whom he ruled, if they followed the Law, should abound in all earthly goods. (Deut. 28:11.) These the Lord answers by shewing that between the Law and the Gospel, as in these promises so also in the commands, there is not the slightest difference. Hence He adds, The Law and the Prophets were until John.
But lest they should suppose that in His words, the Law and the Prophets were until John, He preached the destruction of the Law or the Prophets, He obviates such a notion, adding, And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law should fail. For it is written, the fashion of this world passeth away. (1 Cor. 7:31.) But of the Law, not even the very extreme point of one letter, that is, not even the least things are destitute of spiritual sacraments. And yet the Law and the Prophets were until John, because that could always be prophesied as about to come, which by the preaching of John it was clear had come.
But that which He spoke beforehand concerning the perpetual inviolability of the Law, He confirms by one testimony taken therefrom for the sake of example, saying, Whosoever putteth away his wife, and marrieth another, committeth adultery: and whosoever marrieth her that is put away from her husband, committeth adultery; that from this one instance they should learn that He came not to destroy but to fulfil the commands of the Law.
When the Pharisees heard this teaching regarding selflessness, they laughed, believing their adherence to righteousness secured their entitlement to God's kingdom. However, the Lord confronted their malice: although you may seem righteous in the eyes of people, God discerns your true intentions. You hold your legalistic righteousness in high esteem. Yet, what is esteemed by humanity, what they place in the stead of God, is detestable to Him. I invite you to reflect on the very law in which you place your trust. Its external observance, its temporal manifestation (the law and the prophets) has been rendered obsolete since the time of John. However, the inner, eternal essence remains relevant today.
Just as one who divorces his wife to marry another, without just cause, violates the law not only in its current manifestation but also in his very being; likewise, one who abandons their relationship with God, exalting themselves or their own righteousness to the status of God, stands condemned. Similarly, just as marrying a divorced woman constitutes sin, you too are culpable before God when you attempt to cling to the outdated Old Testament practices and legal frameworks, which you have turned into instruments of self-serving interests.
To understand this, refer to Matthew 5:18 and 32, as well as Matthew 19:9.
It is written, “If a man divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce” (Deuteronomy 24:1). This law was misused by the Pharisees with great moral looseness to satisfy their desires. The grounds for divorce were interpreted broadly. The scribes taught that a man might divorce his wife if he finds a woman more attractive, asserting this interpretation based on Mosaic Law. Even Shammai, a strict legal scholar, believed that a wife could be divorced simply for appearing in public without the traditional face covering. Hillel's followers took this interpretation to extremes, suggesting that a husband could divorce his wife for culinary mistakes, treating her as if she were afflicted with a serious ailment.
As a result, divorce became so prevalent among the Jewish people that it caused shame and dismay, even among neighboring nations. The rabbis, in their arrogance, claimed that this leniency was a special privilege granted to Israel, not to others. A woman who received a divorce was immediately permitted to remarry, a right clearly stated in the divorce certificate, which bore the signatures of witnesses to the dissolution of the union. Such carnal dominance was incompatible with the new covenant, and Christ clarified the true intention of the Mosaic law: “But I say unto you, whosoever shall divorce his wife, except for the cause of fornication, causes her to commit adultery; and whosoever marries her that is divorced commits adultery.”
"Anyone who divorces," etc.: refer to Matthew 5:32 for further context. If this statement is also reiterated in response to the Pharisees' ridicule of the Lord's doctrine, could it be aimed at condemning a sin particularly associated with the Pharisees, who were seen as strict upholders of the law? The people are cautioned against what appears, through the lens of the Pharisees, to be appealing yet is, in truth, detestable to God; this trait may have been part of that deception. Alternatively, the Lord exemplifies that His teachings do not abolish the law but rather fulfill it in its truest form (as noted by Theophilus, see Matthew 5:31-32).
It is written: If a man divorces his wife, he must provide her with a certificate of divorce. But I tell you that whoever divorces his wife, except for the reason of unfaithfulness, causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery. According to the Mosaic law (Deuteronomy 24:1), a husband had the right to issue his wife a divorce and release her. This law was ordained for the Israelites due to their hardness of heart (Matthew 19:8), intended to prevent greater injustices. The Lord, however, limits this provision and seeks to restore the sanctity of marriage to its original state as instituted by God (v. 6:8). The only legitimate ground for ending a marriage is marital infidelity, which was deemed a capital offense in the Old Testament (Deuteronomy 22:22), and according to divine command, serves as a valid reason for divorce.
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Greek text, 17 words with lemma, transliteration and Strong’s number. Tap to expand.
THEOSIS