American Standard Version
Matthew 19:3
3And there came unto him Pharisees, trying him, and saying, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?
Matthew 19:3 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?
- New International Version (NIV)Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?”
- English Standard Version (ESV)And Pharisees came up to him and tested him by asking, "Is it lawful to divorce one's wife for any cause?"
- New King James Version (NKJV)The Pharisees also came to Him, testing Him, and saying to Him, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?”
Context of Matthew 19:3
1And it came to pass when Jesus had finished these words, he departed from Galilee, and came into the borders of Judæa beyond the Jordan; 2and great multitudes followed him; and he healed them there. And there came unto him Pharisees, trying him, and saying, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause? 4And he answered and said, Have ye not read, that he who made them from the beginning made them male and female, 5and said, For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and the two shall become one flesh?
Read all of Matthew 19Matthew 19:3 word by word
καὶ προσῆλθον αὐτῷ Φαρισαῖοι πειράζοντες αὐτὸν καὶ λέγοντες εἰ ἔξεστιν ἀνθρώπῳ ἀπολῦσαι τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ κατὰ πᾶσαν αἰτίαν;¶Read the interlinear
- cameπροσέρχομαιproserchomai · to come near/agreeG4334
- PhariseesΦαρισαῖοςPharisaios · PhariseeG5330
- sayingλέγωlegō · to sayG3004
- lawfulἔξεστι, ἐξόνexesti · be permittedG1832
- manἄνθρωποςanthrōpos · a humanG444
- awayἀπολύωapoluō · to release: releaseG630
- wifeγυνήgunē · woman: wifeG1135
- causeαἰτίαaitia · cause/chargeG156
Cross-references for Matthew 19:3
- Matthew 16:1And the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and trying him asked him to show them a sign from heaven.
- Matthew 22:16And they send to him their disciples, with the Herodians, saying, Teacher, we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth, and carest not for any one: for thou regardest not the person of men.
- Mark 10:2And there came unto him Pharisees, and asked him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife? trying him.
- Mark 12:13And they send unto him certain of the Pharisees and of the Herodians, that they might catch him in talk.
- Luke 11:53And when he was come out from thence, the scribes and the Pharisees began to press upon him vehemently, and to provoke him to speak of many things;
- John 8:6And this they said, trying him, that they might have whereof to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground.
- Hebrews 3:9Where your fathers triedmeby proving me, And saw my works forty years.
- Matthew 5:31It was said also, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement:
- Malachi 2:14Yet ye say, Wherefore? Because Jehovah hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth, against whom thou hast dealt treacherously, though she is thy companion, and the wife of thy covenant.
Commentaries on Matthew 19:3
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3Tempting him - Trying what answer he would give to a question, which, however decided by him, would expose him to censure. Is it lawful - for every cause? - Instead of , fault, cause, reason, three MSS. and the Coptic version read , sin or transgression: this was probably the original reading - the first syllable being lost, alone would remain, which a subsequent transcriber would suppose to be a mistake for , and so wrote it; hence this various reading…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3The Pharisees came - See the notes at Matthew 3:7. Tempting him - This means, to get him, if possible, to express an opinion that should involve him in difficulty. Is it lawful - There was the more art in the captious question which they proposed, as at that time the people were very much divided on the subject. A part, following the opinions of Hillel, said that a man might divorce his wife for any offence, or any dislike he might have of her. See the…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 3-12Verses 3-12 The Pharisees were desirous of drawing something from Jesus which they might represent as contrary to the law of Moses. Cases about marriage have been numerous, and sometimes perplexed; made so, not by the law of God, but by the lusts and follies of men; and often people fix what they will do, before they ask for advice. Jesus replied by asking whether they had not read the account of the creation, and the first example of marriage; thus…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3There were two different opinions on when a man could divorce his wife: One group of Pharisees, following Rabbi Shammai, believed divorce was only allowable for adultery or serious wrongdoing. The other group, following Rabbi Hillel, thought a man could divorce his wife for any reason, even if she burned his dinner.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 33. Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?--Two rival schools (as we saw on Mt 5:31) were divided on this question--a delicate one, as De Wette pertinently remarks, in the dominions of Herod Antipas.Read the comment
Topics related to Matthew 19:3
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Matthew 19
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Catena Aurea
- Illustrated New Testament
- Burkitt’s Expository Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Family Bible Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- John Lightfoot Commentary
- Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- The People’s New Testament
- Robertson’s Word Pictures
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- The Fourfold Gospel and Commentary on Acts
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
American Standard Version — 1901 — Public Domain
Commentaries