New English Translation
Deuteronomy 24:4
4her first husband who divorced her is not permitted to remarry her after she has become ritually impure, for that is offensive to the Lord. You must not bring guilt on the land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance.
Deuteronomy 24:4 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Her former husband, which sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife, after that she is defiled; for that is abomination before the Lord: and thou shalt not cause the land to sin, which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.
- New International Version (NIV)then her first husband, who divorced her, is not allowed to marry her again after she has been defiled. That would be detestable in the eyes of the Lord. Do not bring sin upon the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance.
- English Standard Version (ESV)then her former husband, who sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife, after she has been defiled, for that is an abomination before the Lord. And you shall not bring sin upon the land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance.
- New King James Version (NKJV)then her former husband who divorced her must not take her back to be his wife after she has been defiled; for that is an abomination before the Lord, and you shall not bring sin on the land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance.
Context of Deuteronomy 24:4
2When she has left him she may go and become someone else’s wife. 3If the second husband rejects her and then divorces her, gives her the papers, and evicts her from his house, or if the second husband who married her dies, her first husband who divorced her is not permitted to remarry her after she has become ritually impure, for that is offensive to the Lord. You must not bring guilt on the land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance. 5When a man is newly married, he need not go into the army nor be obligated in any way; he must be free to stay at home for a full year and bring joy to the wife he has married. 6One must not take either lower or upper millstones as security on a loan, for that is like taking a life itself as security.
Read all of Deuteronomy 24Deuteronomy 24:4 word by word
לֹא־יוּכַ֣ל בַּעְלָ֣הּ הָרִאשׁ֣וֹן אֲשֶֽׁר־שִׁ֠לְּחָהּ לָשׁ֨וּב לְקַחְתָּ֜הּ לִהְי֧וֹת ל֣וֹ לְאִשָּׁ֗ה אַחֲרֵי֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר הֻטַּמָּ֔אָה כִּֽי־תוֹעֵבָ֥ה הִ֖וא לִפְנֵ֣י יְהוָ֑ה וְלֹ֤א תַחֲטִיא֙ אֶת־הָאָ֔רֶץ אֲשֶׁר֙ יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ נֹתֵ֥ן לְךָ֖ נַחֲלָֽה׃ סRead the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Her formerרִאשׁוֹןri'shôn ri'shôn · first: previousH7223
- husbandבַּעַלba‛al · master: husbandH1167
- which sent her awayשָׁלַחshâlach · to send: divorceH7971
- mayיָכֹלyâkôl yâkôl · be ableH3201
- not takeלָקַחlâqach · to take: marryH3947
- her againשׁוּבshûb · to return: againH7725
- to be his wifeאִשָּׁה'ishshâh nâshîym · woman: wifeH802
- afterאַחַר'achar · afterH310
- that she is defiledטָמֵאţâmê' · to defileH2930
- abominationתּוֹעֵבַהtô‛êbah tô‛êbah · abominationH8441
- beforeפָּנֶהpânîym · face: beforeH6440
- the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- and thou shalt not cause the landאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
- to sinחָטָאchâţâ' · to sinH2398
- thy Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
- givethנָתַןnâthan · to give: giveH5414
- an inheritanceנַחֲלָהnachălâh · inheritanceH5159
Cross-references for Deuteronomy 24:4
- Jeremiah 3:1“If a man divorces his wife and she leaves him and becomes another man’s wife, he may not take her back again. Doing that would utterly defile the land. But you, Israel, have given yourself as a prostitute to many gods. So what makes you think you can return to me?” says the Lord.
- Leviticus 18:24“‘Do not defile yourselves with any of these things, for the nations which I am about to drive out before you have been defiled with all these things.
- Joshua 22:17The sin we committed at Peor was bad enough. To this very day we have not purified ourselves; it even brought a plague on the community of the Lord.
Commentaries on Deuteronomy 24:4
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4She is defiled - Does not this refer to her having been divorced, and married in consequence to another? Though God, for the hardness of their hearts, suffered them to put away their wives, yet he considered all after-marriages in that case to be pollution and defilement; and it is on this ground that our Lord argues in the places referred to above, that whoever marries the woman that is put away is an adulterer: now this could not have been the case if…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1-4Verses 1-4 In this and the next chapter certain particular rights and duties, domestic, social, and civil, are treated. The cases brought forward have often no definite connection, and seem selected in order to illustrate the application of the great principles of the Law in certain important events and circumstances. These four verses contain only one sentence, and should be rendered thus: If a man hath taken a wife, etc., and given her a bill of…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 4They might call a woman defiled because she had two husbands. Returning to the first husband would be considered adultery. sin upon the land: In ancient Israel, community was very important. An individual's identity was closely tied to the community. One person's sin affected the entire community.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-221-4. When a man hath taken a wife, and married her, and it come to pass that she find no favour in his eyes--It appears that the practice of divorces was at this early period very prevalent amongst the Israelites, who had in all probability become familiar with it in Egypt [Lane]. The usage, being too deep-rooted to be soon or easily abolished, was tolerated by Moses (Mt 19:8). But it was accompanied under the law with two conditions, which were…Read the comment
Topics related to Deuteronomy 24:4
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Deuteronomy 24
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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