Matthew 5:31

Matthew 5:31 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement:
• New International Version (NIV)“It has been said, ‘Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’
• English Standard Version (ESV)"It was also said, 'Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.'
• New King James Version (NKJV)“Furthermore it has been said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’

Context of Matthew 5:31

29And if thy right eye shall cause thee to sin, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. 30And if thy right hand shall cause thee to sin, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. It hath been said, Whoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement: 32But I say to you, That whoever shall put away his wife, except for the cause of immorality, causeth her to commit adultery: and whoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery. 33Again, ye have heard that it hath been said to them of old time, Thou shalt not swear falsely, but shalt perform to the Lord thy oaths:

Matthew 5:31 word by word

Ἐρρέθη δέ ὃς ἂν ἀπολύσῃ τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ, δότω αὐτῇ ἀποστάσιον.Read the interlinear

• ·δέde · thenG1161
• saidἐρέωrheō · to sayG4483
• saidὅτιhoti · that/since: thatG3754
• Whoeverὅςhos hē ho · whichG3739
• Whoeverἄνan · ifG302
• awayἀπολύωapoluō · to release: divorceG630
• hisαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• wifeγυνήgunē · woman: wifeG1135
• giveδίδωμιdidōmi · to giveG1325
• divorcementἀποστάσιονapostasion · divorceG647

Cross-references for Matthew 5:31

• Matthew 19:3The Pharisees also came to him, tempting him, and saying to him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?
• Deuteronomy 24:1When a man hath taken a wife, and married her, and it shall come to pass that she findeth no favour in his eyes, because he hath found some uncleanness in her: then let him write her a bill of divorcement, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house.
• Jeremiah 3:1They say, If a man shall put away his wife, and she shall go from him, and become another man’s, shall he return to her again? shall not that land be greatly polluted? but thou hast played the harlot with many lovers; yet return again to me, saith the LORD.
• Mark 10:2And the Pharisees came to him, and asked him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife? tempting him.

Commentaries on Matthew 5:31

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 31Whosoever shall put away his wife - The Jewish doctors gave great license in the matter of divorce. Among them, a man might divorce his wife if she displeased him even in the dressing of his victuals! Rabbi Akiba said, "If any man saw a woman handsomer than his own wife, he might put his wife away; because it is said in the law, If she find not favor in his eyes." Deuteronomy 24:1. Josephus, the celebrated Jewish historian, in his Life, tells us, with the…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 31It hath been said … - That is, by Moses, Deuteronomy 24:1-2. The husband was directed, if he put his wife away, to give her a bill of divorce, that is a certificate of the fact she had been his wife, and that he had dissolved the marriage. There was considerable difference of opinion among the Jews for what causes the husband was permitted to do this. One of their famous schools maintained that it might be done for any cause, however trivial. The other…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 27-32Verses 27-32 Victory over the desires of the heart, must be attended with painful exertions. But it must be done. Every thing is bestowed to save us from our sins, not in them. All our senses and powers must be kept from those things which lead to transgression. Those who lead others into temptation to sin, by dress or in other ways, or leave them in it, or expose them to it, make themselves guilty of their sin, and will be accountable for it. If painful…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 31A certificate of divorce is a document that makes a divorce legal. Evidence shows this document allowed remarriage. “The essential formula in the notice of divorce is, ‘Lo, you are free to marry any man.’ … The essential formula in a writ of emancipation is, ‘Lo, you are a freedwoman: lo, you belong to yourself’” (Mishnah Gittin 9:3).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 3131. It hath been said--This shortened form was perhaps intentional, to mark a transition from the commandments of the Decalogue to a civil enactment on the subject of divorce, quoted from De 24:1. The law of divorce--according to its strictness or laxity--has so intimate a bearing upon purity in the married life, that nothing could be more natural than to pass from the seventh commandment to the loose views on that subject then current. Whosoever shall…Read the comment

Topics related to Matthew 5:31

• Commandments
• Divorce
• Instruction
• Judaism
• Law
• Marriage
• Quotations and Allusions
• Religion

In the dictionaries

• Agree
• Communication
• Despitefully
• Divorce
• Enemy
• Fornication
• Forswear
• Gift
• Hunger
• Inherit

Commentaries on Matthew 5

• 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