Matthew 19:8

Matthew 19:8

6 So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.”

7 They said to Him, ^a“Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away?”

8 He said to them, “Moses, because of the ^ahardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your ^bwives, but from the beginning it was not so.

9 ^aAnd I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for¹ sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery.”

10 His disciples said to Him, ^a“If such is the case of the man with his wife, it is better not to marry.”

Commentaries:

Robertson's Word Pictures (NT)

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Matthew 19:9 >>

For your hardness of heart (prov thn sklhrokardian umwn). The word is apparently one of the few Biblical words (LXX and the N.T.). It is a heart dried up (sklhrov), hard and tough.

But from the beginning it hath not been so (ap arxhv de ouk gegonen outwv). The present perfect active of ginomai to emphasize the permanence of the divine ideal. "The original ordinance has never been abrogated nor superseded, but continues in force" (Vincent). "How small the Pharisaic disputants must have felt in presence of such holy teaching, which soars above the partisan view of controversialists into the serene region of ideal, universal, eternal truth" (Bruce).

**Other Robertson's Word Pictures (NT) entries containing Matthew 19:8:**

Mark 10:4
1 Corinthians 7:10
2 Peter 3:16

<< Matthew 19:7

Matthew 19:9 >>

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