Deuteronomy 24:1
in Deuteronomy 24If a man marries a woman, but she becomes displeasing to him because he finds some indecency in her, he may write her a certificate of divorce, hand it to her, and send her away from his house.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
When a man taketh a wife, and marrieth her, then it shall be, if she find no favor in his eyes, because he hath found some unseemly thing in her, that he shall write her a bill of divorcement, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house.
KJV
When a man hath taken a wife, and married her, and it come to pass that she find 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.
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This verse in Deuteronomy 24
Commentary
8 notes on this verseA commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
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).
This site's exposition
If a man marries a woman
on Deuteronomy 24:1-4
Verses 1 to 3 set out a case, and verse 4 alone gives the command: the first husband may not take her back. The Pharisees cite this law at Matthew 19:7, and Jesus answers that Moses permitted divorce because of hard hearts.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
The Lord explains the intention of the law, which required a bill of divorce in every case where a wife was put away. The precept not to put away a wife is the opposite of saying that a man may put away his wife if he pleases, which is not what the law says. On the contrary, to prevent the wife from being put away, the law required this intermediate step, that the eagerness for separation might be checked by the writing of this bill and the man might have time to think of the evil of putting away his wife.
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
Let him write - This is not a command as some of the Jews understood it, nor an allowance and approbation, but merely a permission of that practice for prevention of greater mischiefs, and this only until the time of reformation, till the coming of the Messiah when things were to return to their first institution and purest condition.
That the husband must give it into the hand of his wife, and send her away, which some think obliged him to endow her and make provision for her, according to her quality and such as might help to marry her again; and good reason he should do this, since the cause of quarrel was not her fault, but her infelicity.
When a man hath taken a wife and married her,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
Some uncleanness - Any cause of dislike, for this great latitude of meaning the fact itself authorizes us to adopt, for it is certain that a Jew might put away his wife for any cause that seemed good to himself; and so hard were their hearts, that Moses suffered this; and we find they continued this practice even to the time of our Lord, who strongly reprehended them on the account, and showed that such license was wholly inconsistent with the original design of marriage; see Mat 5:31 (note), etc.; Mat 19:3 (note), etc., and the notes there.
1 more voice on this verse
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
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.
How the passage was read
On Deuteronomy 24:1-4On Deuteronomy 24:1-4
Two Hebrew words the schools split over
This is the Torah's divorce text: a man who finds “some indecency” (Hebrew ervat davar, literally “a matter of nakedness”) in his wife writes her “a bill of divorcement,” the sefer keritut, later called the get: a formal written document whose careful delivery protected the woman's proven right to remarry. What exactly ervat davar covers became the most famous legal dispute of the generation before Jesus, between the two great Pharisaic teaching schools. The Mishnah records it verbatim: the house of Shammai permits divorce only for unchastity; the house of Hillel “even if she spoiled his dish”; Rabbi Akiva, later, “even if he found another fairer than she” (Gittin 9:10).
That standing debate is why the Pharisees' test question in Matthew 19:3, “is it lawful to divorce one's wife for any cause?”, is not a cold question: “for any cause” is the Hillelite position quoted back at Jesus. He is being asked to pick a school. His answer reaches behind Moses to creation itself (Genesis 1:27, 2:24).
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Sources: Mishnah Gittin 9:10 (the Shammai, Hillel, and Akiva positions verbatim)
The words behind it
24 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| כִּֽי־ | ki- | if | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| יִקַּ֥ח | yikach | he will take | H3947 → | 966 times |
| אִ֛ישׁ | ʾish | a man | H376 → | 1663 times |
| אִשָּׁ֖ה | ʾishah | a woman | H802 → | 781 times |
| וּבְעָלָ֑הּ | uvealah | and he will marry her | H1166 → | |
| וְהָיָ֞ה | vehayah | and it will be | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| אִם־ | ʾim- | if | H518 → | 1069 times |
| לֹ֧א | lo' | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| תִמְצָא־ | timtza'- | she will find | H4672 → | 455 times |
| חֵ֣ן | chen | favor | H2580 → | |
| בְּעֵינָ֗יו | beeinav | in view his | H5869 → | 887 times |
| כִּי־ | ki- | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| מָ֤צָא | matza' | he has found | H4672 → | 455 times |
| בָהּ֙ | vah | in <the> her | ||
| עֶרְוַ֣ת | ʾervat | [the] nakedness of | H6172 → | |
| דָּבָ֔ר | davar | a thing | H1697 → | 1440 times |
| וְכָ֨תַב | vekhatav | and he will write | H3789 → | 224 times |
| לָ֜הּ | lah | for <the> her | ||
| סֵ֤פֶר | sefer | a document of | H5612 → | 186 times |
| כְּרִיתֻת֙ | keritut | divorce | H3748 → | |
| וְנָתַ֣ן | venatan | and he will give [it] | H5414 → | 2011 times |
| בְּיָדָ֔הּ | beyadah | in hand her | H3027 → | 1618 times |
| וְשִׁלְּחָ֖הּ | veshilechah | and he will send away her | H7971 → | 845 times |
| מִבֵּיתֽוֹ׃ | mibeito | from house his | H1004 → | 2046 times |
כִּֽי־if
ki-H3588 →4482 times
יִקַּ֥חhe will take
yikachH3947 →966 times
אִ֛ישׁa man
ʾishH376 →1663 times
אִשָּׁ֖הa woman
ʾishahH802 →781 times
וּבְעָלָ֑הּand he will marry her
uvealahH1166 →
וְהָיָ֞הand it will be
vehayahH1961 →3559 times
אִם־if
ʾim-H518 →1069 times
לֹ֧אnot
lo'H3808 →5168 times
תִמְצָא־she will find
timtza'-H4672 →455 times
חֵ֣ןfavor
chenH2580 →
בְּעֵינָ֗יוin view his
beeinavH5869 →887 times
כִּי־for
ki-H3588 →4482 times
מָ֤צָאhe has found
matza'H4672 →455 times
בָהּ֙in <the> her
vah
עֶרְוַ֣ת[the] nakedness of
ʾervatH6172 →
דָּבָ֔רa thing
davarH1697 →1440 times
וְכָ֨תַבand he will write
vekhatavH3789 →224 times
לָ֜הּfor <the> her
lah
סֵ֤פֶרa document of
seferH5612 →186 times
כְּרִיתֻת֙divorce
keritutH3748 →
וְנָתַ֣ןand he will give [it]
venatanH5414 →2011 times
בְּיָדָ֔הּin hand her
beyadahH3027 →1618 times
וְשִׁלְּחָ֖הּand he will send away her
veshilechahH7971 →845 times
מִבֵּיתֽוֹ׃from house his
mibeitoH1004 →2046 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Isaiah 50:1This is what the LORD says: “Where is your mother’s certificate of divorce with which I sent her away? Or to which of My creditors did I sell you? Look, you were sold for…
it leads to
- Deuteronomy 32:30
How could one man pursue a thousand, or two put ten thousand to flight, unless their Rock had sold them, unless the LORD had given them up?
- Jeremiah 3:8
She saw that because faithless Israel had committed adultery, I gave her a certificate of divorce and sent her away. Yet that unfaithful sister Judah had no fear and prostituted herself as well.
- Matthew 18:25
Since the man was unable to pay, the master ordered that he be sold to pay his debt, along with his wife and children and everything he owned.
- 2 Kings 4:1
Now the wife of one of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, “Your servant, my husband, is dead, and you know that your servant feared the LORD. And now his creditor…
- Nehemiah 5:5
We and our children are just like our countrymen and their children, yet we are subjecting our sons and daughters to slavery. Some of our daughters are already enslaved, but we are powerless to…
- Deuteronomy 32:30
Through
Jeremiah 3:8She saw that because faithless Israel had committed adultery, I gave her a certificate of divorce and sent her away. Yet that unfaithful sister Judah had no fear and prostituted herself as well.
it leads to
- 2 Kings 18:9–11
In the fourth year of Hezekiah’s reign, which was the seventh year of the reign of Hoshea son of Elah over Israel, Shalmaneser king of Assyria marched against Samaria and besieged it.
- Hosea 4:15–17
Though you prostitute yourself, O Israel, may Judah avoid such guilt! Do not journey to Gilgal, do not go up to Beth-aven, and do not swear on oath, ‘As surely as the LORD lives!’
- Hosea 3:4
For the Israelites must live many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred pillar, and without ephod or idol.
- 2 Kings 18:9–11
Where this verse is studied
On this page
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On this verse
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About Deuteronomy
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Augustine of Hippo, AGAINST FAUSTUS, A MANICHAEAN 19.26; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament; Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: The Pentateuch and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.