Mark 10
A question about divorce
And he arose from thence, and cometh into the coasts of Judæa by the farther side of Jordan: and the people resort unto him again; and, as he was wont, he taught them again.
And the Pharisees came to him, and asked him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife? tempting him. And he answered and said unto them, What did Moses command you? And they said, Moses suffered to write a bill of divorcement, and to put her away. And Jesus answered and said unto them, For the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept. But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife; And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. And in the house his disciples asked him again of the same matter. And he saith unto them, Whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery against her. And if a woman shall put away her husband, and be married to another, she committeth adultery.
In Judea and beyond the Jordan, Pharisees test Jesus by asking whether divorce is lawful. He answers that Moses allowed a certificate of divorce because of hard hearts, but that from creation God made male and female to become one flesh. Privately he tells the disciples that remarriage after divorce is adultery.
What does this mean?
'Put away' (KJV) means divorce. A 'bill of divorcement' is the written certificate a husband gave his wife, leaving her free to remarry. 'Twain' means two; 'cleave' means hold fast; 'put asunder' means separate.
Historical context
Deuteronomy 24:1–4 regulates divorce, and Jewish teachers debated its grounds: according to the Mishnah, the school of Shammai allowed it only for unchastity, the school of Hillel for almost any reason. Jesus answers from Genesis 1:27 and 2:24. Jewish law normally let only husbands initiate divorce, while Roman law allowed wives to; many scholars think verse 12 applies the teaching to a Roman setting.
Why does it matter?
Jesus appeals behind the law to God's purpose in creation. Matthew's versions add an exception for sexual immorality (Matthew 5:32; 19:9), which Mark lacks, and Christian traditions differ in how they apply this teaching. The region beyond the Jordan was ruled by Herod Antipas, whose own marriage had cost John his life.
Editorial notes, not scripture.