Is divorce allowed in the Bible?
BREAKDOWN
The biblical perspective on divorce is complex, reflecting both God's ideal for marriage and His compassionate allowance for human fallenness. The foundational principle is established in Genesis 2:24, stating, "Therefore a man will leave his father and his mother, and will join with his wife, and they will be one flesh." This verse emphasizes the permanent, covenantal nature of marriage, designed by God to be a lifelong union. However, the Old Testament law, specifically Deuteronomy 24:1-4, allowed for a man to divorce his wife if "he has found some indecency in her." This Mosaic allowance, while permitting divorce, was primarily a protective measure for women in a patriarchal society, ensuring they received a bill of divorce (*get*) rather than being simply cast out, and preventing capricious remarriage. The precise meaning of "indecency" (Hebrew: *ervat davar*) was debated by rabbinic schools, with some interpreting it broadly (e.g., Hillel) and others narrowly (e.g., Shammai). In the New Testament, Jesus addresses divorce in Matthew 5:31-32, Mark 10:2-12, and Matthew 19:3-9. In Matthew 19:6, Jesus reiterates the Genesis principle, stating, "So that they are no more two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, don't let man separate." When questioned about Moses's allowance, Jesus explains it was due to the "hardness of your hearts" (Matthew 19:8). He then introduces an exception to the prohibition against divorce and remarriage, stating in Matthew 19:9, "Whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality (*porneia*), and marries another, commits adultery; and he who marries her when she is divorced commits adultery." This "exception clause" for *porneia* is understood by many scholars to encompass various forms of sexual sin, including adultery, fornication, or incestuous unions. The Apostle Paul further elaborates on divorce in 1 Corinthians 7:10-16, commanding that a wife not leave her husband, and a husband not divorce his wife. However, he introduces another exception, known as the "Pauline privilege," stating that if an unbelieving spouse departs, the believing spouse is "not under bondage" (1 Corinthians 7:15). This suggests that desertion by an unbelieving partner, which fundamentally breaks the marital covenant, may also be grounds for divorce, allowing the believing spouse to be free.
KEY TERMS
ervat davar
A Hebrew phrase from Deuteronomy 24:1, meaning 'some indecency' or 'nakedness of a thing,' referring to the grounds for divorce in Mosaic law.
porneia
A Greek term referring to sexual immorality, used by Jesus as the specific exception for divorce in Matthew's Gospel.
Pauline privilege
The instruction given by the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 7:15, allowing a believing spouse to be free from the marriage bond if an unbelieving spouse departs.
Gittin
The Hebrew term for a 'bill of divorce,' which was a formal legal document required in ancient Israel for a divorce to be valid.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
Genesis 2:24
Therefore a man will leave his father and his mother, and will join with his wife, and they will be one flesh.
Deuteronomy 24:1-4
When a man takes a wife and marries her, then it shall be, if she finds no favor in his eyes, because he has found some indecency in her, that he shall write her a bill of divorce, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house. When she has departed out of his house, she may go and be another man’s wife. If the latter husband hates her, and writes her a bill of divorce, and gives it in her hand, and sends her out of his house; or if the latter husband dies, who took her to be his wife; her former husband, who sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife, after that she is defiled; for that is an abomination before Yahweh. You shall not bring sin on the land which Yahweh your God gives you for an inheritance.
Matthew 5:31-32
“It was also said, ‘Whoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorce;’ but I tell you that whoever divorces his wife, except for the cause of sexual immorality, makes her an adulteress; and whoever marries her when she is divorced commits adultery.
Matthew 19:3-9
Pharisees came to him, testing him, and saying, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any reason?” He answered, “Haven’t you read that he who made them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘For this cause a man will leave his father and mother, and will join to his wife; and the two will become one flesh?’ So that they are no more two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, don’t let man separate.” They asked him, “Why then did Moses command to give a bill of divorce, and to put her away?” He said to them, “Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it has not been so. I tell you that whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and he who marries her when she is divorced commits adultery.”
Mark 10:2-12
Pharisees came to him, and asked him, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” testing him. He answered them, “What did Moses command you?” They said, “Moses allowed a man to write a bill of divorce, and to put her away.” But Jesus said to them, “For the hardness of your heart he wrote you this commandment. But from the beginning of the creation, ‘God made them male and female.’ ‘For this cause a man will leave his father and mother, and will join to his wife, and the two will become one flesh,’ so that they are no more two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, don’t let man separate.” In the house, his disciples asked him again about this matter. He said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife, and marries another, commits adultery against her. If a wife divorces her husband, and marries another, she commits adultery.”
1 Corinthians 7:10-16
But to the married I give instructions, not I, but the Lord, that the wife not leave her husband (but if she departs, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband), and that the husband not leave his wife. But to the rest I—not the Lord—say, if any brother has an unbelieving wife, and she is content to live with him, let him not leave her. The woman who has an unbelieving husband, and he is content to live with her, let her not leave her husband. For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified in the wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified in the husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but now are holy. Yet if the unbeliever departs, let there be separation. The brother or the sister is not under bondage in such cases, but God has called us in peace. For how do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?
INTERLINEAR ANALYSIS
Interlinear Greek
Matthew 19:9ORIGINAL LANGUAGE ANALYSIS
עֶרְוַת דָּבָר
indecency
Definitionnakedness of a thing, some indecency, an unseemly thing
πορνεία
sexual immorality
Definitionfornication, sexual promiscuity, incest, idolatry, prostitution
χωρίζω
depart
Definitionto separate, to divide, to put apart, to go away
HISTORICAL CONTEXT
In ancient Israel, marriage was a patriarchal institution, often arranged, and primarily served social and economic functions, including procreation and inheritance. Divorce, while not ideal, was permitted under Mosaic law (Deuteronomy 24:1-4). The husband had the prerogative to initiate divorce by issuing a *get* (bill of divorce). This *get* was crucial as it legally released the woman, allowing her to remarry and protecting her from accusations of adultery. Without it, she would remain bound to her former husband and unable to form a new legal union. During the Second Temple period, the interpretation of "indecency" (עֶרְוַת דָּבָר) became a major point of contention between the rabbinic schools of Hillel and Shammai. Hillel's school adopted a liberal view, allowing divorce for almost any reason (e.g., burning a meal), while Shammai's school held a stricter view, limiting divorce to cases of grave sexual impropriety. Jesus's teaching, particularly in Matthew, clearly aligns more closely with the stricter interpretation, elevating the sanctity of marriage beyond contemporary cultural norms. In the wider Greco-Roman world, divorce laws varied but were often more lenient than Jewish law, particularly for men, allowing for dissolution of marriage with relative ease.
THEOLOGICAL INSIGHT
Theologically, the Bible presents marriage as a sacred covenant designed by God to reflect the union between Christ and the Church (Ephesians 5:25-33). While the ideal is indissoluble, God's law acknowledges human sinfulness and provides provisions for divorce in extreme circumstances, primarily sexual infidelity (*porneia*) which fundamentally violates the covenant, or desertion by an unbelieving spouse, which renders the covenant unworkable. These allowances are not endorsements of divorce but compassionate responses to brokenness, aiming to protect the innocent party and uphold the greater spiritual welfare, emphasizing reconciliation where possible, but acknowledging legitimate grounds for separation when the marital bond is irrevocably fractured by serious sin.
COMMENTARY SYNTHESIS
Rashi (Jewish)
On Deuteronomy 24:1, Rashi emphasizes the formal requirement of a 'bill of divorce' (*get*), stating that even if the husband has a legitimate reason for divorce, the legal procedure must be followed to ensure the woman is free to remarry. He notes the *ervat davar* means 'something indecent' and allows for various interpretations depending on the specific rabbinic school.
John Calvin (Christian)
Regarding Matthew 19:9, Calvin argues that Christ restores marriage to its original institution, which was violated by human sin. He contends that the only valid ground for divorce is fornication (*porneia*), and that anyone divorcing for other reasons and remarrying commits adultery, thereby affirming the sanctity and indissolubility of the marital bond except in cases of extreme sexual transgression.
Matthew Henry (Christian)
In his commentary on 1 Corinthians 7, Henry highlights Paul's distinction between the Lord's command against divorce and his own advice regarding mixed marriages. He explains the 'Pauline privilege' (v. 15), noting that if an unbelieving spouse wilfully departs, the believing spouse is 'not under bondage,' implying freedom from the marital tie, as God has called believers to peace.
Maimonides (Jewish)
In Mishneh Torah, Hilkhot Gerushin (Laws of Divorce), Maimonides meticulously details the procedures and grounds for divorce according to Jewish law. He specifies cases where a man *must* divorce his wife (e.g., if she commits adultery), cases where he *may* divorce her, and cases where he is *forbidden* to divorce her, underscoring the legal complexities and varied situations surrounding divorce in Jewish tradition.