Mark 10:4

10:4 The Pharisees quoted what Moses permitted. There was much debate among rabbis as to what constituted the “something wrong” (see Deut 24:1) that made divorce permissible. Rabbi Shammai allowed divorce only on the basis of sexual immorality. Rabbi Hillel permitted divorce even if a woman burned her husband’s dinner or was less attractive than someone else (Mishnah Gittin 9:10).

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

And they said,.... By way of reply,

Moses suffered to write a bill of divorcement, and to put her away, Moses did not command them to divorce their wives, only suffered them to do so: and gave orders that if they could not bear that they should live with them, but would divorce them, that they should give them a bill, which should certify, they were so divorced, and then send them out of their houses, free to marry other men; this law, or permission, is in Deu 24:1, of the form of a bill of divorcement, See Gill on Mat 5:31.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

4 And they said, Moses suffered to write a bill of divorcement, and to put her away.

Ver. 4. Moses suffered to write] Not commanded. There is a difference between a permission and a precept, properly so called. {See Trapp on "Mat 19:7"} Non statim probat Deus quod permittit, God approves not presently whatsoever he permits.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Moses permitted the injured husband to send away his wife, declaring that he had repudiated her. See Deuteronomy xxiv. 1.

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

Deut. xxiv, 1.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

4. Ἐπέτρεψεν. First with emphasis; “suffered,” “permitted.” The right of divorce was established by custom, and “Moses” takes it for granted (Lev 21:7; Lev 21:14; Lev 22:13; Num 30:9); but in certain cases the right might be forfeited (Deu 22:19; Deu 22:29). In Deu 24:1 f., to which passage reference is here made, the right of divorce is assumed; and the husband is told that in divorcing he must observe certain formalities, the chief of which is the writing (Mk) and giving (Mt.) a βιβλίον ἀποστασίου (βιβ. ἀποκοπῆς Aq., βιβ. διακοπῆς Sym.), and that in no circumstances may the divorced woman become his wife again. J. Lightfoot on Mt. gives a specimen of a βιβ. ἀποστασίου, and it expressly mentions the right of the divorced wife to marry again. The reason for divorce is not stated, but it could not be adultery; the penalty for adultery was not divorce, but death (Lev 20:10; [Jn] Mar 8:5). “Moses” neither commanded nor forbade divorce, but commanded that, if it took place, it must be done in a certain way and be irrevocable. Driver on Deu 24:1 f. Malachi (Mar 2:14-15) contends against divorce, but nowhere in N.T. is there any reference to the passage. Here [2425] and Syr-Sin., with some Old Latin texts, have both the writing and the giving (dare scriptum) of the βιβλίον.

[2425] Codex Bezae. 6th cent. Has a Latin translation (d) side by side with the Greek text, and the two do not quite always agree. Presented by Beza to the University Library of Cambridge in 1581. Remarkable for its frequent divergences from other texts. Contains Mark, except Mar 16:15-20, which has been added by a later hand. Photographic facsimile, 1899.

Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges (Cambridge University Press, 1896; 21 vols, various authors incl. Carr, Maclear, Plummer, Farrar, Lumby, Moule, M. R. James, Simcox) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

4.] ἐπέτρεψεν is emphatic. Moses gave an express permissory injunction.

Henry Alford, The Greek Testament (1849–1861) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

4. βίβλιον1—means a roll, the form in which all written documents were prepared at the time. ἀποστασίου2—of divorce. This reply does not contain the condition of the divorce in the original, which made the subject of dispute between the two schools, viz., that the wife had come into disfavor because the husband found something unseemly in her (Deu 24:1). This is an indication that Jesus’ questioners belonged to the school of Hillel, which found in it practically no barrier to absolute freedom of divorce, so that in citing the law, they would ignore this as having no bearing on the case. Mat 19:3-7 gives a different version of the affair, which, however, defines their position still more distinctly as the liberal position. According to that, their question is, whether it is lawful for a man to divorce his wife for every cause. Jesus answers this by defining his own position forbidding divorce, when they ask, why Moses allowed it then. The order is unimportant, and there is nothing to choose between the two accounts.

International Critical Commentary — older volumes (1896–1929), various authors — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Bill [βιβλιον] . See on Mt 19:7. Diminutive. Lit., a little book; Lat., libellus, from which comes our word libel, a written accusation. Accordingly Wyc. has a libel of forsaking, and Tynd. a testimonial of her divorcement.

Marvin R. Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament (1887–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.