Mark 10:2

2 Pharisees came up, intending to give him a hard time. They asked, "Is it legal for a man to divorce his wife?"

Mark 10:2 Meaning and Commentary

Mark 10:2

And the: Pharisees came unto him
As they every where did; not to be instructed by him, but to ensnare him;

and asked him, is it lawful for a man to put away his wife?
that is, as Matthew adds, "for every cause", (See Gill on Matthew 19:3): for, a divorce might be lawfully made for a cause, or reason, namely, adultery, but not for any, or every cause; which is the sense of this question of the Pharisees; and, which they put, not for information, but

tempting him;
trying to entangle him by opposing the authority of Moses, should he deny the lawfulness of divorces, or by objecting his former doctrine, ( Matthew 5:32 ) , and so expose him as an inconsistent preacher, should he allow them to be lawful for every reason. This clause is placed in the Syriac, Arabic, and Persic versions before the question.

Mark 10:2 In-Context

1 From there he went to the area of Judea across the Jordan. A crowd of people, as was so often the case, went along, and he, as he so often did, taught them.

2 Pharisees came up, intending to give him a hard time. They asked, "Is it legal for a man to divorce his wife?"

3 Jesus said, "What did Moses command?"

4 They answered, "Moses gave permission to fill out a certificate of dismissal and divorce her."

5 Jesus said, "Moses wrote this command only as a concession to your hardhearted ways.