Matthew 19:7

7 They asked, "Then why did Moses command that a man can give his wife a letter of divorce and send her away?"

Matthew 19:7 Meaning and Commentary

Matthew 19:7

They say unto him
That is the Pharisees, who object the law of Moses to him, hoping hereby to ensnare him, and expose him to the resentment of the people, should he reject that, as they supposed he would;

why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and
put her away?
referring to ( Deuteronomy 24:1 ) which they thought to be a contradiction, and what they knew not how to reconcile to the doctrine Christ had delivered, concerning the original institution of marriage, and the close union there is between a man and his wife, by virtue of it, and which is not to be dissolved by men. Concerning a writing of divorcement and the form, and manner of it, (See Gill on Matthew 5:31)

Matthew 19:7 In-Context

5 He said, 'That's why a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife. The two will become one.'(Genesis 2:24)

6 They are no longer two, but one. So a man must not separate what God has joined together."

7 They asked, "Then why did Moses command that a man can give his wife a letter of divorce and send her away?"

8 Jesus replied, "Moses let you divorce your wives because you were stubborn. But it was not this way from the beginning.

9 Here is what I tell you. Anyone who divorces his wife and gets married to another woman commits adultery. A man may divorce his wife only if she has not been faithful to him."