Mark 10:2

2 And the Pharisees came, and asked him, Whether it be leaveful to a man to leave his wife? and they tempted him. [+And Pharisees coming nigh, asked him, If it is leaveful to a man to leave, or forsake, his wife? tempting him.]

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 And Jesus rose up from thence, and came into the coasts of Judaea over Jordan [of Judaea beyond Jordan]; and again the people came together to him, and as he was wont, again he taught them.

2 And the Pharisees came, and asked him, Whether it be leaveful to a man to leave his wife? and they tempted him. [+And Pharisees coming nigh, asked him, If it is leaveful to a man to leave, or forsake, his wife? tempting him.]

3 And he answered, and said to them, What commanded Moses to you?

4 And they said, Moses suffered to write a bill of forsaking [Moses suffered to write a libel of forsaking], and to forsake.

5 And Jesus answered, and said to them, For the hardness of your heart Moses wrote to you this commandment [+To the hardness of your heart Moses wrote to you this precept/To the hardness of your heart he wrote to you this commandment].