Matthew 19:1-12

Concerning Divorce

1 ¹When Jesus had finished these words, He departed from Galilee and ²came into the region of Judea beyond the Jordan;

2 and large crowds followed Him, and ³He healed them there.

3 Some Pharisees came to Jesus, testing Him and asking, "⁴Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any reason at all?"

4 And He answered and said, "Have you not read ⁵that He who created them from the beginning MADE THEM MALE AND FEMALE,

5 and said, '⁶FOR THIS REASON A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER AND BE JOINED TO HIS WIFE, AND ⁷THE TWO SHALL BECOME * ONE FLESH '?

6 "So they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate."

7 They said to Him, "⁸Why then did Moses command to GIVE HER A CERTIFICATE OF DIVORCE AND SEND her AWAY?"

8 He said to them, "Because of your hardness of heart Moses permitted you to divorce your wives; but from the beginning it has not been this way.

9 "And I say to you, ⁹whoever * divorces his wife, except for immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery ."

10 The disciples said to Him, "If the relationship of the man with his wife is like this, it is better not to marry."

11 But He said to them, "¹⁰Not all men can accept this statement, but ¹¹only those to whom it has been given.

12 "For there are eunuchs who were born that way from their mother's womb; and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men; and there are also eunuchs who made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. He who is able to accept this, let him accept it."

Cross References

• 1. Matthew 7:28
• 2. Matthew 19:1-9: {Mark 10:1-12}
• 3. Matthew 4:23
• 4. Matthew 5:31
• 5. Genesis 1:27; Genesis 5:2
• 6. Genesis 2:24; Ephesians 5:31
• 7. 1 Corinthians 6:16
• 8. Deuteronomy 24:1-4; Matthew 5:31
• 9. Matthew 5:32
• 10. 1 Corinthians 7:7f
• 11. Matthew 13:11

Footnotes

• [a] Lit "many"
• [b] Lit "Him"
• [c] Or "send away"
• [d] Or "send away"
• [e] Or "sends away"
• [f] Lit "fornication"
• [g] Some early mss read "makes her commit adultery"
• [h] Some early mss add "and he who marries a divorced woman commits adultery"