Matthew 19:3-13

3 And the Pharisees came to him tempting him, and saying, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?
4 But he answering said [to them], Have ye not read that he who made [them], from the beginning made them male and female,
5 and said, On account of this a man shall leave father and mother, and shall be united to his wife, and the two shall be one flesh?
6 so that they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.
7 They say to him, Why then did Moses command to give a letter of divorce and to send [her] away?
8 He says to them, Moses, in view of your hardheartedness, allowed you to put away your wives; but from the beginning it was not thus.
9 But I say unto you, that whosoever shall put away his wife, not for fornication, and shall marry another, commits adultery; and he who marries one put away commits adultery.
10 His disciples say to him, If the case of the man be so with his wife, it is not good to marry.
11 And he said to them, All cannot receive this word, but those to whom it has been given;
12 for there are eunuchs which have been born thus from [their] mother's womb; and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs of men; and there are eunuchs who have made eunuchs of themselves for the sake of the kingdom of the heavens. He that is able to receive [it], let him receive [it].
13 Then there were brought to him little children that he might lay his hands on them and pray; but the disciples rebuked them.

Footnotes 5

  • [a]. It may be translated 'that he who made them from the beginning, made them,' &c.: see Gen. 1.27 and 5.2.
  • [b]. Gen. 2.24.
  • [c]. Eis: lit. 'to one flesh;' with the force of, 'shall become so,' 'be for it,' 'though two persons, no longer two:' see Note, 1Cor. 6.16. There is no eis in 'but one flesh' in ver. 6.
  • [d]. Or, 'except.'
  • [e]. 'Who are such as have,' &c.
The Darby Translation is in the public domain.