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Matthew

About this book
Chapter 19

1 Now when Jesus finished these sayings, he left Galilee and went to the region of Judea beyond the Jordan River. 2 Large crowds followed him, and he healed them there. 3 Then some Pharisees came to him in order to test him. They asked, “Is it lawful to divorce a wife for any cause?”⁠ 4 He answered, “Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator made them male and female, 5 and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and will be united with his wife, and the two will become one flesh’?⁠ 6 So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” 7 They said to him, “Why then did Moses command us to give a certificate of dismissal and to divorce her?” 8 Jesus said to them, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because of your hard hearts, but from the beginning it was not this way. 9 Now I say to you that whoever divorces his wife, except for immorality, and marries another commits adultery.”⁠ 10 The disciples said to him, “If this is the case of a husband with a wife, it is better not to marry!” 11 He said to them, “Not everyone can accept this statement, except those to whom it has been given. 12 For there are some eunuchs who were that way from birth, and some who were made eunuchs by others, and some who became eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. The one who is able to accept this should accept it.” 13 Then little children were brought to him for him to lay his hands on them and pray. But the disciples scolded those who brought them. 14 But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not try to stop them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” 15 And he placed his hands on them and went on his way. 16 Now someone came up to him and said, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to gain eternal life?” 17 He said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.” 18 “Which ones?” he asked. Jesus replied, “Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, 19 honor your father and mother, and love your neighbor as yourself.” 20 The young man said to him, “I have wholeheartedly obeyed all these laws. What do I still lack?” 21 Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go sell your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”⁠ 22 But when the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he was very rich. 23 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “I tell you the truth, it will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven!⁠ 24 Again I say, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter into the kingdom of God.”⁠ 25 The disciples were greatly astonished when they heard this and said, “Then who can be saved?” 26 Jesus looked at them and replied, “This is impossible for mere humans, but for God all things are possible.” 27 Then Peter said to him, “Look, we have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?” 28 Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth: In the age when all things are renewed, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on 12 thrones, judging the 12 tribes of Israel.⁠ 29 And whoever has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.⁠ 30 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.

Texts in conversation

Compare Matthew 19:9 and Shepherd of Hermas 29:6

New Testament · Early Christian

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Summary

In Matthew, Jesus says a man who divorces his wife, except for immorality, and remarries commits adultery. In the Shepherd of Hermas, a believer similarly may not remarry after divorcing an adulterous wife, but must take her back if she repents.

Passages

Matthew 19:9

New Testament
3 Then some Pharisees came to him in order to test him. They asked, “Is it lawful to divorce a wife for any cause?” 4 He answered, “Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator made them male and female, 5 and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and will be united with his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? 6 So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” 7 They said to him, “Why then did Moses command us to give a certificate of dismissal and to divorce her?” 8 Jesus said to them, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because of your hard hearts, but from the beginning it was not this way. 9 Now I say to you that whoever divorces his wife, except for immorality, and marries another commits adultery.”
70–90 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in Matthew

Shepherd of Hermas 29:6

Early Christian
4 I said to him, “Sir, allow me to ask you a few more questions.” “Go ahead,” he said. “Sir,” I said, “if a man who has a wife who is faithful in the Lord finds her in adultery, does the husband sin by living with her?” 5 “As long as he does not know,” he said, “he does not sin; but if the husband knows about her sin, and the wife does not repent but continues in her immorality, and her husband lives with her, he becomes responsible for her sin and an accomplice in her adultery.” 6 “Then what, Sir,” I said, “must the husband do if the wife remains like this?” “Let him divorce her,” he said, “and let the husband remain alone; but if after divorcing his wife he marries another, he also commits adultery.” 7 “If then, Sir,” I said, “after the wife is divorced, she repents and wants to return to her own husband, should she not be taken back?” 8 “Certainly,” he said, “if the husband does not take her back, he sins and brings great sin on himself; indeed, the one who has sinned and has repented must be taken back, but not many times; for there is only one repentance for the servants of God. So, because of her repentance, the husband ought not to marry someone else. This is how husband and wife ought to act.
90–140 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in the Shepherd of Hermas

References

“... If that is the case, then the "divorce" of the wife in the case of adultery is for all practical purposes a "separation." The situation is similar for Hermas, who categorically forbids a second marriage and designates as [...] "separation" without the possibility of a new marriage. [...] Hermas, Man. 4.1.4–8 = 29:4-8 (here, to be sure, with the possibility that the wife repents and returns to the husband). ...”
Ulrich Luz, Matthew 8–20: A Commentary, ed. Helmut Koester (Minneapolis: Fortress, 2001), 493.
“... The last sentence of v. 6 is a close parallel to the Synoptic saying, especially Matt 19:9. It demonstrates that the tradition represented by Matt 5:32; 19:9 was interpreted, at least here, as divorce meaning separation without remarriage. [...] It is interesting that the motivation for remaining unmarried after divorcing an adulterer here and in v. 10 is not the indissolubility of the marriage bond, but the possibility of a change of heart on the part of the one dismissed ...”
Carolyn Osiek, The Shepherd of Hermas: A Commentary, Herm (Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress, 1999), 111.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

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Matthew 19:9 and Shepherd of Hermas 29:6

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