Deuteronomy 24:1

Hebrew Bible

1 If a man marries a woman and she does not please him because he has found something indecent in her, then he may draw up a divorce document, give it to her, and evict her from his house. 2 When she has left him she may go and become someone else’s wife. 3 If the second husband rejects her and then divorces her, gives her the papers, and evicts her from his house, or if the second husband who married her dies,

Sirach 25:25

Ben Sira, Ecclesiasticus
Deuterocanon

23 Dejected mind, gloomy face, and wounded heart come from an evil wife. Drooping hands and weak knees come from the wife who does not make her husband happy. 24 From a woman sin had its beginning, and because of her we all die. 25 Allow no outlet to water, and no boldness of speech to an evil wife. 26 If she does not go as you direct, separate her from yourself.

 Notes and References

"... The vague expression Deuteronomy 24:1 is translated similarly in the Septuagint, 'an unworthy deed'; similarly, in Deuteronomy 23:15, 'shamefulness of deeds'. This rather literal translation resembles the Hillelite view. However, this does not give us a clue to its date since dating any particular Septuagint version is difficult. Josephus gives an outspoken Hillelite rendering, presenting it as established practice 'for whatever cause'. So does Philo ... 'for any cause whatever' This brings us as far back as the first half of the first century CE. However, evidence definitely from the early second century BCE is found in Ben Sira: ' ... A wicked wife ... if she does not walk following your hand, cut her off from your flesh, give (a divorce bill) and send (her away).' The reference is not to unchastity but to bad behavior in general. It seems that there existed a continuous and widespread tradition since biblical times which interpreted Deuteronomy 24:1 literally as a vague and comprehensive ground for divorce ..."

Tomson, Peter J. Paul and the Jewish Law: Halakha in the Letters of the Apostle to the Gentiles (pp. 122-123) Fortress Press, 1990

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