Matthew 5:32

But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.

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Word by word — the Greek

Word	Greek	Strong’s	Meaning
But	δὲ de	G1161	but · conjunction
I	ἐγὼ egō	G1473	I · personal pronoun — 1st person nominative singular
say	λέγω legō	G3004	properly · verb — present active indicative, 1st person singular
unto you	ὑμῖν hymîn	G5213	to (with or by) you
That	ὅτι hoti	G3754	demonstrative · conjunction
whosoever	ὃς hos	G3739	the relatively (sometimes demonstrative) pronoun · relative pronoun — nominative singular masculine
shall put away	ἀπολύων apoluōn	G630	to free fully · verb — present active participle, nominative singular masculine
his	αὐτοῦ autou	G846	the reflexive pronoun self · personal pronoun — genitive singular masculine
wife	γυναῖκα gunaika	G1135	a woman · noun — accusative singular feminine
saving	παρεκτὸς parektos	G3924	near outside · preposition
for the cause	λόγου logou	G3056	something said (including the thought) · noun — genitive singular masculine
of fornication	πορνείας porneias	G4202	harlotry (including adultery and incest) · noun — genitive singular feminine
causeth	ποιεῖ poiei	G4160	to make or do (in a very wide application · verb — present active indicative, 3rd person singular
her	αὐτὴν autēn	G846	the reflexive pronoun self · personal pronoun — accusative singular feminine
to commit adultery	μοιχᾶται.¶ moichatai	G3429	(middle voice) to commit adultery · verb — present middle or passive deponent indicative, 3rd person singular
and	καὶ kai	G2532	and · conjunction
whosoever	ὅς hós	G3739	the relatively (sometimes demonstrative) pronoun
shall marry	γαμήσῃ, gamēsē	G1060	to wed (of either sex) · verb — aorist active subjunctive, 3rd person singular
her that is divorced	ἀπολύω apolýō	G630	to free fully
committeth adultery	μοιχάω moicháō	G3429	(middle voice) to commit adultery

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Romans 7:3 So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is f…
Luke 16:18 Whosoever putteth away his wife, and marrieth another, committeth adultery: and whosoever marrieth her that is put away from her husband com…
1 Corinthians 7:10-11 And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from her husband:
1 Corinthians 7:4 The wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath not power of his own body, but the wife.
Matthew 19:8-9 He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so.
Mark 10:5-12 And Jesus answered and said unto them, For the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept.
Malachi 2:14-16 Yet ye say, Wherefore? Because the LORD hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth, against whom thou hast dealt treacherously…
Matthew 5:28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Matthew 5:27-32

We have here an exposition of the seventh commandment, given us by the same hand that made the law, and therefore was fittest to be the interpreter of it: it is the law against uncleanness, which fitly follows upon the former; that laid a restraint upon sinful passions, this upon sinful appetites, both which ought always to be under the government of reason and conscience, and if indulged, are equally pernicious. I. The command is here laid down (Mat 5:27), Thou shalt not commit adultery; which includes a prohibition of all other acts of uncleanness, and the desire of them: but the Pharisees, in their expositions of this command, made it to extend no further than the act of adultery, suggest…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Matthew 5:32

But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery--that is, drives her into it in case she marries again. and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced--for anything short of conjugal infidelity. committeth adultery--for if the commandment is broken by the one party, it must be by the other also. But see on Mat 19:4-9. Whether the innocent party, after a just divorce, may lawfully marry again, is not treated of here. The Church of Rome says, No; but the Greek and Protestant Churches allow it. Same Subject Illustrated from the Third Commandment (Mat 5:33-37).

John Gill on Matthew 5:32

But I say unto you; that whosoever shall put away his wife,.... Christ does not infringe, or revoke the original grant, or permission of divorce; only frees it from the false interpretations, and ill use, the Pharisees made of it; and restores the ancient sense of it, in which only it was to be understood: for a divorce was allowable in no case, saving for the cause of fornication; which must not be taken strictly for what is called fornication, but as including adultery, incest, or any unlawful copulation; and is opposed to the sense and practices of the Pharisees, who were on the side of Hillell: who admitted of divorce, upon the most foolish and frivolous pretences whatever; when Shammai…

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The Church Fathers

For in the Gospel of Matthew he says, "Whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery." He also is deemed equally guilty of adultery, who marries a woman put away by her husband.
— Tertullian, Against Marcion Book IV

Through these things he clearly teaches that it is not unreasonable divorce which dissolves a marriage in God's sight. Rather, irresponsible action dissolves a marriage, even if the divorce is legal. For the whole teaching of Christ judges things according to one's disposition.
— Theodore of Heraclea, FRAGMENT 34.30

Meantime withal, while prohibiting divorce, he uses the Lord's precept against adultery as an instrument for providing, in place of divorce, either perseverance in widowhood, or else a reconciliation of peace: inasmuch as "whoever shall have dismissed a wife (for any cause) except the cause of adultery, maketh her commit adultery; and he who marrieth one dismissed by a husband committeth adultery." What powerful remedies does the Holy Spirit furnish, to prevent, to wit, the commission anew of that which He wills not should anew be pardoned!
— Tertullian, On Modesty

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Divorce — The dissolution of the marriage tie was regulated by the Mosaic law (Deut. 24:1-4). The Jews, after the Captivity, were reguired to dismiss the foreign women they had married contrary to the law…
Marriage — Was instituted in Paradise when man was in innocence (Gen. 2:18-24). Here we have its original charter, which was confirmed by our Lord, as the basis on which all regulations are to be framed (Matt.…
Sermon on the mount — After spending a night in solemn meditation and prayer in the lonely mountain-range to the west of the Lake of Galilee (Luke 6:12), on the following morning our Lord called to him his disciples, and…
Adultery · 24:15-18;31:1,9-12; — 24:15-18;31:1,9-12;
Commandments · DISCOURSE — DISCOURSE
Divorce · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Judaism · .To make room for the Gospel — .To make room for the Gospel
Religion · TRUE — TRUE

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

Matthew 5:32

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Matthew 5:27-32

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Matthew 5:32

John Gill on Matthew 5:32

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Matthew 5:32

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Matthew 5:27-32

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Matthew 5:32

John Gill on Matthew 5:32

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

John Calvin on Matthew 5:31-32

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Matthew 5:32