Jesus' Teaching on Divorce
Mark 10:1-12
Mark.10.1 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- Και: CONJ
- εκειθεν: ADV
- αναστας: VERB,aor,act,part,nom,sg,m
- ερχεται: VERB,pres,mid,ind,3,sg
- εις: PREP
- τα: ART,acc,pl,n
- ορια: NOUN,acc,pl,n
- της: ART,gen,sg,f
- Ιουδαιας: NOUN,gen,sg,f
- και: CONJ
- περαν: PREP
- του: ART,gen,sg,n
- Ιορδανου: NOUN,gen,sg,m
- και: CONJ
- συμπορευονται: VERB,pres,mid,ind,3,pl
- παλιν: ADV
- οχλοι: NOUN,nom,pl,m
- προς: PREP
- αυτον: PRON,acc,sg,m
- και: CONJ
- ως: ADV
- ειωθει: VERB,perf,act,ind,3,sg
- παλιν: ADV
- εδιδασκεν: VERB,impf,act,ind,3,sg
- αυτους: PRON,acc,pl,m
Parallels
- Matthew 19:1 (verbal): Almost identical language and setting: Jesus departs and comes into the coasts/borders of Judea beyond the Jordan (parallel opening to the same pericope).
- Matthew 4:25 (thematic): Both passages emphasize large crowds following Jesus from surrounding regions (Galilee, Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, beyond Jordan), showing the wide geographical draw of his ministry.
- Mark 3:7-8 (verbal): Mark elsewhere uses similar wording listing crowds from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea and beyond Jordan, paralleling the motif of multitudes traveling to Jesus across regional boundaries.
- Mark 6:34 (thematic): Both scenes highlight Jesus’ response to large crowds by teaching them—Mark 10:1 notes he again taught them, and 6:34 describes him teaching the multitudes who followed him.
- Luke 18:18 (structural): Luke 18:18 opens the parallel pericope (the rich young ruler) that corresponds to the narrative beginning in Mark 10 immediately after v.1, linking the same sequence of events in a different Gospel arrangement.
Alternative generated candidates
- And he went away from there and came into the districts of Judea and beyond the Jordan; and great crowds gathered to him again, and, as was his custom, he again taught them.
- And he went away from there and came into the region of Judea and across the Jordan; and crowds gathered to him again, and, as was his custom, he taught them.
Mark.10.2 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- Και: CONJ
- επηρωτων: VERB,impf,act,ind,3,pl
- αυτον: PRON,acc,sg,m
- ει: VERB,pres,act,ind,2,sg
- εξεστιν: VERB,pres,act,ind,3,sg
- ανδρι: NOUN,dat,sg,m
- γυναικα: NOUN,acc,sg,f
- απολυσαι: VERB,aor,act,inf
- πειραζοντες: VERB,pres,act,ptc,nom,pl,m
- αυτον: PRON,acc,sg,m
Parallels
- Matthew 19:3 (verbal): Nearly identical account—Pharisees question Jesus about the lawfulness of divorce to test him; sets the scene for Jesus' teaching.
- Matthew 5:31-32 (thematic): Earlier teaching of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount about prohibitions and exceptions for divorce (remarriage as adultery), addressing the same issue.
- Luke 16:18 (verbal): Concise saying of Jesus linking divorce and remarriage with adultery, reflecting the same concern about marital dissolution and its moral consequences.
- Deuteronomy 24:1-4 (allusion): The Mosaic law permitting a man to give a certificate of divorce is the legal background to the Pharisees' question and the rabbinic debate they represent.
- Malachi 2:16 (thematic): Prophetic denunciation of divorce ('I hate divorce') expresses a theological stance against casual dissolution of marriage that undergirds Jesus' response.
Alternative generated candidates
- And Pharisees came up and, to test him, asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?”
- And the Pharisees came to him, testing him, and they asked, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?"
Mark.10.3 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ο: ART,nom,sg,m
- δε: CONJ
- αποκριθεις: VERB,aor,pass,ptc,nom,sg,m
- ειπεν: VERB,aor,act,ind,3,sg
- αυτοις·Τι: PRON,dat,pl,m
- υμιν: PRON,dat,pl,2
- ενετειλατο: VERB,aor,mid,ind,3,sg
- Μωυσης: NOUN,nom,sg,m
Parallels
- Matthew 19:3-4 (structural): Parallel account of the Pharisees' question about divorce and Jesus' turn to the Mosaic law; the same dialogue appears in Matthew's Gospel.
- Mark 10:4 (verbal): Immediate continuation in Mark's pericope: the Pharisees answer Jesus by citing Moses' allowance of a certificate of divorce.
- Deuteronomy 24:1-4 (quotation): The Mosaic statute on divorce that Jesus is asking about — the law ('what Moses commanded') to which the debate refers.
- Matthew 5:31-32 (allusion): In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus cites and reinterprets the Mosaic provision for divorce (the certificate), engaging the same command of 'Moses' referenced in Mark 10:3.
Alternative generated candidates
- He answered them, “What did Moses command you?”
- He answered them, "What did Moses command you?"
Mark.10.4 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- οι: ART,nom,pl,m
- δε: CONJ
- ειπαν·Επετρεψεν: VERB,aor,act,ind,3,pl+VERB,aor,act,ind,3,sg
- Μωυσης: NOUN,nom,sg,m
- βιβλιον: NOUN,acc,sg,n
- αποστασιου: NOUN,gen,sg,f
- γραψαι: VERB,aor,act,inf
- και: CONJ
- απολυσαι: VERB,aor,act,inf
Parallels
- Deuteronomy 24:1 (quotation): The Mosaic regulation permitting a man to write a ‘certificate of divorce’ (bill of divorcement); Mark’s remark refers directly to this law as the basis for permitting divorce.
- Matthew 19:7 (verbal): Almost identical exchange in Matthew’s parallel: the interlocutors cite Moses’ allowance to write a certificate of divorce, making this a close verbal parallel to Mark 10:4.
- Matthew 5:31-32 (thematic): In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus refers to the saying about divorce and then raises a higher standard—contrasting Mosaic permission with God’s original intent—addressing the same issue raised in Mark 10:4.
- Luke 16:18 (verbal): Luke preserves Jesus’ strong saying about divorce and remarriage (one who divorces and marries commits adultery), reflecting the same teaching context and concern about the implications of the Mosaic allowance cited in Mark 10:4.
Alternative generated candidates
- They said, “Moses allowed to write a certificate of dismissal and to put her away.”
- They said, "Moses permitted a certificate of divorce and to put her away."
Mark.10.5 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ο: ART,nom,sg,m
- δε: CONJ
- Ιησους: NOUN,nom,sg,m
- ειπεν: VERB,aor,act,ind,3,sg
- αυτοις·Προς: PRON,dat,pl,3
- την: ART,acc,sg,f
- σκληροκαρδιαν: NOUN,acc,sg,f
- υμων: PRON,gen,pl,2
- εγραψεν: VERB,aor,act,ind,3,sg
- υμιν: PRON,dat,pl,2
- την: ART,acc,sg,f
- εντολην: NOUN,acc,sg,f
- ταυτην·: PRON,acc,sg,f
Parallels
- Matthew 19:8 (verbal): Nearly identical wording: Jesus explicitly says Moses wrote the concession because of 'your hardness of heart.'
- Deuteronomy 24:1-4 (quotation): The Mosaic regulation permitting divorce (the certificate) — the written law Jesus refers to as given because of hardness of heart.
- Matthew 19:3-9 (structural): Parallel pericope in Matthew treating the same question on divorce, citing Moses' concession and contrasting it with God's original design.
- Luke 16:18 (thematic): Concise teaching that remarriage after divorce constitutes adultery—reflects the same moral concern about divorce as in Mark's account.
- Matthew 5:31-32 (thematic): Sermon on the Mount teaching on divorce that tightens the standard and echoes Jesus' opposition to casual divorce, grounding it in God's intent rather than Mosaic concession.
Alternative generated candidates
- And Jesus said to them, “For your hardness of heart he wrote you this commandment.
- But Jesus said to them, "For Moses, because of your hardness of heart, wrote you this commandment.
Mark.10.6 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- απο: PREP
- δε: CONJ
- αρχης: NOUN,gen,sg,f
- κτισεως: NOUN,gen,sg,f
- αρσεν: ADJ,nom,sg,m
- και: CONJ
- θηλυ: ADJ,nom,sg,f
- εποιησεν: VERB,aor,act,ind,3,sg
- αυτους·: PRON,acc,pl,m
Parallels
- Genesis 1:27 (quotation): Direct source: the creation account — 'male and female he created them' is the basis for Jesus' appeal 'from the beginning God made them male and female.'
- Matthew 19:4 (verbal): Near-verbatim Synoptic parallel of Jesus' saying in Mark 10:6 within the parallel pericope on marriage and divorce.
- Genesis 2:24 (quotation): Closely related creation tradition invoked in the same teaching on marriage ('a man shall leave his father and mother...'), which Mark draws on alongside Genesis 1:27.
- 1 Corinthians 11:8-9 (allusion): Paul appeals to the order of creation (man and woman) to argue about roles and origins, echoing the theological use of 'from the beginning' seen in Mark 10:6.
Alternative generated candidates
- But from the beginning of creation, God made them male and female.
- But from the beginning of creation, God made them male and female.
Mark.10.7 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ενεκεν: PREP,gen
- τουτου: PRON,gen,sg,n
- καταλειψει: VERB,fut,act,ind,3,sg
- ανθρωπος: NOUN,nom,sg,m
- τον: ART,acc,sg,m
- πατερα: NOUN,acc,sg,m
- αυτου: PRON,gen,sg,m
- και: CONJ
- την: ART,acc,sg,f
- μητερα: NOUN,acc,sg,f
- και: CONJ
- προσκολληθησεται: VERB,fut,mid,ind,3,sg
- προς: PREP
- την: ART,acc,sg,f
- γυναικα: NOUN,acc,sg,f
- αυτου: PRON,gen,sg,m
Parallels
- Genesis 2:24 (quotation): The original OT formulation: 'Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife'—the passage Mark is citing.
- Matthew 19:5 (verbal): Matthew records the same saying in Jesus' teaching, closely matching Mark's wording and context about leaving parents and cleaving to one's wife.
- Ephesians 5:31 (quotation): Paul explicitly cites Genesis 2:24 ('a man shall leave his father and mother...'), applying it theologically to the marriage union in Christ.
- 1 Corinthians 6:16 (thematic): Uses the concept of becoming 'one body'/'one flesh' in a discussion of sexual union—echoing the marriage imagery implicit in 'cleave to his wife.'
Alternative generated candidates
- For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother,
- For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife,
Mark.10.8 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- και: CONJ
- εσονται: VERB,fut,act,ind,3,pl
- οι: ART,nom,pl,m
- δυο: NUM,acc,pl,m
- εις: PREP
- σαρκα: NOUN,acc,sg,f
- μιαν·ωστε: NUM,acc,sg,f+CONJ
- ουκετι: ADV
- εισιν: VERB,pres,act,ind,3,pl
- δυο: NUM,acc,pl,m
- αλλα: CONJ
- μια: NUM,nom,sg,f
- σαρξ·: NOUN,nom,sg,f
Parallels
- Genesis 2:24 (quotation): The original formulation of 'the two shall become one flesh'—Mark 10:8 is Jesus' citation of this Genesis text as the basis for marriage.
- Matthew 19:5 (verbal): Synoptic parallel: Jesus repeats the same wording about two becoming one flesh in his teaching on marriage and divorce.
- Ephesians 5:31 (quotation): Paul explicitly cites 'the two shall become one flesh' (Gen 2:24) and applies it theologically to the husband-wife relationship and the Christ–church mystery.
- 1 Corinthians 6:16 (verbal): Paul uses the language of becoming 'one flesh' to describe sexual union, applying the phrase to warn against joining with prostitutes and sexual immorality.
Alternative generated candidates
- and the two shall become one flesh; so they are no longer two, but one flesh.
- and the two shall become one flesh; so they are no longer two but one flesh.
Mark.10.9 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ο: ART,nom,sg,m
- ουν: CONJ
- ο: ART,nom,sg,m
- θεος: NOUN,nom,sg,m
- συνεζευξεν: VERB,aor,act,ind,3,sg
- ανθρωπος: NOUN,nom,sg,m
- μη: PART
- χωριζετω: VERB,pres,act,imp,3,sg
Parallels
- Matthew 19:6 (verbal): Nearly identical wording in Matthew's parallel account: 'what therefore God has joined together, let no man separate.'
- Genesis 2:24 (quotation): Genesis' 'one flesh' formula is cited by Jesus as the creation basis for marriage, underpinning the claim that God unites spouses.
- Luke 16:18 (verbal): A parallel saying condemning divorce and remarriage—echoes the prohibition against separating what God has joined.
- Malachi 2:16 (thematic): The prophetic denunciation of divorce ('I hate divorce') provides Old Testament background for Jesus' strict stance on marital permanence.
- Romans 7:2-3 (thematic): Paul's teaching that a marriage bond lasts while the spouse lives reflects the same principle of marital permanence implied by 'what God has joined.'
Alternative generated candidates
- Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”
- Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.
Mark.10.10 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- Και: CONJ
- εις: PREP
- την: ART,acc,sg,f
- οικιαν: NOUN,acc,sg,f
- παλιν: ADV
- οι: ART,nom,pl,m
- μαθηται: NOUN,nom,pl,m
- περι: PREP
- τουτου: DEM,gen,sg,m
- επηρωτων: VERB,impf,act,ind,3,pl
- αυτον: PRON,acc,sg,m
Parallels
- Matthew 19:10 (structural): Direct Gospel parallel: Matthew recounts the same post‑teaching response of the disciples to Jesus' words on divorce (same episode, similar wording).
- Matthew 5:31-32 (thematic): Earlier teaching of Jesus on divorce in the Sermon on the Mount; addresses grounds and moral consequences of divorce—thematically linked to the Mark 10 discussion that prompts the disciples' question.
- Luke 16:18 (verbal): Contains a succinct saying equating divorce/remarriage with adultery; verbal/thematic parallel to Jesus' teaching reported in Mark 10 (esp. vv.11–12).
- Genesis 2:24 (quotation): Jesus appeals to this creation text (cited in Mark 10:7–9) as the normative basis for marriage—background for the disciples' subsequent question in v.10.
Alternative generated candidates
- And in the house his disciples again questioned him about the same thing.
- And when they were in the house again, his disciples began to question him about this matter.
Mark.10.11 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- και: CONJ
- λεγει: VERB,pres,act,ind,3,sg
- αυτοις·Ος: PRON,dat,pl,m
- αν: PART
- απολυση: VERB,aor,act,subj,3,sg
- την: ART,acc,sg,f
- γυναικα: NOUN,acc,sg,f
- αυτου: PRON,gen,sg,m
- και: CONJ
- γαμηση: VERB,aor,act,subj,3,sg
- αλλην: ADJ,acc,sg,f
- μοιχαται: VERB,pres,mid,ind,3,sg
- επ᾽αυτην: PREP
Parallels
- Matthew 5:32 (verbal): Very similar saying in the Sermon on the Mount about divorce and adultery; wording adds an exception clause ('except for sexual immorality'), highlighting a key textual/interpretive difference with Mark.
- Matthew 19:9 (verbal): Close synoptic parallel to Mark 10:11–12; repeats Jesus' teaching on divorce and remarriage but includes the 'except for sexual immorality' exception found in Matthew's tradition.
- Luke 16:18 (verbal): Direct verbal parallel: Luke preserves the same blunt formulation that divorcing and remarrying constitutes adultery, matching Mark's teaching without Matthew's exceptional wording.
- 1 Corinthians 7:10–11 (allusion): Paul appeals to the Lord's command about married couples (echoing Jesus' prohibition on divorce/remarriage) and gives pastoral instructions, showing the early church's use of Jesus' teaching.
- Deuteronomy 24:1–4 (structural): The Old Testament law on divorce provides the legal background to Jesus' debate with Pharisees (Jesus cites Moses elsewhere in the pericope); Deut. 24 is the Mosaic concession Jesus confronts when redefining marriage permanence.
Alternative generated candidates
- And he said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her.
- And he said to them, "Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her."
Mark.10.12 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- και: CONJ
- εαν: CONJ
- αυτη: PRON,dat,sg,f
- απολυσασα: PART,aor,act,nom,sg,f
- τον: ART,acc,sg,m
- ανδρα: NOUN,acc,sg,m
- αυτης: PRO,gen,sg,f
- γαμηση: VERB,aor,act,subj,3,sg
- αλλον: ADJ,acc,sg,m
- μοιχαται: VERB,pres,mp,ind,3,sg
Parallels
- Matthew 19:9 (verbal): Direct Synoptic parallel: Jesus links divorce and remarriage with adultery; Matthew includes the exception clause 'except for sexual immorality,' which Mark does not explicitly state here.
- Luke 16:18 (verbal): Very close verbal parallel: Luke records the same aphorism that divorcing and remarrying constitutes adultery, reflecting the same saying of Jesus as in Mark.
- Matthew 5:32 (verbal): Sermon-on-the-Mount parallel: Jesus teaches that divorce and remarriage involve adultery; Matthew frames it with an exception for sexual immorality and a different emphasis (causing the wife to commit adultery).
- Deuteronomy 24:1-4 (structural): Priestly/Legal background for Israelite divorce practice: rules about issuing a certificate of divorce and the consequences if a divorced woman marries another—provides the OT legal context against which Jesus' teaching is set.
- Malachi 2:16 (thematic): Prophetic denunciation of divorce and unfaithfulness ('I hate divorce'): echoes the theological motive behind Jesus' restrictive stance on divorce and remarriage.
Alternative generated candidates
- And if a woman divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.”
- And if a woman divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery."
And he left that place and went into the region of Judea and beyond the Jordan. Again the crowds gathered to him, and, as was his custom, he taught them. And the Pharisees came to him, testing him, and asked, “Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife?”
He answered them, “What did Moses command you?”
They said, “Moses permitted writing a certificate of dismissal and putting her away.”
Jesus said to them, “For the hardness of your hearts he wrote you this command.” But from the beginning of creation God made them male and female.
“For this reason a man will leave his father and mother,
and the two will become one flesh; so they are no longer two, but one flesh.”
“Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”
In the house the disciples again questioned him about this.
He said to them, “Whoever puts away his wife and marries another commits adultery against her.”
“And if a woman puts away her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.”