""It was also said, 'Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.'"
Introduction
This brief verse is part of Jesus’ teaching in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5). He cites a familiar saying about divorce: “Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.” The line functions as the “you have heard” premise that Jesus will reframe and deepen, calling his listeners to consider not merely the letter of customary practice but the spirit and covenantal intent behind it.
Historical-Cultural Context and Authorship
The Gospel of Matthew is traditionally ascribed to Matthew the tax collector, one of the twelve, though modern scholarship understands the author as an anonymous Greek-speaking Jewish-Christian evangelist writing for a primarily Jewish-Christian community. The Gospel was likely composed in the late first century (commonly placed c. 70–90 CE) and shapes Jesus’ sayings to address debates within that community about law, identity, and conduct.
In the first-century Jewish and Mediterranean world, divorce required a written document to make the termination of marriage legally recognizable. Matthew’s Greek reads γράμμα ἀποστάσεως (grámma apostáseōs), literally “a written document of sending away” or “a bill of divorce.” In Jewish legal practice this developed into the Hebrew/Aramaic bill called a get (גט), a formal deed that freed a woman to remarry and thereby protected certain rights and social standing. The background law most often cited by the New Testament is Deuteronomy 24:1, which permits a man to write a certificate of divorce if he finds some indecency in his wife; later Jewish interpretation and rabbinic discussion (reflected in sources such as the Mishnah’s tractate Gittin, though compiled later) wrestled with what constituted legitimate grounds.
Jesus’ formula “It was said” reflects the common rabbinic idiom of appealing to accepted teaching or interpretation. In Matthew, Jesus uses that idiom to contrast prevailing practice with his corrective teaching: he does not necessarily abolish Mosaic law but calls for a fuller fidelity that addresses motive, mercy, and covenantal permanence.
Explanation and Meaning of the Text
On its face the verse reports the accepted practice that a husband who wished to end a marriage should issue a written certificate. That certificate served several practical purposes: it provided legal proof that a marriage had been dissolved, allowed the woman to remarry without charge of adultery, and—ideally—offered some protection against being left completely without status. But the cultural reality was also that such legal forms could be used unjustly and that women were often vulnerable in divorce.
Matthew places this saying in the pattern of his “antitheses” (“You have heard… But I say to you”), indicating Jesus’ concern not merely with external legality but with the heart and purpose of God’s covenant. The Greek term ἀποστάσεως (apostáseōs) conveys separation or sending away; γράμμα (grámma) stresses the written, legal character of the act. Jesus’ ensuing teaching (immediately following this verse) tightens the moral standard, emphasizing faithfulness and warning against casual dissolution of marriage, and in Matthew the discussion is framed by concern for God’s original intention for marriage as a lifelong covenant.
Reading the verse in its context, then, shows both the legal reality Jesus addresses and his deeper pastoral aim: to expose how formal procedures can mask hardness of heart, and to call people back to mercy, responsibility, and the protection of the vulnerable within covenant relations.
Devotional
God’s design for marriage is more than a contract; it is a covenant that calls for faithfulness of heart. When Jesus highlights the commonplace practice of giving a certificate of divorce, he invites us to move beyond mere conformity to rules and to cultivate the love, humility, and sacrificial commitment that keep relationships faithful. Let this challenge draw you to examine your motives, seek reconciliation where possible, and pursue the kind of righteousness that heals rather than merely regulates.
At the same time, the church must never use Jesus’ high standard to condemn those who have experienced divorce and deep pain. If you bear the wounds of separation, know that God’s compassion meets you in your grief and that the community of faith is called to offer care, dignity, and hope. Trust in God’s mercy, seek wise and loving support, and allow the Gospel to shape a path of restoration, healing, and faithful living forward.