Matthew 19:4

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 19:1-12

The ethics of marriage. Note here a contrast: multitudes following Christ for healing, Pharisees pursuing him for mischief. Satan will be among the sons of God. Jesus turns the contradiction of sinners into instructions for his disciples. Let us consider— I. THE PHARISEE 'S QUESTION RELATING TO CAPRICIOUS DIVORCE . 1 . The occasion . 2 . The reply . II. THEIR CITATION OF THE MOSAIC CONCESSION OF DIVORCEMENT . 1 . The con cession ... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 19:3-9

Divorce. The readiness with which the marriage tie is dissolved in some countries, and the daring questions on the subject that have been raised in England, make it important for us to see clearly how divorce should be regarded in the light of the teachings of Christ. Plainly he sets his face against any divorce except in the most extreme case. Let us consider some of the pleas for a laxer rule, and then look at the duty of resisting them. I. PLEAS FOR A GREATER FREEDOM OF ... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 19:4

He answered and said. Our Lord does not directly reply in the negative, but refers to the original institution of marriage. All his auditors agreed in holding the legality of divorce, though they differed in their estimation of the causes that warranted separation. It was quite a new idea to find the propriety of divorce questioned, and to have their captious question met by an appeal to Scripture which they could not gainsay, and an enunciation of a high ideal of matrimony which their... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Matthew 19:4-6

And he answered and said ... - Instead of referring to the opinions of either party, Jesus called their attention to the original design of marriage, to the authority of Moses an authority acknowledged by them both.Have ye not read? - Genesis 1:27; Genesis 2:21-22. “And said, For this cause,” etc., Genesis 2:24. That is, God, at the beginning, made but one man and one woman: their posterity should learn that the original intention of marriage was that a man should have but one wife.Shall leave... read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Matthew 19:4-6

Matthew 19:4-6. He answered, Have ye not read, &c. It is thought by some that the chief design of the Pharisees in putting the fore-mentioned question to our Lord, was to make him contradict Moses. If so, they were much disappointed, for, instead of contradicting him, he confutes them by the very words of Moses. He who made them at the beginning When the human race began to exist; made them male and female Greek, αρσεν και θηλυ , which Dr. Campbell renders, a male and a female. He... read more

Donald C. Fleming

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - Matthew 19:1-12

108. Questions about divorce (Matthew 19:1-12; Mark 10:1-12; Luke 16:18)Again the Pharisees tried to trap Jesus into saying something that would give them grounds to accuse him of error. This time they chose the subject of divorce, where different viewpoints among Jewish teachers often caused arguments. Jesus referred them back to God’s original standard, which was that a man and a woman live together, independent of parents, in a permanent union (Matthew 19:1-6). Moses set out laws to limit... read more

E.W. Bullinger

E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes - Matthew 19:4

Have ye not read . . . ? See App-143 . at = from. Greek. apo. the beginning. See note on John 8:44 . male and female = a male and a female. Reference to Pentateuch (Genesis 1:27 ). This settles the theory of evolution. male. Greek. arsen. App-123 . read more

James Burton Coffman

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - Matthew 19:4

And he answered and said, Have ye not read, that he who made them from the beginning made them male and female.As always, Christ referred the issue to higher ground, not to what Moses said, but to what God had said. Bypassing Moses altogether, he rested his case upon the word of God, appealing to Genesis 1:27 and Genesis 5:2. read more

Thomas Coke

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - Matthew 19:4-7

Matthew 19:4-7. And he answered, &c.— The accounts which St. Matthew and St. Mark have given of this matter, though they seem to clash upon the first view, are in reality perfectly consistent. The two historians, indeed, take notice of different particulars; but these, when joined together, mutually throw a light on each other. According to both the evangelists, the Pharisees came with an insidious intention, and asked our Lord's opinion concerning divorce. But the answer returned to their... read more

Robert Jamieson; A. R. Fausset; David Brown

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Matthew 19:4

4. And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female—or better, perhaps, "He that made them made them from the beginning a male and a female." read more

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