Chapter
Verse

Matthew 19:8

ESV He said to them, "Because of your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.
NIV Jesus replied, "Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning.
NASB He *said to them, 'Because of your hardness of heart Moses permitted you to divorce your wives; but from the beginning it has not been this way.
CSB He told them, "Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because of the hardness of your hearts, but it was not like that from the beginning.
NLT Jesus replied, 'Moses permitted divorce only as a concession to your hard hearts, but it was not what God had originally intended.
KJV 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.
NKJV He said to them, “Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.

What does Matthew 19:8 mean?

When asked about divorce by the Pharisees, Jesus has revealed to them the heart of God. Marriage without divorce is the plan of God. It's how He designed the creation to work. He made humans as male and female to be united in marriage by Himself. Jesus has shown them that God's will is that what He has joined should not be separated (Matthew 19:1–6).

The Pharisees have pointed out, though, that divorce was a reality in Israel under Moses. It is not forbidden in the law. In fact, the law pictures a scenario in which a husband gives his wife a certificate of divorce because he finds something "indecent" in her (Matthew 19:7). The Pharisees were divided amongst themselves about what qualified as indecent enough to divorce one's wife. Was it only marital infidelity or was it anything the husband simply did not like about her?

Jesus now answers that Moses allowed divorce because of the hardness of the Israelites' hearts. This means that God created a set of rules limiting the damage which divorce might cause. Jesus adds that it was not so from the beginning. In other words, God's intention in creation was that all human marriage between man and woman should be lifelong. To separate what God had joined was a violation of God's design. Under Moses, however, Israel was allowed to break the design because of the sin-hardened hearts of the people—providing limits and restraints on the practice.

Jesus will finally answer the question the Pharisees are really asking in the following verse.
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