“When a man hath taken a wife, and married her, and it come to pass that she find no favour in his eyes, because he hath found some uncleanness in her: then let him write her a bill of divorcement, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house.”
My Notes
What Does Deuteronomy 24:1 Mean?
Moses addresses the reality of divorce—not to endorse it but to regulate it. The law requires a formal written document ("bill of divorcement") and a deliberate process: write it, give it to her hand, send her out. The formality protects the woman: she has legal proof that the marriage is ended, which allows her to remarry. Without the certificate, she'd be in legal limbo—neither married nor officially free.
The phrase "some uncleanness" (ervat davar, literally "nakedness of a thing" or "indecency of a matter") is deliberately vague—the rabbis debated for centuries what qualified. The school of Shammai interpreted it strictly (only sexual immorality). The school of Hillel interpreted it broadly (any cause of displeasure). Jesus addressed this passage directly in Matthew 19, siding with the strict interpretation and adding: "Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so."
The law doesn't command divorce. It permits it and regulates it. The "bill of divorcement" is a concession to human hardness, not a celebration of human freedom. The regulation exists because divorce was already happening—and without regulation, women were being abandoned without legal protection. The law turns a brutal informal practice into a formal process that at least provides the woman with documentation.
Reflection Questions
- 1.If the bill of divorcement protects the vulnerable party, how does that change your view of biblical divorce regulation?
- 2.Jesus said Moses permitted divorce because of hardness of hearts. What does 'hardness of hearts' look like in modern marriages?
- 3.The law doesn't create divorce—it civilizes it. How does regulating a broken practice differ from endorsing it?
- 4.If divorce is a concession, not an ideal, how do you hold both compassion for the divorced and commitment to the permanent design?
Devotional
A bill of divorcement. Written. Given into her hand. Formal. Documented. Not because God endorses divorce. Because divorce was already happening—and without regulation, women were being abandoned with no legal protection, no proof of their status, no ability to remarry. The law doesn't create divorce. It civilizes it.
The bill of divorcement protects the woman: it gives her a document that proves her marriage is legally ended. Without it, she'd be in legal limbo—neither married (her husband sent her away) nor officially unmarried (no documentation of the dissolution). The certificate is her freedom paper. It says: this marriage is over, and you're free to move forward. The formal process that looks bureaucratic is actually protective.
Jesus addressed this passage directly and put it in context: Moses permitted divorce because of the hardness of your hearts. Not because God's design includes it. Because human brokenness made it necessary. The concession is real—but it's a concession, not an ideal. From the beginning, God designed one man and one woman for life. The bill of divorcement is a bandage on a wound that shouldn't exist.
If you've experienced divorce—given or received the bill—this passage acknowledges the reality without romanticizing it. The law's regulation of divorce isn't God's endorsement of it. It's His provision within it. The same God who designed permanent marriage also provided legal protection for when permanence fails. The bill isn't the plan. It's the emergency procedure. And the emergency procedure exists because God cares about the vulnerable woman left holding a document that shouldn't have been necessary.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
When a man hath taken a wife and married her,.... That is, when a man has made choice of a woman for his wife, and has…
In this and the next chapter certain particular rights and duties, domestic, social, and civil, are treated. The cases…
This is that permission which the Pharisees erroneously referred to as a precept, Mat 19:7, Moses commanded to give a…
When a man taketh a wife Deu 22:13.
then it shall be … that he shall write her, etc.] Rather, and it come to pass … that…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture