Can a Divorced Woman Remarry According to Deuteronomy 24 and Matthew 19?

Table of Contents

1. Deuteronomy 24:1–4 — Under the Law of Moses
2. Matthew 19:9 — Under the Law of Christ
3. Comparison Between Deuteronomy 24 and Matthew 19
4. Detailed Study of ʿerwat dābār and Its Application
5. Why Did They Ask That? — Background of Matthew 19:9
6. Can the Guilty Party Remarry? — Arguments and Conclusions

1. Deuteronomy 24:1–4 — Under the Law of Moses

Deuteronomy 24:1–4 establishes a case where a man divorces his wife for “some indecency” (ʿerwat dābār), and she marries another man. If her second husband divorces her or dies, the first husband cannot take her back as his wife, because that would be an abomination before God.

• The text assumes that the woman could remarry after being dismissed by her first husband.
• The second union is treated as a real and valid marriage, not as adultery.
• God does not condemn the second marriage.
• The law forbids the first husband from taking her back after she has been with another man.
• This served to protect the woman and discourage impulsive divorces.

Divorce and remarriage were permitted and regulated. The law does not approve divorce as ideal, but tolerates it due to the hardness of the human heart.

2. Matthew 19:9 — Under the Law of Christ

“And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery.” — Matthew 19:9, NASB

• Divorce is only allowed in the case of sexual immorality (porneia).
• If there is no immorality, and someone remarries, they commit adultery.
• The only person with the right to remarry is the innocent spouse in a divorce due to sexual infidelity.
• Jesus restores God’s original design: one man and one woman, joined for life (Matthew 19:4–6).

Marriage is permanent. Remarriage is only allowed if there was sexual immorality and the innocent party wishes to remarry.

3. Comparison Between Deuteronomy 24 and Matthew 19

4. Detailed Study of ʿerwat dābār and Its Application

The Hebrew expression ʿerwat dābār (עֶרְוַת דָּבָר) literally means “shame of a thing” or “something indecent.” It is deliberately ambiguous. It does not explicitly refer to adultery (which required the death penalty), but rather something offensive or shameful, probably of a sexual or moral nature.

• The use of the term in Deuteronomy 24 allowed for broader interpretations, which rabbinic teachers later exploited.
• The school of Shammai taught that divorce was only allowed for serious sexual immorality.
• The school of Hillel allowed divorce for trivial reasons, even if the wife burned the food.

Jesus responds in Matthew 19:9 and Matthew 5:32, closing the permissive interpretation: only sexual immorality (porneia) is a legitimate cause for dissolving marriage.

The ambiguity of ʿerwat dābār under Moses is replaced by Christ’s clarity in Matthew 19: “except for sexual immorality.”

5. Why Did They Ask That? — Background of Matthew 19:9

• The Pharisees were not simply asking an honest question. They were testing Jesus with a rabbinic controversy:
• The dispute between the schools of Hillel and Shammai was famous.
• If Jesus took a side, he would lose popularity or political support.
• Also, in the context of Herod (who had taken his brother’s wife), any hard stance could be dangerous (as it was for John the Baptist).

Jesus does not fall into the trap. Instead of debating the Law of Moses, he takes them back to the beginning: “What God has joined together, let no man separate.”

6. Can the Guilty Party Remarry? — Arguments and Conclusions

Arguments in favor of the guilty party remarrying (based on Dt. 24)

• Deuteronomy allows remarriage with no distinction: it does not identify the woman as innocent or guilty.
• Second marriage is legitimate: the text describes it without condemning it.
• Mosaic law does not require punishment for all sexual sin: in practice, some cases that did not warrant the death penalty were tolerated.
• Silence in Matthew 19:9 regarding the guilty party: Jesus does not explicitly say the guilty party cannot remarry.

Arguments against the guilty party remarrying

• Jesus limits remarriage to the innocent party: “whoever marries another, commits adultery.”
• The guilty broke the covenant: they do not have the right to start a new one.
• Forgiveness does not erase consequences: God can forgive, but that does not grant license for another marriage.

Additional Arguments

• Deuteronomy 24 does not prohibit remarriage without cause, but Jesus does in Matthew 19.
• The ambiguity of ʿerwat dābār is no excuse under Christ, who defines porneia as the only valid cause.
• At the transfiguration, God declares: “Listen to Him” — not to Moses.

Final Conclusion

In a society where immorality is the norm, our carnal desires often prevail over divine commands. No matter how much man tries to justify his desires by appealing to the permissiveness of Moses or the ambiguity of ʿerwat dābār — Jesus closes the door to both rabbinic schools (Hillel and Shammai) when He declares His Law and His Way.

Saying that Moses allowed it in the Old Testament is to ignore the voice from the mount of transfiguration:

“Listen to Him.”