When
a man takes a wife and marries her, then it shall be, if she finds no favor in his eyes, because he has found some unseemly thing in her, that he shall write her a bill of divorce, and put it in her hand, and send her out of his house.
Deuteronomy 24:1
Deuteronomy 23 [25.] When you come into your neighbor’s standing grain, then you may pluck the ears with your hand; but you shall not move a sickle to your neighbor’s standing grain.
Deuteronomy 24 [1.] When a man takes a wife and marries her, then it shall be, if she finds no favor in his eyes, because he has found some unseemly thing in her, that he shall write her a bill of divorce, and put it in her hand, and send her out of his house. When she has departed out of his house, she may go and be another man’s wife. If the latter husband hates her, and write her a bill of divorce, and puts it in her hand, and sends her out of his house; or if the latter husband die, who took her to be his wife; her former husband, who sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife, after that she is defiled; for that is abomination before Yahweh. You shall not cause the land to sin, which Yahweh your God gives you for an inheritance.
Deuteronomy 24 [5.] When a man takes a new wife, he shall not go out in the army, neither shall he be assigned any business. He shall be free at home one year, and shall cheer his wife whom he has taken. No man shall take the mill or the upper millstone as a pledge; for he takes a life in pledge. If a man is found stealing any of his brothers of the children of Israel, and he deals with him as a slave, or sells him; then that thief shall die. So you shall remove the evil from among you. Be careful in the plague of leprosy, that you observe diligently, and do according to all that the priests the Levites teach you. As I commanded them, so you shall observe to do. Remember what Yahweh your God did to Miriam, by the way as you came out of Egypt.
Meaning:
This verse is the opening of a law in Deuteronomy 24:1-4. Read on its own, it can sound like a command to divorce. In fact, the main point of the whole passage comes later: a man who divorced his wife could not take her back after she had married another man (Deuteronomy 24:2). Verse 1 describes a situation that already existed in Israel and sets limits around it.
- “If she finds no favor in his eyes”
Marriage in ancient Israel was arranged between families, and the husband held most of the legal power. A wife could be sent away if her husband became displeased with her. The law does not praise this, but it seeks to restrain the harm.
- “Some unseemly thing”
The Hebrew phrase literally speaks of “the nakedness of a thing,” some shameful or indecent matter. In later centuries Jewish teachers argued about how broad it was. Some limited it to serious moral fault; others claimed a man could divorce his wife for almost any cause. That debate lies behind the question put to Jesus by the Pharisees.
- “He shall write her a bill of divorce”
The written certificate was a protection for the woman. It declared her free and showed that she was not guilty of adultery if she married again. A man could not simply send his wife away in anger and later claim her back.
- How Jesus interpreted this verse
When the Pharisees asked, “Why then did Moses command us to give her a bill of divorce, and divorce her?”, Jesus answered, “Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it has not been so” (Matthew 19:7-8). In the Sermon on the Mount he quoted the popular summary of this law, “Whoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorce,” and then raised the standard to God’s original design (Matthew 5:31-32).
The Significance of Deuteronomy 24:1
- Law that restrains sin
Some laws in the Old Testament do not show God’s ideal but limit the damage caused by human sin. Deuteronomy 24:1 is one of them. It protected vulnerable women in a society where divorce was common, while the deeper purpose of marriage remained the lifelong union described at creation (Genesis 2:24).
Cross-References:
Matthew 19:8: "Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it has not been so." Jesus explains this law.
Matthew 5:31: "Whoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorce," The saying Jesus corrected.
Conclusion: Deuteronomy 24:1 regulated divorce in ancient Israel by requiring a written certificate. It did not command divorce but limited its harm and protected the woman. Jesus later explained that Moses allowed divorce because of hard hearts, while God’s purpose from the beginning was a lifelong union. The verse reminds us of both God’s high standard for marriage and his care for the vulnerable.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible