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.

MATTHEW 19:8KJV
Know the Bible

Matthew 19:8 (KJV)

What does Matthew 19:8 mean?

Matthew 19:8 describes Jesus explaining that Moses allowed divorce because people’s hearts were hard, but that this was not God’s original intention for marriage. Jesus points out that from the very beginning, marriage was meant to be a lasting union, not something to be easily ended.

In this verse, Jesus is responding to a question from the Pharisees about divorce. He clarifies that Moses permitted divorce as a concession to human stubbornness, not because it was ideal. Jesus shifts the focus back to God’s original design for marriage, emphasizing that the law was given in response to people’s unwillingness to follow God’s best plan.

The Greek behind Matthew 19:8

  • σκληροκαρδίαν (sklērokardian, "hardness of your hearts"): This word combines "hard" and "heart," and it refers to stubbornness or an unyielding attitude. Jesus uses it to explain why Moses made allowances for divorce, highlighting a problem within people, not with God’s design.
  • ἐπέτρεψεν (epetrepsen, "suffered/allowed"): This word means to permit or allow. Jesus is clear that Moses did not command divorce but merely allowed it, showing it was a concession, not a command or ideal.
  • ἀπ’ ἀρχῆς (ap’ archēs, "from the beginning"): This phrase means "from the start" or "originally." Jesus is pointing back to the creation account, stressing that God’s true intention for marriage was established at the very beginning.

Why Matthew 19:8 matters

  • Matthew 19:8 clears up the misunderstanding that divorce was ever God’s preferred solution; it was a temporary allowance due to people’s unwillingness to follow God’s way.
  • The verse highlights Jesus’ authority in interpreting the law of Moses, showing that he points beyond the law to God’s original purpose.
  • This verse connects to the larger conversation in Matthew 19, where Jesus is teaching about the seriousness and sacredness of marriage, challenging the common practices and assumptions of his day.

Where else these words appear

“hardness” Greek G4641 · used in 3 verses

  • Mark 10:5 And Jesus answered and said unto them, For the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept.
  • Mark 16:14 Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen.

“suffered” Greek G2010 · used in 18 verses

  • Matthew 8:21 And another of his disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.
  • Luke 9:59 And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.
  • Acts 27:3 And the next day we touched at Sidon. And Julius courteously entreated Paul, and gave him liberty to go unto his friends to refresh himself.

“beginning” Greek G746 · used in 56 verses

  • Matthew 19:4 And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female,
  • Acts 10:11 And saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending unto him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth:
  • Hebrews 3:14 For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end;

“away” Greek G630 · used in 63 verses

  • Matthew 1:19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily.
  • Mark 8:9 And they that had eaten were about four thousand: and he sent them away.
  • Luke 23:22 And he said unto them the third time, Why, what evil hath he done? I have found no cause of death in him: I will therefore chastise him, and let him go.