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1Chroniclesname
1Corinthiansname
1Johnname
1Kingsname
1Petername
1Samuelname
1Thessaloniansname
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2Chroniclesname
2Corinthiansname
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AllDocumentationname/en
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Are there 613 commandments in the Torah?
Are there two (or three) different versions of the Ten Commandments?
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AssociatedScripturesname
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Books and other resources
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Can a husband and wife have equal authority in a marriage?
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Category:1 Chronicles
Category:1 Corinthians
Category:1 John
Category:1 Kings
Category:1 Peter
Category:1 Samuel
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Category:1 Timothy
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Category:Questions about the differing treatment of persons in Biblical law
Category:Questions about the general applicability or relevance of God's law
Category:Questions about the historical application of Biblical law
Category:Questions about the organization and character of Biblical law
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Category:Questions about various individual laws
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Category:Witness testimony
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Category:Zephaniah
Chiasm in Exod. 21:15-17
Chicago Statement on Biblical Hermeneutics
Classificationname
Colossiansname
CreateNotename
Danielname
Deuteronomyname
Did Jesus break Biblical law by working on the Sabbath?
Did Jesus really support the death penalty for cursing a parent?
Didn't the law under the Sinai Covenant allow divorce for any cause?
Do the gleaning laws allow civil government to coerce individuals or businesses to give up wealth or other private property?
Documentationname
Does Biblical law have "statutes of limitation" for prosecuting crime?
Does Biblical law really allow a father to sell his daughter into slavery?
Does Biblical law require a girl to marry her rapist?
Does Biblical law require employers to pay their employees daily?
Does Deuteronomy 22:25-29 imply that the rape of an unbetrothed girl is not a death penalty offense?
Does Joseph's intent to divorce Mary show that the death penalty for adultery was not mandatory?
Does the divorce of the foreign women in Ezra 9-10 show that civil government has authority to dissolve marriages or preside over "divorce trials"?
Does the proverb about the jealous husband show that prostitution is legal? (Prov. 6:32-35)
Does theonomy require commitment to a particular view of eschatology (end times)?
Doesn't the Code of Hammurabi "eye for an eye" concept predate Biblical law?
Ecclesiastesname
Ephesiansname
Esthername
Exodusname
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Functional Categorization of the Law
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Genesis 1:22
Genesisname
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Haggainame
HebrewScriptureBooks
HebrewScripturesname
Hebrewsname
Helpsname
Hoseaname
How did Jesus "fulfill" the Law? (Matt. 5:17-19)
How does Biblical law create the strongest possible "Rule of Law"?
How To Contribute
How to use the Quote template
How to use the Scriptblock template
How to use the Scriptblockformat template
How to use the scripture function
In what way was Jesus' command in John 13:34 "new"?
Interpretationname
Introduction to Theonomy
Is every law of God bound to a particular covenant?
Is the polygyny of the Old Covenant allowed in the New Covenant age?
Is the premarital unchastity case of Deut. 22:13 an example of the justice system assuming guilt until a defendant proves her innocence?
Is there a "two tables" division in the Ten Commandments?
Isaiahname
Jamesname
Jeremiahname
Jobname
Joelname
Johnname
Jonahname
Joshuaname
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Judgesname
Lamentationsname
LawAnalysisoverviewname
Lawcommandanalysisname
LawFunctionsname
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ListofTopicsname
Lukename
Malachiname
Markname
Matthewname
Micahname
Nahumname
Nehemiahname
NewTestamentBooks
NewTestamentname
Notesname
NotesonInterpretationApplicationname
Notesoverviewname
Numbersname
Obadiahname
Parallel in Deut. 15:12
Philemonname
Philippiansname
Podcastsname
Primarysourcedocumentsname
Prohibition on vicarious punishment
Proverbsname
Psalmname
Psalmsname
Questionsname
Questionsoverviewname
Revelationname
Romansname
Ruthname
Scripturename
SeeAlsoname
SongofSongsname
Status of a wife provided to a freed slave
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TemplatesReferencename
TheCommandname
Theonomy Wiki
Theonomy Wiki:Copyrights
TheonomyStudyBiblename
Titusname
Topicsname
TypologicalFunctionname
UnansweredQuestionsname
Verse parallel to absolute infinitive for stoning
Websitesname
What was the purpose of the Numbers 5 dusty(or "bitter") water test?
Why is false prophecy a death penalty crime?
Zechariahname
Zephaniahname
Language
aa - Qafár af
ab - Аҧсшәа
abs - bahasa ambon
ace - Acèh
ady - адыгабзэ
ady-cyrl - адыгабзэ
aeb - تونسي/Tûnsî
aeb-arab - تونسي
aeb-latn - Tûnsî
af - Afrikaans
ak - Akan
aln - Gegë
alt - тÿштÿк алтай тил
am - አማርኛ
ami - Pangcah
an - aragonés
ang - Ænglisc
anp - अङ्गिका
ar - العربية
arc - ܐܪܡܝܐ
arn - mapudungun
arq - جازايرية
ary - الدارجة
arz - مصرى
as - অসমীয়া
ase - American sign language
ast - asturianu
atj - Atikamekw
av - авар
avk - Kotava
awa - अवधी
ay - Aymar aru
az - azərbaycanca
azb - تۆرکجه
ba - башҡортса
ban - Bali
bar - Boarisch
bbc - Batak Toba
bbc-latn - Batak Toba
bcc - جهلسری بلوچی
bcl - Bikol Central
be - беларуская
be-tarask - беларуская (тарашкевіца)
bg - български
bgn - روچ کپتین بلوچی
bh - भोजपुरी
bho - भोजपुरी
bi - Bislama
bjn - Banjar
bm - bamanankan
bn - বাংলা
bo - བོད་ཡིག
bpy - বিষ্ণুপ্রিয়া মণিপুরী
bqi - بختیاری
br - brezhoneg
brh - Bráhuí
bs - bosanski
btm - Batak Mandailing
bto - Iriga Bicolano
bug - ᨅᨔ ᨕᨘᨁᨗ
bxr - буряад
ca - català
cbk-zam - Chavacano de Zamboanga
cdo - Mìng-dĕ̤ng-ngṳ̄
ce - нохчийн
ceb - Cebuano
ch - Chamoru
cho - Choctaw
chr - ᏣᎳᎩ
chy - Tsetsêhestâhese
ckb - کوردی
co - corsu
cps - Capiceño
cr - Nēhiyawēwin / ᓀᐦᐃᔭᐍᐏᐣ
crh - qırımtatarca
crh-cyrl - къырымтатарджа (Кирилл)
crh-latn - qırımtatarca (Latin)
cs - čeština
csb - kaszëbsczi
cu - словѣньскъ / ⰔⰎⰑⰂⰡⰐⰠⰔⰍⰟ
cv - Чӑвашла
cy - Cymraeg
da - dansk
de - Deutsch
de-at - Österreichisches Deutsch
de-ch - Schweizer Hochdeutsch
de-formal - Deutsch (Sie-Form)
din - Thuɔŋjäŋ
diq - Zazaki
dsb - dolnoserbski
dtp - Dusun Bundu-liwan
dty - डोटेली
dv - ދިވެހިބަސް
dz - ཇོང་ཁ
ee - eʋegbe
egl - Emiliàn
el - Ελληνικά
eml - emiliàn e rumagnòl
en - English
en-ca - Canadian English
en-gb - British English
eo - Esperanto
es - español
es-419 - español de América Latina
es-formal - español (formal)
et - eesti
eu - euskara
ext - estremeñu
fa - فارسی
ff - Fulfulde
fi - suomi
fit - meänkieli
fj - Na Vosa Vakaviti
fo - føroyskt
fr - français
frc - français cadien
frp - arpetan
frr - Nordfriisk
fur - furlan
fy - Frysk
ga - Gaeilge
gag - Gagauz
gan - 贛語
gan-hans - 赣语(简体)
gan-hant - 贛語(繁體)
gcr - kriyòl gwiyannen
gd - Gàidhlig
gl - galego
glk - گیلکی
gn - Avañe'ẽ
gom - गोंयची कोंकणी / Gõychi Konknni
gom-deva - गोंयची कोंकणी
gom-latn - Gõychi Konknni
gor - Bahasa Hulontalo
got - 𐌲𐌿𐍄𐌹𐍃𐌺
grc - Ἀρχαία ἑλληνικὴ
gsw - Alemannisch
gu - ગુજરાતી
gv - Gaelg
ha - Hausa
hak - 客家語/Hak-kâ-ngî
haw - Hawaiʻi
hb - Classical Hebrew
he - עברית
hi - हिन्दी
hif - Fiji Hindi
hif-latn - Fiji Hindi
hil - Ilonggo
ho - Hiri Motu
hr - hrvatski
hrx - Hunsrik
hsb - hornjoserbsce
ht - Kreyòl ayisyen
hu - magyar
hu-formal - magyar (formal)
hy - հայերեն
hyw - Արեւմտահայերէն
hz - Otsiherero
ia - interlingua
id - Bahasa Indonesia
ie - Interlingue
ig - Igbo
ii - ꆇꉙ
ik - Iñupiak
ike-cans - ᐃᓄᒃᑎᑐᑦ
ike-latn - inuktitut
ilo - Ilokano
inh - ГӀалгӀай
io - Ido
is - íslenska
it - italiano
iu - ᐃᓄᒃᑎᑐᑦ/inuktitut
ja - 日本語
jam - Patois
jbo - la .lojban.
jut - jysk
jv - Jawa
ka - ქართული
kaa - Qaraqalpaqsha
kab - Taqbaylit
kbd - Адыгэбзэ
kbd-cyrl - Адыгэбзэ
kbp - Kabɩyɛ
kg - Kongo
khw - کھوار
ki - Gĩkũyũ
kiu - Kırmancki
kj - Kwanyama
kjp - ဖၠုံလိက်
kk - қазақша
kk-arab - قازاقشا (تٴوتە)
kk-cn - قازاقشا (جۇنگو)
kk-cyrl - қазақша (кирил)
kk-kz - қазақша (Қазақстан)
kk-latn - qazaqşa (latın)
kk-tr - qazaqşa (Türkïya)
kl - kalaallisut
km - ភាសាខ្មែរ
kn - ಕನ್ನಡ
ko - 한국어
ko-kp - 조선말
koi - Перем Коми
kr - Kanuri
krc - къарачай-малкъар
kri - Krio
krj - Kinaray-a
krl - karjal
ks - कॉशुर / کٲشُر
ks-arab - کٲشُر
ks-deva - कॉशुर
ksh - Ripoarisch
ku - kurdî
ku-arab - كوردي (عەرەبی)
ku-latn - kurdî (latînî)
kum - къумукъ
kv - коми
kw - kernowek
ky - Кыргызча
la - Latina
lad - Ladino
lb - Lëtzebuergesch
lbe - лакку
lez - лезги
lfn - Lingua Franca Nova
lg - Luganda
li - Limburgs
lij - Ligure
liv - Līvõ kēļ
lki - لەکی
lld - Ladin
lmo - lumbaart
ln - lingála
lo - ລາວ
loz - Silozi
lrc - لۊری شومالی
lt - lietuvių
ltg - latgaļu
lus - Mizo ţawng
luz - لئری دوٙمینی
lv - latviešu
lzh - 文言
lzz - Lazuri
mai - मैथिली
map-bms - Basa Banyumasan
mdf - мокшень
mg - Malagasy
mh - Ebon
mhr - олык марий
mi - Māori
min - Minangkabau
mk - македонски
ml - മലയാളം
mn - монгол
mni - ꯃꯤꯇꯩ ꯂꯣꯟ
mnw - ဘာသာ မန်
mo - молдовеняскэ
mr - मराठी
mrj - кырык мары
ms - Bahasa Melayu
mt - Malti
mus - Mvskoke
mwl - Mirandés
my - မြန်မာဘာသာ
myv - эрзянь
mzn - مازِرونی
na - Dorerin Naoero
nah - Nāhuatl
nan - Bân-lâm-gú
nap - Napulitano
nb - norsk bokmål
nds - Plattdüütsch
nds-nl - Nedersaksies
ne - नेपाली
new - नेपाल भाषा
ng - Oshiwambo
niu - Niuē
nl - Nederlands
nl-informal - Nederlands (informeel)
nn - norsk nynorsk
no - norsk
nov - Novial
nqo - ߒߞߏ
nrm - Nouormand
nso - Sesotho sa Leboa
nv - Diné bizaad
ny - Chi-Chewa
nys - Nyunga
oc - occitan
olo - Livvinkarjala
om - Oromoo
or - ଓଡ଼ିଆ
os - Ирон
pa - ਪੰਜਾਬੀ
pag - Pangasinan
pam - Kapampangan
pap - Papiamentu
pcd - Picard
pdc - Deitsch
pdt - Plautdietsch
pfl - Pälzisch
pi - पालि
pih - Norfuk / Pitkern
pl - polski
pms - Piemontèis
pnb - پنجابی
pnt - Ποντιακά
prg - Prūsiskan
ps - پښتو
pt - português
pt-br - português do Brasil
qu - Runa Simi
qug - Runa shimi
rgn - Rumagnôl
rif - Tarifit
rm - rumantsch
rmy - romani čhib
rn - Kirundi
ro - română
roa-tara - tarandíne
ru - русский
rue - русиньскый
rup - armãneashti
ruq - Vlăheşte
ruq-cyrl - Влахесте
ruq-latn - Vlăheşte
rw - Kinyarwanda
sa - संस्कृतम्
sah - саха тыла
sat - ᱥᱟᱱᱛᱟᱲᱤ
sc - sardu
scn - sicilianu
sco - Scots
sd - سنڌي
sdc - Sassaresu
sdh - کوردی خوارگ
se - davvisámegiella
sei - Cmique Itom
ses - Koyraboro Senni
sg - Sängö
sgs - žemaitėška
sh - srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски
shi - Tašlḥiyt/ⵜⴰⵛⵍⵃⵉⵜ
shi-latn - Tašlḥiyt
shi-tfng - ⵜⴰⵛⵍⵃⵉⵜ
shn - ၽႃႇသႃႇတႆး
shy-latn - tacawit
si - සිංහල
simple - Simple English
sk - slovenčina
skr - سرائیکی
skr-arab - سرائیکی
sl - slovenščina
sli - Schläsch
sm - Gagana Samoa
sma - åarjelsaemien
smn - anarâškielâ
sn - chiShona
so - Soomaaliga
sq - shqip
sr - српски / srpski
sr-ec - српски (ћирилица)
sr-el - srpski (latinica)
srn - Sranantongo
ss - SiSwati
st - Sesotho
stq - Seeltersk
sty - себертатар
su - Sunda
sv - svenska
sw - Kiswahili
szl - ślůnski
szy - Sakizaya
ta - தமிழ்
tay - Tayal
tcy - ತುಳು
te - తెలుగు
tet - tetun
tg - тоҷикӣ
tg-cyrl - тоҷикӣ
tg-latn - tojikī
th - ไทย
ti - ትግርኛ
tk - Türkmençe
tl - Tagalog
tly - толышә зывон
tn - Setswana
to - lea faka-Tonga
tpi - Tok Pisin
tr - Türkçe
tru - Ṫuroyo
trv - Seediq
ts - Xitsonga
tt - татарча/tatarça
tt-cyrl - татарча
tt-latn - tatarça
tum - chiTumbuka
tw - Twi
ty - reo tahiti
tyv - тыва дыл
tzm - ⵜⴰⵎⴰⵣⵉⵖⵜ
udm - удмурт
ug - ئۇيغۇرچە / Uyghurche
ug-arab - ئۇيغۇرچە
ug-latn - Uyghurche
uk - українська
ur - اردو
uz - oʻzbekcha/ўзбекча
uz-cyrl - ўзбекча
uz-latn - oʻzbekcha
ve - Tshivenda
vec - vèneto
vep - vepsän kel’
vi - Tiếng Việt
vls - West-Vlams
vmf - Mainfränkisch
vo - Volapük
vot - Vaďďa
vro - Võro
wa - walon
war - Winaray
wo - Wolof
wuu - 吴语
xal - хальмг
xh - isiXhosa
xmf - მარგალური
xsy - saisiyat
yi - ייִדיש
yo - Yorùbá
yue - 粵語
za - Vahcuengh
zea - Zeêuws
zgh - ⵜⴰⵎⴰⵣⵉⵖⵜ ⵜⴰⵏⴰⵡⴰⵢⵜ
zh - 中文
zh-cn - 中文(中国大陆)
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<languages />{{:Navleft|Category:Answered Questions|{{:AnsweredQuestionsname/{{PAGELANGUAGE}}}}}} <div class="questionbody"> Quick answer: No. This claim is usually based upon a misunderstanding of the purpose of Deut. 24:1-4. ==The function of the "writ of divorcement" in Biblical law== The law in question reads as follows: {{:Scriptblock|Deuteronomy 24:1-4}} There are a few important things to understand about Biblical marriage and divorce, which are different from modern marriage and divorce. # Biblical marriage is a lifetime covenant, not a contract. It cannot be broken, except by a sinful act (like adultery) which is often serious enough to merit a death penalty (if witnessed and proven) under Biblical law. # Biblical law nowhere requires a spouse who has their marriage covenant broken [by their spouse's fornication] to seek separation from that spouse. There can be forgiveness and reconciliation with a repentant spouse, and the broken marriage covenant thus can be restored. # The act of giving a "writ of divorcement" (mentioned in Deut. 24:1) did not break the marriage covenant. It simply documented (legally) the claim of the husband that a covenant-breaking act had taken place. This protected the wife from future accusations of adultery from hard-hearted former husbands. # The act of giving a "writ of divorcement" did not require the involvement of a civil judge. It could be done privately (e.g. Matt. 1:19). ==Misinterpreting the writ of divorcement== The belief that the Sinai Covenant allowed divorce for "any cause" probably derives from a misinterpretation of one (or more) of the following three things: 1. The Sinai Covenant (implicitly) required a husband who wanted to divorce his wife because of some "nakedness" to give her a writ of divorcement. Unlike modern divorce, this Biblical divorce document was not issued by a civil judge, and it did not require a public hearing in front of civil government officials. Notice in Matthew 1:19, that if a divorcement action were required by Biblical law to be public, then Joseph (being a righteous man) would have intended to do it publicly, not "privately" (λάθρᾳ). The divorce certificate was created by the husband, or a scribe he had hired, and simply recorded a legal assertion of the husband that the marriage covenant was broken because of some "nakedness" (which was probably specified in the document). According to Christopher Wright: {{:Quote|A man did not have to ‘go to court’ to get a divorce. Those laws that do refer to divorce are concerned either with circumstances where divorce is prohibited or with regulating relationships after divorce has already happened. In both cases the protection of the woman seems to be the main point of the law. ... What [Deut. 24:1-4] does require is that a man who divorces his wife must give her a ‘bill of divorce’. This would have been for the woman’s protection. It was documentary proof that she had been divorced, so neither she nor any future husband could be accused of adultery if she married again.<ref>C. J. H. Wright, ''Old Testament Ethics for the People of God'', Intervarsity Press, 2004, pp. 331-332</ref>}} This writ did not itself dissolve or "break" the marriage covenant. The marriage covenant was already broken (if it was really broken), by the wife's prior action ("fornication" according to Jesus in Matt. 19:9). According to R. T. France: {{:Quote|Jesus' teaching starts ... from the "one flesh" of Gen. 2:24, so that it is only because "sexual unfaithfulness" has already violated the unity of the one flesh that the marriage must be regarded as no longer intact. Shammai was concerned with a man's right to initiate divorce, Jesus with the formal recognition that the marriage has already been broken by the wife's action.<ref>R. T. France, ''The Gospel of Matthew'', Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2007, p. 721</ref>}} Since there is no obvious way for a civil government to prevent a husband from divorcing his wife for "any cause," some interpreters wrongly assume that God's law allowed for "any cause" divorce. This was the error of the some of the rabbis (see below), which Jesus corrected in Matt. 19. It's important to consider what the alternative might have been to this Biblical allowance for private divorce. If God had wanted every spousal separation to proceed only from a legal cause proven before a civil judge, then He could have specified this in His law (and He did not). The husband would have been required to bring at least two witnesses (Deut. 19:15) to a public proceeding before civil judges (most likely at the city gates), just as required by every other legal case. Because: # "from the beginning" fornication was the only ground for divorce (according to Jesus) # most types of fornication (such as adultery or bestiality) would have been death penalty offenses, requiring two or more witnesses # most cases of fornication would not be known about by anyone but the husband and the participants (who could not themselves be witnesses against others, having participated in the crime) thus, the civil judges would either be adjudicating a death penalty case with eyewitnesses, or the husband would not have enough witnesses even to bring a case. God's law, as usual, makes the best of a bad situation: keeping the evidential requirements for fornication cases (most of which result in a mandatory death penalty) high enough that innocent people don't get punished, while allowing a husband (and by extension, a wife) to exit a marriage where he knows his unrepentant spouse has broken the covenant. 2. In the first century, the divorce law in Deut. 24:1 had been thoroughly discussed by rabbinic interpreters, who split over the intended meaning of the term "matter of nakedness." The Hillel school believed that it allowed for a husband to divorce his wife for "any cause." This is why the Pharisees chose the phrase "πᾶσαν αἰτίαν" in Matt. 19:3. The Shammai school believed that divorce was only allowed for some public indecency, such as a wife going around in public with her head uncovered.<ref>R. T. France, ''The Gospel of Matthew'', Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2007, p. 209</ref> Even though Jesus contradicted both of these rabbinic schools, some Christians still claim that Jesus was actually changing the Deut. 24 divorce law, rather than asserting the original meaning of "nakedness" as "fornication." But as Peter Craigie writes: "in Jesus' response to the Pharisee (Mark 10:4), he is not so much changing the law of Deut. 24:1-4, as bringing out its true meaning...."<ref>Craigie, ''The Book of Deuteronomy'', NICOT, p. 305</ref> 3. Jesus said that the Deut. 24:1 divorce writ was allowed "because of the hard-heartedness of [the Israelites]" (Matt. 19:8). Some interpreters conclude, erroneously, that Jesus is saying that Deut. 24:1 allowed the divorce writ ''itself'' to break a marriage covenant -- as a concession to the Israelites' sinfulness. They typically follow up this erroneous interpretation by asserting that Jesus "tightened up" these restrictions with his pronouncement in Matt. 19:9 that the only allowance for divorce is fornication. Again, this is a misunderstanding of the "power" of the husband's divorce certificate: the writ of divorcement in Deut. 24:1 did not break the covenant, it merely recorded the covenant as "already broken" by some sin or crime (in the category of "fornication"). In fact, the allowance of the divorce and writ, plus the legal prohibition on remarriage in the following verses (Deut. 24:2-4) was the complete law to which Jesus was referring. Deut. 24:1-4 is actually a unified case law which: # assumes the right of the husband to put away a wife who has broken the marriage covenant # protects the woman from future accusations by her former husband # prevents a divorced wife from remarrying her original husband if she had married someone else in the interim This law helped to prevent women from being passed around like prostitutes between hard-hearted men. </div> {{DISPLAYTITLE:{{PAGENAME}}}} [[Category:Answered Questions]] [[Category:Deuteronomy 24:1]] [[Category:Divorce]] [[Category:Marriage]] [[Category:Matthew 19:9]] [[Category:Questions about marriage and family]]