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Matthew 5:31-37
New English Translation

Divorce

31 “It was said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife must give her a legal document.’[a] 32 But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except for immorality,[b] makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

Oaths

33 “Again, you have heard that it was said to an older generation,[c] ‘Do not break an oath, but fulfill your vows to the Lord.’[d] 34 But I say to you, do not take oaths at all—not by heaven, because it is the throne of God, 35 not by earth, because it is his footstool, and not by Jerusalem, because it is the city of the great King.[e] 36 Do not take an oath by your head, because you are not able to make one hair white or black. 37 Let your word be ‘Yes, yes’ or ‘No, no.’ More than this is from the evil one.[f]

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 5:31 tn Or “a written notice of divorce.”sn A quotation from Deut 24:1.
  2. Matthew 5:32 sn The phrase except for immorality (often referred to as the “exception clause”) has been the subject of much debate. One of the best and most comprehensive recent studies which pays particular attention to historical background material, especially Jewish material, is that of D. Instone-Brewer, Divorce and Remarriage in the Bible: The Social and Literary Context (Eerdmans, 2002).
  3. Matthew 5:33 tn Grk “the ancient ones.”
  4. Matthew 5:33 sn A quotation from Lev 19:12.
  5. Matthew 5:35 sn The final clause is an allusion to Ps 48:2. In light of Ps 48:1-2 most understand the great King as a reference to God in this context (thus the capitalization).
  6. Matthew 5:37 tn The term πονηροῦ (ponērou) may be understood as specific and personified, referring to the devil, or possibly as a general reference to evil. It is most likely personified, however, since it is articular and how it fits into the surrounding context (τοῦ πονηροῦ, tou ponērou). Cf. also “the evildoer” in v. 39, which is the same construction.
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