Divorce

Divorce, the dissolution of the marriage bond, was regulated but not originated by the Mosaic law (Deut. 24:1–4). The provision required a written certificate of divorce and forbade the husband from taking back a wife he had divorced if she had been married to another man in the interim. The Hebrew phrase indicating grounds for divorce—"some indecency" (Deut. 24:1)—was interpreted variously by rabbinic schools: the school of Shammai restricted it to sexual immorality; the school of Hillel allowed divorce for virtually any displeasure. Malachi 2:16 contains the divine statement most often translated "I hate divorce."

In the New Testament, Jesus addresses divorce in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5:31–32) and in debate with the Pharisees (Matt. 19:3–9; Mark 10:2–12), affirming the creation ideal of permanent marriage and restricting Mosaic provision to a concession to human hardness of heart. Paul addresses the complex situations of believing spouses married to unbelievers in 1 Corinthians 7:10–16. Ezra's reform requiring dissolution of marriages to foreign women (Ezra 10:11) represents the most controversial application of divorce legislation in the Old Testament period.