3. And some Pharisees came to Him testing Him and saying, 'Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause at all?' (See also: Deceiving).
7. They said to Him, 'Why then did Moses command to give her a Certificate of Divorce (Deuteronomy 24.4) and send her away?'
~ 7. *Bill of divorcement. Literally, “a document of cutting off.” Both the conclusion of an agreement (Deuteronomy 29.13) and its dissolution were described by the word (פרת).
The Torah. A Modern Commentary. Edited by W. Gunther Plaut.
~ 7. *Bill of divorcement. Literally, "a writing of cutting off," a certificate of total separation from her with whom he had hitherto lived 'as one flesh" (Genesis 2.24). The later name for the document was (גס). Divorce was no longer to be at the arbitrary will and pleasure of the husband and by mere word of mouth, but upon reason given and by means of a formal document which demanded the intervention of a public authority. The marriage bond is holy; but whilst it is inviolable, it is not indissoluble.
The Pentateuch and Haftorahs. Edited by Dr. J. H. Hertz, C.H.
~ 7. *Bill of divorcement. A certificate of divorce, now known as a "get" (Aramaic for "legal document," from a Sumerian term meaning "oblong tablet). Various ancient Near Eastern documents indicate that the certificate probably was a statement by the husband to the effect that the couple is no longer husband and wife and that she is free to marry whoever she wishes. The term translated as "divorcement" (k'ritut) literally means 'severance.) Some commentators conjecture that the term did not originally refer to the severance of the marriage but to the act of cutting the wife's hem or garment, a ceremonial act of divorce known from Mesopotamia.
Etz Hayim. Torah and Commentary.
8. He said to them, 'Because of your hardness of heart Moses permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it has not been this way.
9. And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for immorality, and marries another woman, commits adultery.'
~ 9. *Marrying the Divorcee. (Deuteronomy 24.4) (Jeremiah 3.1) (Malachi 2.13-16) (Matthew 5.31-32, 19.3-9-12) (Luke 16.18) (1Corinthians 7.1-10-17.25-39-40) (Romans 7.3).
16."I have hate divorce" Malachi 2.16
10. The disciples said to Him, 'If the relationship of the man with his wife is like this, it is better not to marry.'
11. But He said to them, 'Not all men can accept this statement, but only those to whom it has been given.
12. There are *eunuchs who were born that way from their mother's womb, and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven. He who is able to accept this, let him accept it.'
~ 12. *Eunuch. A male servant of a royal household. Such servants were often emasculated by castration as a precautionary measure, especially if they served among the women in a ruler's harem (2Kings 9.32) (Esther 2.15).
The New Testament reported the conversion of a eunuch from Ethiopia under the ministry of Philip the evangelist (Acts 8.26-38).
Nelson's Compact Bible Dictionary. Ronald F. Youngblood, F.F. Bruce, R.K. Harrison.
~ Eunuch. A castrated male. From the employment of such men as custodians of the royal harems the term came to designate an officer, whether physically a eunuch or not. Hebrew saris is translated variously officer, chamberlain, and eunuch (Genesis 37.36) (2Kings 23.1) (Isaiah 56.3) (Jeremiah 29.2).
The Mosaic Law forbade those blemishes by castration to enter the congregation (Deuteronomy 23.1), but Isaiah prophesied of a day when this disability would be removed, and their loss compensated (Isaiah 56.3-5).
In English, eunuch is a translation of Greek eunouchos. The Ethiopian (Acts 8.27-39) was a queen's treasurer in whom Isaiah's prophecy may well have encouraged a new hope. our Lord uses the term and its cognate verb four times in Matthew 19.12, those born eunuchs and those made eunuchs by men are physically incapable of begetting children; those who "renounced marriage because of the Kingdom of Heaven" are those whom continence has kept chaste and celibate so they may concentrate their lives on promoting the Kingdom of Heaven (Revelation 14.4).
The eminent though erratic Christian scholar Origen late in life regretted taking Matthew 19.12 literally.
The New International Dictionary of the Bible. J. D. Douglas, Merrill C. Tenney.
~ 12. Eunuchs (Heb. saris, Gr. eunouchos). Traditional view on eunuchs is quite distorted. They are certainly servants but not mutilated. The proof of that can be found in this verse 12.
~ "There are *eunuchs who were born." Not a single case known in the Bible where a newborn male was castrated, or by any other ritual known to mankind. But born as a slave (servant), this is very common practice among human beings.
~ "there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men." Most likely by some vow of Nazirite or some other kind of tradition, oath, or promise that required person to abstain from marriage and subsequently children, temporary or for life. Similar case happened with the daughter of Jephthah (Judges 11.34-40).
~ "there are eunuchs who made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven." Does the Bible have any requirement to mutilate or emasculated by castration a male for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven? Really? How ridiculous it can be to even think about this. The Ordinances of GOD concerning priest specify certain condition what not allowed certain physical defects, mutilations or any other form of physical deformity to serve before Him as priests, included those with "crushed testicles" (Deuteronomy 23.1) (Leviticus 21.16-20).
If a priest with such defect is not allowed to serve the Lord, how much more the self-mutilation of this organ can be done for the sake of the Kingdom of GOD?
These last words of Christ certainly relate to conditions that Christ placed on His followers written in: (Matthew 10.37-38, 16.24) (Mark 8.34) (Luke 9.23, 14.26-27.33) where the Christ urged us not attach ourselves to our families but leave everything behind and follow Him. He always comes first and the family second. Means that those who have no family on their own, they may dedicate their entire life only to Him.
A.G.
~ 12. This Statement may also relate to 144.000 mentioned in Revelation. (Revelation 7.4-8, 14.1.3-5) See similar theme concerning Nazirites: (Numbers 6.1-21) (Judges 13.3-5) (1Samuel 1.11.22.28) (Amos 2.11-12).
7. They said to Him, 'Why then did Moses command to give her a Certificate of Divorce (Deuteronomy 24.4) and send her away?'
~ 7. *Bill of divorcement. Literally, “a document of cutting off.” Both the conclusion of an agreement (Deuteronomy 29.13) and its dissolution were described by the word (פרת).
The Torah. A Modern Commentary. Edited by W. Gunther Plaut.
~ 7. *Bill of divorcement. Literally, "a writing of cutting off," a certificate of total separation from her with whom he had hitherto lived 'as one flesh" (Genesis 2.24). The later name for the document was (גס). Divorce was no longer to be at the arbitrary will and pleasure of the husband and by mere word of mouth, but upon reason given and by means of a formal document which demanded the intervention of a public authority. The marriage bond is holy; but whilst it is inviolable, it is not indissoluble.
The Pentateuch and Haftorahs. Edited by Dr. J. H. Hertz, C.H.
~ 7. *Bill of divorcement. A certificate of divorce, now known as a "get" (Aramaic for "legal document," from a Sumerian term meaning "oblong tablet). Various ancient Near Eastern documents indicate that the certificate probably was a statement by the husband to the effect that the couple is no longer husband and wife and that she is free to marry whoever she wishes. The term translated as "divorcement" (k'ritut) literally means 'severance.) Some commentators conjecture that the term did not originally refer to the severance of the marriage but to the act of cutting the wife's hem or garment, a ceremonial act of divorce known from Mesopotamia.
Etz Hayim. Torah and Commentary.
8. He said to them, 'Because of your hardness of heart Moses permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it has not been this way.
9. And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for immorality, and marries another woman, commits adultery.'
~ 9. *Marrying the Divorcee. (Deuteronomy 24.4) (Jeremiah 3.1) (Malachi 2.13-16) (Matthew 5.31-32, 19.3-9-12) (Luke 16.18) (1Corinthians 7.1-10-17.25-39-40) (Romans 7.3).
16."I have hate divorce" Malachi 2.16
10. The disciples said to Him, 'If the relationship of the man with his wife is like this, it is better not to marry.'
11. But He said to them, 'Not all men can accept this statement, but only those to whom it has been given.
12. There are *eunuchs who were born that way from their mother's womb, and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven. He who is able to accept this, let him accept it.'
~ 12. *Eunuch. A male servant of a royal household. Such servants were often emasculated by castration as a precautionary measure, especially if they served among the women in a ruler's harem (2Kings 9.32) (Esther 2.15).
The New Testament reported the conversion of a eunuch from Ethiopia under the ministry of Philip the evangelist (Acts 8.26-38).
Nelson's Compact Bible Dictionary. Ronald F. Youngblood, F.F. Bruce, R.K. Harrison.
~ Eunuch. A castrated male. From the employment of such men as custodians of the royal harems the term came to designate an officer, whether physically a eunuch or not. Hebrew saris is translated variously officer, chamberlain, and eunuch (Genesis 37.36) (2Kings 23.1) (Isaiah 56.3) (Jeremiah 29.2).
The Mosaic Law forbade those blemishes by castration to enter the congregation (Deuteronomy 23.1), but Isaiah prophesied of a day when this disability would be removed, and their loss compensated (Isaiah 56.3-5).
In English, eunuch is a translation of Greek eunouchos. The Ethiopian (Acts 8.27-39) was a queen's treasurer in whom Isaiah's prophecy may well have encouraged a new hope. our Lord uses the term and its cognate verb four times in Matthew 19.12, those born eunuchs and those made eunuchs by men are physically incapable of begetting children; those who "renounced marriage because of the Kingdom of Heaven" are those whom continence has kept chaste and celibate so they may concentrate their lives on promoting the Kingdom of Heaven (Revelation 14.4).
The eminent though erratic Christian scholar Origen late in life regretted taking Matthew 19.12 literally.
The New International Dictionary of the Bible. J. D. Douglas, Merrill C. Tenney.
~ 12. Eunuchs (Heb. saris, Gr. eunouchos). Traditional view on eunuchs is quite distorted. They are certainly servants but not mutilated. The proof of that can be found in this verse 12.
~ "There are *eunuchs who were born." Not a single case known in the Bible where a newborn male was castrated, or by any other ritual known to mankind. But born as a slave (servant), this is very common practice among human beings.
~ "there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men." Most likely by some vow of Nazirite or some other kind of tradition, oath, or promise that required person to abstain from marriage and subsequently children, temporary or for life. Similar case happened with the daughter of Jephthah (Judges 11.34-40).
~ "there are eunuchs who made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven." Does the Bible have any requirement to mutilate or emasculated by castration a male for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven? Really? How ridiculous it can be to even think about this. The Ordinances of GOD concerning priest specify certain condition what not allowed certain physical defects, mutilations or any other form of physical deformity to serve before Him as priests, included those with "crushed testicles" (Deuteronomy 23.1) (Leviticus 21.16-20).
If a priest with such defect is not allowed to serve the Lord, how much more the self-mutilation of this organ can be done for the sake of the Kingdom of GOD?
These last words of Christ certainly relate to conditions that Christ placed on His followers written in: (Matthew 10.37-38, 16.24) (Mark 8.34) (Luke 9.23, 14.26-27.33) where the Christ urged us not attach ourselves to our families but leave everything behind and follow Him. He always comes first and the family second. Means that those who have no family on their own, they may dedicate their entire life only to Him.
A.G.
~ 12. This Statement may also relate to 144.000 mentioned in Revelation. (Revelation 7.4-8, 14.1.3-5) See similar theme concerning Nazirites: (Numbers 6.1-21) (Judges 13.3-5) (1Samuel 1.11.22.28) (Amos 2.11-12).
