Matthew 19:9

Matthew 19:9
(KJV) And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.
(1611 KJV) And I say vnto you, Whosoeuer shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away, doth commit adultery.

(NIV) I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery."
(NASV) "And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.”
(NLT) And I tell you this, a man who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery--unless his wife has been unfaithful."
(ESV) And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery."
(HCSB) And I tell you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery."
(RSV) And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for unchastity, and marries another, commits adultery."
(TNIV) I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery."
(NAB-Roman Catholic) I say to you, whoever divorces his wife (unless the marriage is unlawful) and marries another commits adultery."
(NWT-Jehovah’s Witnesses) I say to YOU that whoever divorces his wife, except on the ground of fornication, and marries another commits adultery.”

Textus Receptus
legw de umin oti oV an apolush thn gunaika autou ei mh epi porneia kai gamhsh allhn moicatai kai o apolelumenhn gamhsaV moicatai

Hort-Westcott
legw de umin oti oV an apolush thn gunaika autou mh epi porneia kai gamhsh allhn moicatai

Corrupted Manuscripts
This verse is corrupted in the following manuscripts:
Aleph 01 - Sinaiticus - Fourth century
C 04 - Ephraemi Rescriptus - Fifth century
D 05 - Bezae Cantabrigiensis - Fifth century

Affected Teaching
One of the most egregious sins of the church and many Christians is to remarry after divorce or to marry another who is divorced. The Bible is very clear on this matter.

(Mark 10:11-12 KJV) And he saith unto them, Whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery against her. {12} And if a woman shall put away her husband, and be married to another, she committeth adultery.

(Luke 16:18 KJV) Whosoever putteth away his wife, and marrieth another, committeth adultery: and whosoever marrieth her that is put away from her husband committeth adultery.

(Rom 7:2-3 KJV) For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband. {3} So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man.

(1 Cor 7:39 KJV) The wife is bound by the law as long as her husband liveth; but if her husband be dead, she is at liberty to be married to whom she will; only in the Lord.

These verses clearly indicate that if a man or woman divorces their spouse and remarries another, whether they be Christian or not, they are committing adultery. The church has become a haven for remarrying divorced people and this practice is in absolute contradiction to the teaching of the Scriptures. This means that the church is an active participant in aiding Christians to sin. It is highly hypocritical for the church to speak out against committing adultery and then turning around and sanctioning an entire life of adultery. (Exo 20:14 KJV) Thou shalt not commit adultery. The seventh commandment is very clear that we are not commit adultery, and that means adultery in any form. Why then is the church condoning approved adultery under the umbrella of marriage? An adulterous marriage is as sinful in God’s sight as a marriage of a Christian and a non-believer.

One of the reasons the church is so quick to endorse this sinful practice is if they use a modern version and come to Matthew 19:9, the prohibition of remarriage after divorce has been removed. This omission paves the way for remarriage after divorce in direct disobedience to the other Scriptures which deal directly with this matter.

Matthew 19:9 has been abused because of the so-called “exception clause.” Countless numbers of Christians have used Matthew 19:9 to seek a divorce so they can remarry somebody else. When we look at Matthew 19:9, we see the words “except it be for fornication.” Now the question we must ask is what type of fornication? Is it physical fornication or is it spiritual fornication? This means that if a person commits physical fornication, then they are guilty. Then what happens if a person commits spiritual fornication? What if that person happens to believe a false teaching? Then according to Matthew 19:9, they are allowed to divorce. What happens if a spouse has an evil thought? That too is spiritual fornication and they are guilty. Do you see where this leads? Any woman who listens to a false teaching or has an evil thought, may be put away by their husband. This abuse of Matthew 19:9 has cheapened the marriage institution. It is no longer till death do we part, it should now be till you have an evil thought do we part. What human does not have evil thoughts on a recurrent basis? Everyone does! Matthew 19:9 is not an excuse for divorce and remarriage, rather it is a testing ground for the marriage.

(Mat 5:44 KJV) But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

(Luke 6:27 KJV) But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you,

What do these two verses teach us? If we are to forgive and love our enemies, then how is it that we hate our spouses so fast to divorce them? It is the evil, sensual nature of sin that causes us to want to divorce the spouse so quickly. If we are to love our enemies, why then can we not love our spouses, even if they sin? Did the Lord Jesus divorce you when you sinned? How many times in the last day have you sinned against God? Did God send you away or did He still remain true to His vow? (John 6:37 KJV) All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. Matthew 19:9 must be looked on as a testing program for the believer and not an excuse for the practice of revolving door marriages. Matthew 19:9 must be compared with the other verses which deal with divorce and remarriage, and when all are taken in the proper context, you will see that Matthew 19:9 is boundary or a testing program for the true believer. The modern versions endorse rebellion against God. Let us stay with the King James and remain faithful.

 

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