Deuteronomy 24 KJV
Laws of Divorce and Justice
Deuteronomy Chapter 24: Laws of Divorce and Justice
The divorce law in verses 1-4 uniquely bars a man from remarrying his ex-wife after her second marriage, framing remarriage as a defilement that cannot be reversed and thereby elevating marital bonds beyond mere contractual arrangements common in the ancient Near East.
1hen a man hath taken a wife, and married her, and it come to pass that she find no favour in his eyes, because he hath found some uncleanness in her: then let him write her a bill of divorcement, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house.
2 And when she is departed out of his house, she may go and be another manโs wife.
3 And if the latter husband hate her, and write her a bill of divorcement, and giveth it in her hand, and sendeth her out of his house; or if the latter husband die, which took her to be his wife;
4 Her former husband, which sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife, after that she is defiled; for that is abomination before the LORD: and thou shalt not cause the land to sin, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.
5 When a man hath taken a new wife, he shall not go out to war, neither shall he be charged with any business: but he shall be free at home one year, and shall cheer up his wife which he hath taken.
6 No man shall take the nether or the upper millstone to pledge: for he taketh a manโs life to pledge.
7 If a man be found stealing any of his brethren of the children of Israel, and maketh merchandise of him, or selleth him; then that thief shall die; and thou shalt put evil away from among you.
8 Take heed in the plague of leprosy, that thou observe diligently, and do according to all that the priests the Levites shall teach you: as I commanded them, so ye shall observe to do.
9 Remember what the LORD thy God did unto Miriam by the way, after that ye were come forth out of Egypt.
10 When thou dost lend thy brother any thing, thou shalt not go into his house to fetch his pledge.
11 Thou shalt stand abroad, and the man to whom thou dost lend shall bring out the pledge abroad unto thee.
12 And if the man be poor, thou shalt not sleep with his pledge:
13 In any case thou shalt deliver him the pledge again when the sun goeth down, that he may sleep in his own raiment, and bless thee: and it shall be righteousness unto thee before the LORD thy God.
14 Thou shalt not oppress an hired servant that is poor and needy, whether he be of thy brethren, or of thy strangers that are in thy land within thy gates:
15 At his day thou shalt give him his hire, neither shall the sun go down upon it; for he is poor, and setteth his heart upon it: lest he cry against thee unto the LORD, and it be sin unto thee.
16 The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin.
17 Thou shalt not pervert the judgment of the stranger, nor of the fatherless; nor take a widowโs raiment to pledge:
18 But thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in Egypt, and the LORD thy God redeemed thee thence: therefore I command thee to do this thing.
19 When thou cuttest down thine harvest in thy field, and hast forgot a sheaf in the field, thou shalt not go again to fetch it: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow: that the LORD thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hands.
20 When thou beatest thine olive tree, thou shalt not go over the boughs again: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow.
21 When thou gatherest the grapes of thy vineyard, thou shalt not glean it afterward: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow.
22 And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in the land of Egypt: therefore I command thee to do this thing.
โ โ arrow keys to navigate chapters ยท spacebar to play/pause audio
Did You Know?
The divorce law in verses 1-4 uniquely bars a man from remarrying his ex-wife after her second marriage, framing remarriage as a defilement that cannot be reversed and thereby elevating marital bonds beyond mere contractual arrangements common in the ancient Near East.
Verse 5's one-year exemption from military and civic duties for newlyweds prioritizes procreation and household establishment as national security imperatives, inverting typical ancient priorities that subordinated family to state warfare.
The millstone ban in verse 6 functions as an implicit recognition of economic essentials tied to God's daily provision, since seizing the upper or lower stone would halt bread production and equate to taking a life-sustaining gift.
The leprosy instruction in verse 9 invokes Miriam's Numbers 12 affliction not merely as precedent but as a warning that even a prophetess who challenged Mosaic authority remains fully subject to purity laws administered by priests.
Verses 17-22 repeatedly anchor justice for widows, orphans, and aliens in the Exodus memory, transforming ethical commands into participatory reenactments of Israel's own deliverance rather than abstract humanitarianism.
Commentary & Study Notes Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871) ยท Public Domain When a man hath taken a wife, and married her, and it come to pass that she find no favour in his eyes โ It appears that the practice of divorces was at this early period very prevโฆ
Classic verse-by-verse commentary on Deuteronomy 24 from Jamieson, Fausset & Brown (1871). Covers: Of divorces.
- 1-4
- When a man hath taken a wife, and married her, and it come to pass that she find no favour in his eyes โ It appears that the practice of divorces was at this early period very prevalent amongst the Israelites, who had in all probability become familiar with it in Egypt [LANE]. The usage, being too deep-rooted to be soon or easily abolished, was tolerated by Moses (Mt 19:8). But it was accompanied under the law with two conditions, which were calculated greatly to prevent the evils incident to the permitted system; namely: (1) The act of divorcement was to be certified on a written document, the preparation of which, with legal formality, would afford time for reflection and repentance; and (2) In the event of the divorced wife being married to another husband, she could not, on the termination of that second marriage, be restored to her first husband, however desirous he might be to receive her.
- 5
- When a man hath taken a new wife, he shall not go out to war โ This law of exemption was founded on good policy and was favorable to matrimony, as it afforded a full opportunity for the affections of the newly married pair being more firmly rooted, and it diminished or removed occasions for the divorces just mentioned.
Read all 9 notes on Deuteronomy 24 โ