Divorce & Remarriage

Genesis 24:2-7 So Abraham said to the oldest servant of his house, who ruled over all that he had, "Please, put your hand under my thigh, 3 "and I will make you swear by Yahweh, the Elohim of heaven and the Elohim of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell; 4 "but you shall go to my country and to my family, and take a wife for my son Isaac." 5 And the servant said to him, "Perhaps the woman will not be willing to follow me to this land. Must I take your son back to the land from which you came?" 6 But Abraham said to him, "Beware that you do not take my son back there. 7 "Yahweh Elohim of heaven, who took me from my father's house and from the land of my family, and who spoke to me and swore to me, saying, 'To your descendants I give this land,' He will send His angel before you, and you shall take a wife for my son from there.  

Isaac and Rebekah also desired the same for Jacob:

Genesis 27:46 And Rebekah said to Isaac, "I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth; if Jacob takes a wife of the daughters of Heth, like these who are the daughters of the land, what good will my life be to me?" 28:1 Then Isaac called Jacob and blessed him, and charged him, and said to him: "You shall not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan. 2 "Arise, go to Padan Aram, to the house of Bethuel your mother's father; and take yourself a wife from there of the daughters of Laban your mother's brother. 3 "May El Shaddai bless you, And make you fruitful and multiply you, That you may be an assembly of peoples; 4 And give you the blessing of Abraham, To you and your descendants with you, That you may inherit the land In which you are a stranger, Which Elohim gave to Abraham." 

1 Kings 11:1-11 But King Solomon loved many foreign women, as well as the daughter of Pharaoh: women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites -- 2 from the nations of whom Yahweh had said to the children of Israel, "You shall not intermarry with them, nor they with you. Surely they will turn away your hearts after their gods." Solomon clung to these in love. 3 And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines; and his wives turned away his heart. 4 For it was so, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned his heart after other gods; and his heart was not loyal to Yahweh his Elohim, as was the heart of his father David. 5 For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. 6 Solomon did evil in the sight of Yahweh, and did not fully follow Yahweh, as did his father David. 7 Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, on the hill that is east of Jerusalem, and for Molech the abomination of the people of Ammon. 8 And he did likewise for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods. 9 So Yahweh became angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned from Yahweh Elohim of Israel, who had appeared to him twice, 10 and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods; but he did not keep what Yahweh had commanded. 11 Therefore Yahweh said to Solomon, "Because you have done this, and have not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom away from you and give it to your servant. 

Israel was split into two kingdoms (the northern and southern tribes; Israel & Judah). The aftermath of Solomon's decision to marry unbelieving wives resulted in the introduction of idolatry to that generation and caused much heartache and pain in years to come. Solomon's son (Rehoboam) ended up forsaking Yahweh's law:

2 Chronicles 12:1 Now it came to pass, when Rehoboam had established the kingdom and had strengthened himself, that he forsook the law of Yahweh, and all Israel along with him. 

Israel's king, Jeroboam, served idols and every succeeding king of Israel chose to walk in idolatry. One example of that is Ahab. 

1 Kings 16:30-32 Now Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of Yahweh, more than all who were before him. 31 And it came to pass, as though it had been a trivial thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took as wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Sidonians; and he went and served Baal and worshiped him. 32 Then he set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal, which he had built in Samaria. 

Jezebel was the woman who turned the heart of Ahab to worship Baal. Yahweh punished Ahab and described him as one who "sold himself" to do evil:

1 Kings 21:22 I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, because of the provocation with which you have provoked Me to anger, and made Israel sin.' 23 "And concerning Jezebel Yahweh also spoke, saying, 'The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel.' 24 "The dogs shall eat whoever belongs to Ahab and dies in the city, and the birds of the air shall eat whoever dies in the field." 25 But there was no one like Ahab who sold himself to do wickedness in the sight of Yahweh, because Jezebel his wife stirred him up. 26 And he behaved very abominably in following idols, according to all that the Amorites had done, whom Yahweh had cast out before the children of Israel. 27 So it was, when Ahab heard those words, that he tore his clothes and put sackcloth on his body, and fasted and lay in sackcloth, and went about mourning. 28 And the word of Yahweh came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, 29 "See how Ahab has humbled himself before Me? Because he has humbled himself before Me, I will not bring the calamity in his days. In the days of his son I will bring the calamity on his house." 

Notice that Ahab did seem to have a fear of Yahweh, but it seems that his wife was an influence too great to overcome. This is evident in other places as well. But as if it weren't bad enough that this marriage brought down the house of Ahab and all of Israel, this marriage would also result in the fall of Jehoshaphat's house and Judah as well! Jehoshaphat was the king of Judah (the southern kingdom) at the same time that Ahab was the king of Israel (the northern kingdom). He was considered a righteous king:

2 Chronicles 17:3-4 Now Yahweh was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the former ways of his father David; he did not seek the Baals, 4 but sought the Elohim of his father, and walked in His commandments and not according to the acts of Israel. 

However, we read that King Ahab wanted to make an alliance with Jehoshaphat:

1 Kings 22:3-4 And the king of Israel said to his servants, "Do you know that Ramoth in Gilead is ours, but we hesitate to take it out of the hand of the king of Syria?" 4 So he said to Jehoshaphat, "Will you go with me to fight at Ramoth Gilead?" Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, "I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses." 

Sadly, Jehoshaphat sought to align himself with Ahab and even said "I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses". He even went so far as to join himself with Ahab in marriage:

2 Chronicles 18:1 Jehoshaphat had riches and honor in abundance; and by marriage he allied himself with Ahab. 

This marriage alliance resulted in Jehoshaphat's son (Jehoram) marrying one of the daughters of Ahab & Jezebel. Guess what happened to Jehoshaphat's son?

2 Kings 8:16-18 Now in the fifth year of Joram the son of Ahab, king of Israel, Jehoshaphat having been king of Judah, Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat began to reign as king of Judah. 17 He was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. 18 And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, just as the house of Ahab had done, for the daughter of Ahab was his wife; and he did evil in the sight of Yahweh. 

So as a result of Jehoshaphat having his son marry an unbeliever, it turned the heart of his son away from Yahweh. And ultimately, the marriage also turned Judah away from Yahweh:

2 Chronicles 21:11-15 Moreover he made high places in the mountains of Judah, and caused the inhabitants of Jerusalem to commit harlotry, and led Judah astray. 12 And a letter came to him from Elijah the prophet, saying, Thus says Yahweh Elohim of your father David: Because you have not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat your father, or in the ways of Asa king of Judah, 13 but have walked in the way of the kings of Israel, and have made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to play the harlot like the harlotry of the house of Ahab, and also have killed your brothers, those of your father's household, who were better than yourself, 14 behold, Yahweh will strike your people with a serious affliction -- your children, your wives, and all your possessions; 15 and you will become very sick with a disease of your intestines, until your intestines come out by reason of the sickness, day by day. 

What a disaster the marriage of Ahab & Jezebel wrought upon all of the children of Judah! Yahweh even used EliYah the prophet to try and turn Israel back to Yahweh by proving Yahweh is Elohim at the contest on Mount Carmel, but it was to no avail as long as Ahab was married to Jezebel (1Kings 18). 

King Jehoram and Jezebel's daughter had a son named Ahaziah who (of course) was also wicked:

2 Kings 8:26-27 Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Athaliah the granddaughter of Omri, king of Israel. 27 And he walked in the way of the house of Ahab, and did evil in the sight of Yahweh, like the house of Ahab, for he was the son-in-law of the house of Ahab. 

Therefore, Athaliah was the name of Jezebel's daughter who married Jehoshaphat's son. So wicked was this woman, she ultimately ended up killing all of her grandchildren and taking over the helm as "Queen" until she was finally killed (2Kings 11). 

So it was these kinds of marriages that produced disastrous results in their children and in society as a whole, just as Yahweh predicted in the Torah. Yahweh expelled Israel from the land and their children were scattered to the wind. Yahweh then expelled Judah from the land of Israel for 70 years. When Judah returned to Jerusalem, the people and even the priests were strongly rebuked by Nehemiah for (again!) marrying pagan wives:

Nehemiah 13:23-27 In those days I also saw Jews who had married women of Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab. 24 And half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod, and could not speak the language of Judah, but spoke according to the language of one or the other people. 25 So I contended with them and cursed them, struck some of them and pulled out their hair, and made them swear by Elohim, saying, "You shall not give your daughters as wives to their sons, nor take their daughters for your sons or yourselves. 26 "Did not Solomon king of Israel sin by these things? Yet among many nations there was no king like him, who was beloved of his Elohim; and Elohim made him king over all Israel. Nevertheless pagan women caused even him to sin. 27 "Should we then hear of your doing all this great evil, transgressing against our Elohim by marrying pagan women?" 

Nehemiah considered this a "great evil" and fought with them, pulling out their hair and cursing them for this transgression of the Torah. He pointed out that even Solomon was not immune to the corrupting influence of pagan wives. 

Now some say that the issue was not that the women were pagan, but that they were women from another nation. But notice that Nehemiah rebuked them for marrying women of Ashdod, Ammon and Moab. Ashdod, Ammon and Moab were not among the seven forbidden nations mentioned in the Torah. The seven forbidden nations were the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. So why did Nehemiah condemn them so strongly? The real issue wasn't the woman's lineage, but whether or not she served Yahweh. For even Ruth (King David's great grandmother) was from Moab, but she feared Yahweh (Ruth 1-4). And in the Torah, the Israelites were permitted to marry captive women (Deut. 21:11).

Let's read about this again in Ezra, another book written in the same era. Notice how grievous this sin was considered to be, and what they did to rectify it:

Ezra 9:1-15 When these things were done, the leaders came to me, saying, "The people of Israel and the priests and the Levites have not separated themselves from the peoples of the lands, with respect to the abominations of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites. 2 "For they have taken some of their daughters as wives for themselves and their sons, so that the holy seed is mixed with the peoples of those lands. Indeed, the hand of the leaders and rulers has been foremost in this trespass." 3 So when I heard this thing, I tore my garment and my robe, and plucked out some of the hair of my head and beard, and sat down astonished. 4 Then everyone who trembled at the words of the Elohim of Israel assembled to me, because of the transgression of those who had been carried away captive, and I sat astonished until the evening sacrifice. 5 At the evening sacrifice I arose from my fasting; and having torn my garment and my robe, I fell on my knees and spread out my hands to Yahweh my Elohim. 6 And I said: "O my Elohim, I am too ashamed and humiliated to lift up my face to You, my Elohim; for our iniquities have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt has grown up to the heavens. 7 "Since the days of our fathers to this day we have been very guilty, and for our iniquities we, our kings, and our priests have been delivered into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, to plunder, and to humiliation, as it is this day. 8 "And now for a little while grace has been shown from Yahweh our Elohim, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a peg in His holy place, that our Elohim may enlighten our eyes and give us a measure of revival in our bondage. 9 "For we were slaves. Yet our Elohim did not forsake us in our bondage; but He extended mercy to us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to revive us, to repair the house of our Elohim, to rebuild its ruins, and to give us a wall in Judah and Jerusalem. 10 "And now, O our Elohim, what shall we say after this? For we have forsaken Your commandments, 11 "which You commanded by Your servants the prophets, saying, 'The land which you are entering to possess is an unclean land, with the uncleanness of the peoples of the lands, with their abominations which have filled it from one end to another with their impurity. 12 'Now therefore, do not give your daughters as wives for their sons, nor take their daughters to your sons; and never seek their peace or prosperity, that you may be strong and eat the good of the land, and leave it as an inheritance to your children forever.' 13 "And after all that has come upon us for our evil deeds and for our great guilt, since You our Elohim have punished us less than our iniquities deserve, and have given us such deliverance as this, 14 "should we again break Your commandments, and join in marriage with the people committing these abominations? Would You not be angry with us until You had consumed us, so that there would be no remnant or survivor? 15 "O Yahweh Elohim of Israel, You are righteous, for we are left as a remnant, as it is this day. Here we are before You, in our guilt, though no one can stand before You because of this!" 

Ezra 10:1-17 Now while Ezra was praying, and while he was confessing, weeping, and bowing down before the house of Elohim, a very large assembly of men, women, and children gathered to him from Israel; for the people wept very bitterly. 2 And Shechaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, spoke up and said to Ezra, "We have trespassed against our Elohim, and have taken pagan wives from the peoples of the land; yet now there is hope in Israel in spite of this. 3 "Now therefore, let us make a covenant with our Elohim to put away all these wives and those who have been born to them, according to the advice of my master and of those who tremble at the commandment of our Elohim; and let it be done according to the law. 4 "Arise, for this matter is your responsibility. We also are with you. Be of good courage, and do it." 5 Then Ezra arose, and made the leaders of the priests, the Levites, and all Israel swear an oath that they would do according to this word. So they swore an oath. 6 Then Ezra rose up from before the house of Elohim, and went into the chamber of Jehohanan the son of Eliashib; and when he came there, he ate no bread and drank no water, for he mourned because of the guilt of those from the captivity. 7 And they issued a proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem to all the descendants of the captivity, that they must gather at Jerusalem, 8 and that whoever would not come within three days, according to the instructions of the leaders and elders, all his property would be confiscated, and he himself would be separated from the assembly of those from the captivity. 9 So all the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered at Jerusalem within three days. It was the ninth month, on the twentieth of the month; and all the people sat in the open square of the house of Elohim, trembling because of this matter and because of heavy rain. 10 Then Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, "You have transgressed and have taken pagan wives, adding to the guilt of Israel. 11 "Now therefore, make confession to Yahweh Elohim of your fathers, and do His will; separate yourselves from the peoples of the land, and from the pagan wives." 12 Then all the assembly answered and said with a loud voice, "Yes! As you have said, so we must do. 13 "But there are many people; it is the season for heavy rain, and we are not able to stand outside. Nor is this the work of one or two days, for there are many of us who have transgressed in this matter. 14 "Please, let the leaders of our entire assembly stand; and let all those in our cities who have taken pagan wives come at appointed times, together with the elders and judges of their cities, until the fierce wrath of our Elohim is turned away from us in this matter." 15 Only Jonathan the son of Asahel and Jahaziah the son of Tikvah opposed this, and Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite gave them support. 16 Then the descendants of the captivity did so. And Ezra the priest, with certain heads of the fathers' households, were set apart by the fathers' households, each of them by name; and they sat down on the first day of the tenth month to examine the matter. 17 By the first day of the first month they finished questioning all the men who had taken pagan wives.  

Yahweh desires a "Seed of Elohim" from a "one flesh" relationship. He wants us and our children to be holy as He is holy. Such marriages result in our seed being corrupted due to the pagan influence. Their decision to divorce these women was a major event that took 2-3 months to complete. It needed to be handled on a case-by-case basis. Not all foreigners are necessarily unbelievers or pagans. Other women would undoubtedly be from nations not forbidden in the Torah (such as Egypt in vs. Ezra 9:1), yet the women were still not believers in Yahweh.  

This issue is again mentioned by Malachi, a prophet who also lived during this same time:

Malachi 2:10-11 Have we not all one Father? Has not one Elohim created us? Why do we deal treacherously with one another By profaning the covenant of the fathers? 11 Judah has dealt treacherously, And an abomination has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem, For Judah has profaned Yahweh's holy institution which He loves: He has married the daughter of a foreign elohim. 12 May Yahweh cut off from the tents of Jacob The man who does this, being awake and aware, Yet who brings an offering to Yahweh of hosts! 

What is the holy institution that Yahweh loves? It is marriage. And marrying the "daughter of a foreign elohim" was a way of profaning Yahweh's holy institution. These kinds of marriages are considered to be "an abomination" in Yahweh's eyes that can result in Yahweh cutting a person off. 

Can we see why Yahweh is so upset by this? Again, when Yahweh created man and woman, it was not His intent that they "be fruitful and multiply" children of the devil, but "be fruitful and multiply" children of Yahweh. To multiply children of the devil is not being fruitful for Yahweh at all. As we see in the various examples given, marriages between believers and unbelievers produce bad fruit. For this reason, it is very important that parents and their children are extremely careful about who they choose to marry, and that they are sure Yahweh is the one making the decision. I hope that these things drive home this point in the minds of all who read this, especially the minds of young people. To marry an unbeliever is an abomination in the eyes of Yahweh! Don't even take it into consideration and don't desire them

1 Corinthians 15:33 Do not be deceived: "Evil company corrupts good habits." . 

For those who are married to a believing wife, it is quite evident even in the "Old Testament" that Yahweh is not pleased with a man divorcing them. Let's continue reading in Malachi 2 where we left off:

Malachi 2:13-16 And this is the second thing you do: You cover the altar of Yahweh with tears, With weeping and crying; So He does not regard the offering anymore, Nor receive it with goodwill from your hands. 14 Yet you say, "For what reason?" Because Yahweh has been witness Between you and the wife of your youth, With whom you have dealt treacherously; Yet she is your companion And your wife by covenant. 15 But did He not make them one, Having a remnant of the Spirit? And why one? He seeks godly offspring (Heb. seed of Elohim). Therefore take heed to your spirit, And let none deal treacherously with the wife of his youth. 16 "For Yahweh Elohim of Israel says That He hates divorce, For it covers one's garment with violence," Says Yahweh of hosts. "Therefore take heed to your spirit, That you do not deal treacherously." 

It is apparent by reading these verses in Malachi that the men of that era were actually divorcing the wives of Judah and marrying pagan wives. In Yahweh's eyes, to divorce a wife who does believe in Yahweh is an act of treachery toward her, an act that He hates. Yahweh is seeking a "seed of Elohim" from our children and He is displeased with anything that would be a barrier to that end, whether it be divorcing wives that believe in Yahweh or marrying wives that do not. So before Yahushua ever said anything about divorce/remarriage, it is evident that Yahweh not only hates divorce, but He also considers marriages which profane His holy institution to be "an abomination". Notice that back in verse 10 it says, "Have we not all one Father?". Yahweh wants all of us to have one Father, both parents and children. He wants to be our Father and He wants all of us to be His children. We ought not deal treacherously with one another through divorcing a believing wife or profane Yahweh's holy institution by marrying an unbelieving wife. Both are huge stumbling blocks to our children being the "Seed of Elohim" that Yahweh seeks.

Getting back to Yahushua's statement that Moshe permitted divorce because of the "hardness of your hearts", this indeed is an interesting statement when you consider all the things that Yahweh did forbid in the Torah. One might wonder why Yahweh didn't consider the hardness of their hearts when He made other commandments in the Torah which they clearly stumbled over numerous times. Let's remember that the children of Israel were not faithful children in the wilderness and Yahweh knew that they would not be faithful children in the generations to come. In light of this, lets examine Yahushua's statement "hardness of your hearts":

Matthew 19:7 They said to Him, "Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away? 8 "He said to them, "Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.

The Greek word translated "Hardness of your hearts" is #4641"sklerokardia." This word is also used in the Septuagint, an ancient translation of the "old testament" Hebrew scriptures into Greek which was completed 200-300 years years before Yahushua was born. Examining the Septuagint's use of Greek words can shed light on their meaning. Notice the 2 verses where this word is used in the Septuagint, compared with the King James Version:

(Septuagint) Deuteronomy 10:16 Therefore ye shall circumcise the hardness of your heart, and ye shall not harden your neck.
(KJV) Deuteronomy 10:16 Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiffnecked.

(Septuagint) Jeremiah 4:4 Circumcise yourselves to your [Elohim], and circumcise your hardness of heart, ye men of Juda, and inhabitants of Jerusalem: lest my wrath go forth as fire, and burn, and there be none to quench it, because of the evil of your devices.
(KJV) Jeremiah 4:4 Circumcise yourselves to Yahweh, and take away the foreskins of your heart, ye men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: lest my fury come forth like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings. 

So the "hardness of heart" then is understood to be the "foreskins of" their hearts. Their hearts were not circumcised. Throughout all of scripture, a person with an uncircumcised heart is someone who will not repent:

Leviticus 26:40-42 But if they confess their iniquity and the iniquity of their fathers, with their unfaithfulness in which they were unfaithful to Me, and that they also have walked contrary to Me, 41 and that I also have walked contrary to them and have brought them into the land of their enemies; if their uncircumcised hearts are humbled, and they accept their guilt -- 42 then I will remember My covenant with Jacob, and My covenant with Isaac and My covenant with Abraham I will remember; I will remember the land. 

Jeremiah 4:4 Circumcise yourselves to Yahweh, And take away the foreskins of your hearts, You men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, Lest My fury come forth like fire, And burn so that no one can quench it, Because of the evil of your doings." 

Jeremiah 9:25-26 Behold, the days are coming," says Yahweh, "that I will punish all who are circumcised with the uncircumcised -- 26 "Egypt, Judah, Edom, the people of Ammon, Moab, and all who are in the farthest corners, who dwell in the wilderness. For all these nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised in the heart." 

Acts 7:51-53 You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you. 52 "Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers, 53 "who have received the law by the direction of angels and have not kept it." 

Romans 2:26-29 Therefore, if an uncircumcised man keeps the righteous requirements of the law, will not his uncircumcision be counted as circumcision? 27 And will not the physically uncircumcised, if he fulfills the law, judge you who, even with your written code and circumcision, are a transgressor of the law? 28 For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; 29 but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from Elohim. 

If someone will not repent, they are not Yahweh's children but are in rebellion. Yahweh says He is going to punish all who are uncircumcised in heart. So the phrase "uncircumcised in heart" and the word "unbeliever" could legitimately be considered synonymous. Those who are of hardened/uncircumcised heart will not believe His word. The foreigners who served idols were often degradingly referred to as the "uncircumcised". Some examples:

Judges 14:3 Then his father and mother said to him, "Is there no woman among the daughters of your brethren, or among all my people, that you must go and get a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines?" And Samson said to his father, "Get her for me, for she pleases me well." 

1 Samuel 17:26 Then David spoke to the men who stood by him, saying, "What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living Elohim?" 

Isaiah 52:1 Awake, awake! Put on your strength, O Zion; Put on your beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city! For the uncircumcised and the unclean Shall no longer come to you. 

When the Torah was given, Israel still had people who were uncircumcised in heart. Yahweh knew that they were not going to remain faithful to Him in the years to come but would be turned aside to idols. 

Zechariah 7:12-14 "Yes, they made their hearts like flint, refusing to hear the law and the words which Yahweh of hosts had sent by His Spirit through the former prophets. Thus great wrath came from Yahweh of hosts. 13 "Therefore it happened, that just as He proclaimed and they would not hear, so they called out and I would not listen," says Yahweh of hosts. 14 "But I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations which they had not known. Thus the land became desolate after them, so that no one passed through or returned; for they made the pleasant land desolate." 

Now that we have some understanding of what is meant by "hardness of heart", it becomes easier to see why Yahweh would not outright forbid divorce at that time. Since there were people with hardened hearts in the land of Israel, this meant there were (and would continue to be) unbelieving Israelites in this new nation that Yahweh wanted to establish. 

In light of Yahushua's comments about Moshe not forbidding divorce due to the hardness of hearts, it seems that Yahweh wanted to leave a way for faithful Israelites to divorce an Israelite spouse that, while they weren't from one of the forbidden nations to marry, was an unbeliever just the same. 

I could see also that if Yahweh had outright forbidden divorce within Israel, those with the hardened hearts would be civilly forbidden to divorce a wife who might be a true handmaiden of Yahweh. She could be ruled over with cruelty and be caused to stumble into the same wickedness, or she would be cast out of the home, forbidden by the civil laws to remarry a husband that feared Yahweh. 

But couldn't Yahweh just leave a provision that permitted divorces between believers and unbelievers? It seems to me the last thing Israel needed was any motivation to become an unbeliever. Yahweh didn't want there to be unbelievers in Israel, but He knew that there would be---because of the hardness of their hearts. 

Also, consider the long term implications of Yahweh's decision to not specifically forbid divorce. The truth is, anyone with a heart attentive to His word would be able to see that divorce is not His will. The children of Israel were commanded to come together every week and have a 'holy convocation' on the Shabbat. This is when the Torah would be heard by people who seek Yahweh. Keep in mind that at the time the Torah was given, there was nothing other than the 5 books (Genesis through Deuteronomy). There was no book of "Isaiah" or "Psalms" or "New Testament". With this in mind, if you read the book of Genesis, the will of Yahweh for marriage is quite clear. Divorce is never mentioned, and you won't find any example of divorce in Genesis. The first time divorce is mentioned in the Torah is when Yahweh forbids a priest from marrying a divorced woman. 

Leviticus 21:7 'They shall not take a wife who is a harlot or a defiled woman, nor shall they take a woman divorced from her husband; for the priest is holy to his Elohim.

In fact, when divorce is mentioned in Deuteronomy 24, the divorced and remarried wife is called "defiled": 

Deuteronomy 24:4 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 Yahweh: and thou shalt not cause the land to sin, which Yahweh thy Elohim giveth thee for an inheritance. 

To those with ears to hear, a clear impression is given. Divorce is not really part of Yahweh's plan for Israel, and it is not the will of Yahweh. So it makes sense that when Yahushua was asked if a man can "divorce his wife for any reason?", He gave this answer:

Matthew 19:4-5 And He answered and said to them, "Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning 'made them male and female,' 5 "and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'? 

"Have you not read...???" The first book in the Torah tells us what Yahweh's plan for marriage is! It's all laid out there in the beginning of the Torah. Therefore, those who did not have a hardened heart would see clearly what Yahweh's will for them truly is. Those who did have a hardened heart would be looking for reasons to divorce their wives, but those who didn't have a hardened heart would see that it's important not to marry an unbeliever and would never divorce a believing wife. 

Consider now, what would the fruits of this be for Israel? Those with hardened hearts would have troubled, broken homes. But those attentive to the message in Genesis would have peaceful, holy and loving homes with happy children that will typically want the same for their families. 

Even in our own generation it is evident that those who grow up in broken homes where their parents are divorced are far more likely to have children who rebel against their parents' way of doing things. And when such children see the Yahweh-centered, peaceful, loving and secure homes of the righteous, they will be compelled to want the same for their children. I see no reason why it would have been any different in ancient Israel. 

When we consider that there were so many within the nation of Israel with hardened/uncircumcised hearts, and we look at the options available and the ramifications of each, it is easy to see why Yahweh made the decision to not forbid divorce in Israel. According to Yahushua, the lack of a commandment forbidding divorce is a more so a commentary on their hardness of their hearts than a revelation of Yahweh's will for us. Yahweh's will for us is outlined in Genesis 1 & 2. Let's hear His voice and let not our hearts be hardened, as in the rebellion. Let's not be among those with hardened hearts! Let's fulfill the word of Yahweh!

Yahushua clearly sought to bring us back to Yahweh's plan He wanted from the very beginning; the first part of the Torah; Man and woman being "one flesh" to "be fruitful and multiply" children of Elohim. In this, Yahushua was not contradicting the Torah but was bringing us back to the way Yahweh intended all along. So let's also interpret what He said in this light:

(NKJV) Matthew 19:3-10 The Pharisees also came to Him, testing Him, and saying to Him, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?" 4 And He answered and said to them, "Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning 'made them male and female,' 5 "and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'? 6 "So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what Elohim has joined together, let not man separate." 7 They said to Him, "Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away?" 8 He said to them, "Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. 9 "And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery." 10 His disciples said to Him, "If such is the case of the man with his wife, it is better not to marry." 

The above phrase "sexual immorality" (translated "fornication" in the King James version) is the from the Greek word #4202 "porneia". Most people assume that He was only talking about some literal, "physical porneia" that violates the marital relationship. However, there is another meaning behind the word "porneia" that is usually overlooked.  

The Strong's Lexicon defines this word as follows:

porneia por-ni'-ah from 4203; harlotry (including adultery and incest); figuratively, idolatry:--fornication.

Notice that the term can figuratively refer to "idolatry". Examples of this usage are plentiful in the book of Revelation:

Revelation 14:8-9 And another angel followed, saying, "Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she has made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication." 9 Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, "If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, 

Revelation 17:1-4 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and talked with me, saying to me, "Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters, 2 "with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication." 3 So he carried me away in the Spirit into the wilderness. And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. 4 The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication

Revelation 18:2-3 And he cried mightily with a loud voice, saying, "Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird! 3 "For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury." 

Revelation 19:2 For true and righteous are His judgments, because He has judged the great harlot who corrupted the earth with her fornication; and He has avenged on her the blood of His servants shed by her." 

Other examples of this figurative language is found throughout the Law & Prophets. Here are a couple of examples: 

Exodus 34:13-16 But you shall destroy their altars, break their sacred pillars, and cut down their wooden images 14 '(for you shall worship no other elohim, for Yahweh, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous Elohim), 15 "lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they play the harlot with their elohim and make sacrifice to their elohim, and one of them invites you and you eat of his sacrifice, 16 "and you take of his daughters for your sons, and his daughters play the harlot with their elohim and make your sons play the harlot with their elohim. 

Leviticus 17:7 They shall no more offer their sacrifices to demons, after whom they have played the harlot. This shall be a statute forever for them throughout their generations." ' 

The use of this word "porneia" to refer to idolatry is quite frequent throughout the Septuagint, a Greek translation of the "old testament" that was in use at the time. This word family (#4202 "porneia) is used 36 times in the Septuagint. A remarkable fact is how this word family is used. It is used to describe physical marital unfaithfulness only twice, but it is used to describe the spiritual harlotry/idolatry 36 times! The complete list of these verses are as follows: Genesis 38:24; Numbers 14:33; 2 Kings 9:22; Isaiah 47:10; 57:9; Jeremiah 2:20; 3:2, 9; 13:27; Ezekiel 16:15, 22, 25, 33f, 36, 41; 23:7f, 11, 14, 17ff, 27, 29, 35; 43:7, 9; Hosea 1:2; 2:4, 6; 4:11f; 5:4; 6:10; Micah 1:7; Nah. 3:4. I have also studied the Hebrew Matthew (DuTillet version) of Matthew 19:9 and found that it uses Hebrew word #2184 "zenuth", a noun which means "whoredom". Out of the 9 times it is used in the "old testament", it is used to describe idolatry 7 times with the other 2 instances being unclear whether idolatry or literal whoredom is intended. The complete list is: Num. 14:33; Jer. 3:2, 9; 13:27; Ezek. 23:27; 43:7, 9; Hos. 4:11; 6:10.

In consideration of the core meanings of "zenuth" and "porneia", they certainly could possibly be used to describe literal harlotry. But since "zenuth" and "porneia" are used so frequently to describe idolatry, it is certainly worth investigating whether or not Yahushua could have been allowing for divorce when a person is married to a spouse who is an idolater/unbeliever. This is especially true when you consider the Torah based prohibition against marriages to unbelievers, the examples of disastrous marriages to unbelievers, the importance stressed on bearing righteous children of Elohim, the divorce of pagan wives in the book of Ezra, and the fact that Yahushua said it was the hardness of hearts that inspired Moshe to not outright forbid divorce.

To help us understand Yahushua's words, let's examine an important passage in 1 Corinthians which can help shed some light on what Yahushua truly meant by 'porneia':

1 Corinthians 7:10 Now to the married I command, yet not I but the Master: A wife is not to depart from her husband. 11 But even if she does depart, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband. And a husband is not to divorce his wife. 

In the above statement, we see that Paul is telling the Corinthians about the commandment that a wife is not permitted to depart from her husband, and a husband is not to divorce his wife (the fact that her departing results in divorce is evidenced by Paul's statement that if she departs let her "remain unmarried.") Notice carefully that Paul said this is not his own commandment, but the Master's commandment. Paul would not have been getting this command from the Law of Moshe because Yahushua clearly said that Moshe permitted divorce. Therefore, Paul was evidently referring to Yahushua's words when He commanded us to not separate what Elohim has joined together: 

Matthew 19:4 And He answered and said to them, "Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning 'made them male and female,' 5 "and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'? 6 "So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what Elohim has joined together, let not man separate."

Paul's statements that a wife is not to depart from her husband and a husband is not to divorce his wife is certainly very much in line with what Yahushua was saying here. The Master Yahushua has certainly commanded us not to separate what Elohim has joined together. In fact, Yahushua stated several times that if one were to separate what Elohim has joined together and marry another, it is committing adultery:

Matthew 19:9 And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery."  

Matthew 5:32 But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery. 

Mark 10:11-12 So He said to them, "Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her. 12 "And if a woman divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery." 

Luke 16:18 Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced from her husband commits adultery. 

For this reason, Paul said "I command, yet not I but the Master" and also said "but even if she does depart, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband". She would have to remain unmarried in order to avoid committing adultery against her husband. So Paul clearly stated that there is to be no divorce and remarriage at all! 

But what about this exception? Exactly like Yahushua, Paul also dealt with an exception to this rule. In fact, the exception Paul mentions supports the understanding that "porneia" can refer to divorces between a believer and unbeliever:

12 But to the rest speak I, not the Master: If any brother hath a wife that believeth not, and she be pleased to dwell with him, let him not put her away. 

Please take a minute and pay close attention to what Paul is saying here. Notice that Paul declares he is speaking on his own, and not what the Master Himself has commanded. This is extremely important to understand, but not because Paul was necessarily wrong in his opinion! Rather, the fact that he clearly told us it was his own opinion )not a commandment from the Master) that a believer and unbeliever should remain together if possible shows that Yahushua's statement "What Elohim has joined together let not man separate" did NOT include marriages between a believer and unbeliever! Does this not shed light on what Yahushua could have meant with the exception He gave? YES. The Master Yahushua never commanded that a believer and unbeliever must remain married! If He did, Paul would have said "To the rest speak I, yet not I, but the Master" when saying the believer should not divorce the unbeliever. 

Yahushua did not forbid divorce and remarriage in all cases. He made an exception for "porneia" (or in Hebrew, "zenuth"), a word that very commonly meant "idolatry" throughout the Torah and prophets. This being the case, it is perfectly understandable why Paul would make it clear that Yahushua never commanded a believer to remain married to an unbeliever. Paul was not lying when He said the Master did not command this. In fact, all of scripture forbids a believer from marrying an unbeliever in the first place. 

1 Corinthians 7:12-13 But to the rest speak I, not the Master: If any brother hath a wife that believeth not, and she be pleased to dwell with him, let him not put her away. 13 And the woman which hath an husband that believeth not, and if he be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him. 

Now let's consider the reasons why Paul said they should remain together in this case. First of all, we are not dealing with a situation where a believer was looking for a wife and found an unbeliever to marry. That is clearly a sin. This is dealing with a situation where a person was already married to an unbeliever when they came to faith in Messiah, but their spouse has not come to faith as of yet. 

So Paul encourages the believer to stay with the unbeliever if the unbeliever is "pleased to dwell with" the believer. But what about Yahweh's plan for man and woman to become "one flesh" and "be fruitful and multiply" a "seed of Elohim" for Yahweh? Wouldn't such a marriage cause their children to be defiled with idolatry? How would this fit with Yahushua's statements regarding Yahweh's plan? Paul must have known the first question to be asked in these situations is, "What about the believer and his/her children being corrupted?" The next thing he said was:

1 Corinthians 7:14 For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy.

Why would the children be clean in this instance? Again, Paul stated that only in the event where the unbeliever is "pleased to dwell" with the believer should they remain together. An unbeliever who is "pleased to dwell" with a believer would not be someone who is rebellious and wicked toward Yahweh. In most cases, such a person would not be "pleased to dwell" with the believer because a rebellious person living in darkness does not want to dwell with light. 

John 3:20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. 

Now at the same time most all of us at one time were practicing evil but were drawn to the light and eventually desired the forgiveness and salvation offered through Yahushua the Messiah. In the case of an unbeliever not being necessarily rebellious or hard hearted toward the faith of Yahweh, there is potential there for the spouse to be converted to the faith as well. More on this later...

An important question is, "How and why is the unbelieving spouse sanctified by the believing spouse?" If the believing spouse is holy, and the unbeliever is not rebellious, the unbeliever is sanctified and the children are holy also. For the children are not being corrupted by rebellion and hard heartedness in such instances. Since the unbelieving spouse is not rebellious and it is not yet known whether they will come to salvation in Messiah, it is possible that the marriage is indeed one that Elohim has joined together as "one flesh" to produce a holy "seed of Elohim" if patience is exercised and Yahushua is revealed to them through the Messiah-like example of the believing spouse.

1 Corinthians 7:14-17 For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband; otherwise your children would be unclean, but now they are holy. 15 But if the unbeliever departs, let him depart; a brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases. But Elohim has called us to peace. 16 For how do you know, O wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, O husband, whether you will save your wife? 17 But as Elohim has distributed to each one, as the Master has called each one, so let him walk. And so I ordain in all the churches. 

So, consistent with the theme in many of Paul's letters, we are encouraged to remain in the same calling in which we are called and patiently let Yahweh work through the issues in our life. In the case of an unbeliever being called while married to another unbeliever, we are encouraged to remember that we are called to peace and we need not create for ourselves unnecessary division in our homes, but that if the unbeliever creates the division--whether it be by departing, or by rebellion/hard heartedness toward Yahweh--we should remember that we are not under bondage in such cases. 

The meaning of the phrase "not under bondage in such cases" has been the subject of numerous debates between those holding opposing viewpoints on the divorce/remarriage issue. Those who believe a person can remarry after divorcing an unbeliever interpret it as Paul giving the authorization to do so. Those who believe a person cannot remarry interpret this as not being bound to the fulfilling the normal marital duties if the unbelieving spouse departs. So how one interprets this statement depends on how you view all of the other scriptures on this issue. To help us decide what Paul meant by this, let's review the full context of what He was saying. 

1 Corinthians 7:10-15 Now to the married I command, yet not I but the Master: A wife is not to depart from her husband. 11 But even if she does depart, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband. And a husband is not to divorce his wife. 12 But to the rest I, not the Master, say: If any brother has a wife who does not believe, and she is willing to live with him, let him not divorce her. 13 And a woman who has a husband who does not believe, if he is willing to live with her, let her not divorce him. 14 For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband; otherwise your children would be unclean, but now they are holy. 15 But if the unbeliever departs, let him depart; a brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases. But Elohim has called us to peace. 

From these verses, a summary would be:

• The Master Yahushua commanded that there is to be no divorce between believers. 
• If a believing woman departs from her husband, she is not permitted to remarry. That would be adultery per Yahushua's words. 
• The Master Yahushua did not command a believer to remain married to an unbeliever.
• If the unbeliever departs, the believer is not in bondage in such cases. This would be in line with Yahushua's 'porneia' exception if this meant the believer could remarry.

Looking at the context, there are clearly 2 situations being addressed. The marriage of two believers and the marriage of a believer to an unbeliever. 

When Paul speaks of two believers being married, he says they are not to divorce, but if the wife departs they are to remain unmarried or reconciled to her husband. This is consistent with Yahushua's words in Matthew 19. But when speaking of a believer being married to an unbeliever, Paul says Yahushua didn't command them to stay together--but if the unbeliever is willing to live with the believer, let them remain together. Does this not clearly beg the question, "What if the unbeliever leaves, do I also have to remain unmarried?" Since Paul dealt with that question in the other scenario by saying "if the wife departs, she is to remain unmarried", it makes sense that when Paul says "If the unbeliever departs.." he would be addressing the same issue: remarriage. The answer is, the believer is not under bondage in such cases. So if in the one scenario he dealt with the question of remarriage, it would be illogical to think he was talking about something else in the other scenario. Especially when he uses the same wording "if she/they depart.." Some believe Paul should have given the same answer ("remain unmarried") but he did not. This answer is further evidence that marriages between believer & unbeliever to be included in Yahushua's 'porneia/zenuth' exception.

Yahushua called us to return to the way it was from the very beginning. Man and woman being joined together as "one flesh" to "be fruitful and multiply" a "seed of Elohim". Forbidding remarriage to a believer denies us from fulfilling an important purpose Yahweh had in mind when creating us in the first place. 

Therefore, Paul was forbidding remarriage in the divorce of two believers but permitting remarriage in the divorce of a believer being married to an unbeliever. He spoke in perfect unity with Yahushua's statements in Matthew 19 and elsewhere. Yahushua says that we are not to separate what Yahweh has joined together as one flesh, so divorce and remarriage is forbidden unless the one party commits 'porneia/spiritual harlotry' (becomes an unbeliever). It isn't Yahweh's will for us to be one flesh with a spiritual harlot/rebel. For we do know for a fact that it is not Yahweh's will for us to physically be "one flesh" with a harlot:

1 Corinthians 6:13b Now the body is not for sexual immorality [#4202 "porneia"] but for the Master, and the Master for the body. 14 And Elohim both raised up the Master and will also raise us up by His power. 15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Messiah? Shall I then take the members of Messiah and make them members of a harlot? Certainly not! 16 Or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For "the two," He says, "shall become one flesh." 17 But he who is joined to the Master is one spirit with Him. 18 Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality [#4202 "porneia"] sins against his own body. 19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from Elohim, and you are not your own? 20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify Elohim in your body and in your spirit, which are Elohim's. 

Therefore, if it is not Yahweh's will for us to be one flesh with one who is a physical harlot, why would it be Yahweh's will for us to be "one flesh" with a spiritual harlot? Indeed, the spiritual harlot could be just as dangerous, if not more so! Such a relationship could not be one that "Elohim has joined together" if it is one He clearly forbids in the Torah and all throughout the scriptures. 

Now I'm not saying that Yahweh would not call a marriage between a believer and an unbeliever a "marriage". He even calls false deities "elohim" even though they are not elohim. But such marriages are not marriages which "Elohim has joined together" for the purposes of being "fruitful" and multiplying a seed of Elohim. Rather, such marriages are contrary to Yahweh in that they produce children of the devil. If an unbeliever were married to an unbeliever at some point in their life, they were never in a marriage which "Elohim has joined together" for the purposes of being "fruitful" and multiplying a seed of Elohim. 

So it is only marriages between two believers that Yahushua declared and commanded "let no man separate". Paul reiterated this when he said "a wife is not to depart from her husband" and "a husband is not to divorce his wife". Let no man separate what Elohim has joined together! In fact, Yahweh wants believers to go and seek to bring Him into all of the marriages in this world so that they will all produce children of Elohim. But if only one spouse chooses to change and the other wants to be wicked and rebellious, shutting their ears to the word with a hardness of heart, we need to remember the Torah. Elohim does not want a believer married to an unbeliever. In fact, it is worse for a believer to be married to a wicked, hard hearted and rebellious unbeliever than for two unbelievers to be together. Darkness is darkness and light is light, but please...please.. please don't mix darkness with light! He isn't looking for a mixed seed, He is looking for a pure and undefiled seed of Elohim. Don't mix wickedness with righteousness! This kind of syncretism is what brought Christmas, Easter, and numerous other idolatrous abominations into the body of Messiah in the first place. We can be sure that Elohim does not want the rebelliousness and abominable to be "one flesh" with the righteous, and neither will He allow such. For Yahweh cannot transgress His own word. He considers such marriages to be:

• Malachi 2:11 - "An abomination" which ends up "profaning Yahweh's holy institution which He loves". 
• Nehemiah 13:27 - A "great evil, transgressing against our Elohim" 
• Ezra 9:2 - A "trespass" which results in mixing the "holy seed" (of Elohim) with the wicked
• Ezra 9:10,14 - "Forsaking the commandments" and "break(ing) Yahweh's commandments" 
• Joshua 23:11-13 - "Snares and traps to you, and scourges on your sides and thorns in your eyes" 

Consider also the following scriptures:

Therefore, the witness of numerous scriptures is clear. Yahweh doesn't want us to be in a marriage that He calls an abomination, a snare, a trap, a trespass against Him, one that profanes Yahweh's holy institution and causes us to be unequally yoked and in fellowship with evil company that corrupts our good habits and the good habits of any children that we might bear. It makes perfect sense that Yahushua would address this also when speaking of divorce and remarriage.  

The understanding that Yahushua was speaking of spiritual porneia/idolatry has the support of numerous scriptures and brings all of them together as one unit, speaking the same thing as the full counsel of Elohim. It has the potential to effectively end the confusion and division between many people on this issue. 

When we understand this and implement it into our understanding of this issue, the moral integrity of the assembly is upheld, Yahweh's plan for a marriage being the spiritual and physical unity of one man and one woman is upheld, the plan of Yahweh for us to bear a seed of Elohim is upheld, the scriptures in the Torah and "new testament" banning the marriage or mixing of believers/unbelievers is upheld, the scriptures in Ezra, Nehemiah and Malachi decrying the marriage of believers with unbelievers is upheld, the decision to divorce the unbelieving wives in the book of Ezra is upheld, the statements Paul made about there being no divorce between believers but divorce being permitted between believers & unbelievers is upheld, and most importantly the families and children in the assembly are not corrupted with leaven, evil company, lawlessness, Belial, idolatry, uncleanness and the unfruitful works of darkness by having the wicked dwelling within our homes. Our homes can be a safe haven, a lamp which gives light to all who enter our homes. And when our homes are full of light, we build a city of peace (Yerushalayim) on a hill which cannot be hidden. The light of Yahushua the Messiah shining through a loving husband and a submissive wife...to all the world. Such a light will draw all of Yahweh's people back to His plan, just as He wanted all along.

It is important to remember that when Yahushua said "except it be for porneia/zenuth" in Matthew 19:9, Yahushua was speaking in the context of a literal marriage between a man and a woman. For this reason, there must also be instances of physical 'porneia' which are legitimate reasons for divorce. It would be a challenge to the context if we assumed that Yahushua was speaking of "porneia" only in a spiritual sense when everyone knows that "porneia" also is defined as various sins of the flesh such as adultery, incest, homosexuality and prostitution. 

Now "Porneia" and its Hebrew equivalent ("zenuth) are broad words which can refer to any of these sins exclusively, but it does not always refer to every one of these sins when it is used. To determine the meaning of these words in a sentence, the context must be examined. For example:

1 Corinthians 5:1 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and such sexual immorality [#4202 "porneia"] as is not even named among the Gentiles -- that a man has his father's wife! 

In the above verse, he isn't talking about homosexuality, prostitution or spiritual harlotry. The "porneia" being spoken of is incest. Another example:   

1 Corinthians 6:13-15 Foods for the stomach and the stomach for foods, but Elohim will destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for sexual immorality [#4202 "porneia"] but for the Master, and the Master for the body. 14 And Elohim both raised up the Master and will also raise us up by His power. 15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Messiah? Shall I then take the members of Messiah and make them members of a harlot? Certainly not! 

In the above example, Paul is speaking of engaging in relations with a prostitute. 

Matthew 19:9 "And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality [#4202 "porneia"], and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery." 

So the question is, was Yahushua talking about all types of "porneia" when He mentioned the exception or was He only talking about certain kinds of porneia? Some believe that He was only talking about one specific kind of porneia while others believe He was talking about any and all porneia. In this study we will examine the claims of both.

Some have suggested that the physical 'porneia' is only that which occurred during the betrothal period and not after they had consummated the marriage through intercourse. One of the reasons for this is the fact that Yahushua never mentioned any exception in Luke or Mark.  

Mark 10:11-12 So He said to them, "Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her. 12 "And if a woman divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery." 

Luke 16:18 Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced from her husband commits adultery. 

Since no exception is mentioned in the above verses, it supports the belief that the exception would be so rare that it wasn't even worth mentioning. It also supports the belief that between two fully married persons, there is to be no divorce. However, the lack of an exception could also be explained by understanding that Yahushua was not talking to idolaters, but to Israelites who believed in worshiping Yahweh. The likelihood of a Jewish person running off and worshiping Zeus was practically unheard of in the first century. Jews wouldn't even eat with idol worshiping Gentiles, let alone marry them. For example:

Acts 10:28 Then he said to them, "You know how unlawful it is for a Jewish man to keep company with or go to one of another nation. But Elohim has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean.

So rare would such a divorce be, even the apostles exclaimed "it is better not to marry!" 

Matthew 19:9-10 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. 10 His disciples say unto him, If the case of the man be so with his wife, it is not good to marry. 

So the response by the apostles even shows that the exception was so rare, that divorce would be practically unheard of in Israel. Thus, they thought it might be better not to marry since you would basically be locked into the marriage forever. 

Also consider:

Romans 7:1-3 Or do you not know, brethren (for I speak to those who know the law), that the law has dominion over a man as long as he lives? 2 For the woman who has a husband is bound by the law to her husband as long as he lives. But if the husband dies, she is released from the law of her husband. 3 So then if, while her husband lives, she marries another man, she will be called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from that law, so that she is no adulteress, though she has married another man.

1 Corinthians 7:39 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 Yahweh. 

These verses are used by some to support the notion that once two people are joined together as one flesh (believer or not), there is to be no divorce at all. But Paul is speaking of marriages between two believers in Yahweh that produce a seed of Elohim. He specifically says, "I speak to those who know the Torah". Since marriages between believers and rebellious unbelievers are forbidden in the Torah, a pagan woman would not be "bound by the Torah" to her husband. Rather, a man would be forbidden from marrying such a woman in the first place. And in fact, they divorced such women in Ezra/Nehemiah. The word translated "bound" in the above verses is also translated "bound" in this scripture:

1 Corinthians 7:27 Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be loosed. Are you loosed from a wife? Do not seek a wife. 

Consistent with the Paul's counsel that we remain in the same calling in which we are called, he mentions the possibility that a man can be either bound or loosed from a wife. Since he couldn't have been talking about dead men remaining unmarried, there would obviously be instances where a man could be loosed from his wife. 

So Paul would be speaking in the context of marriages between believers. In those cases it is true that a woman cannot divorce and marry another without committing adultery. He would not be speaking of marriages that are transgressions the Torah to begin with. So Romans 7 and 1Corinthians 7:39 would be speaking in the context of marriage the way it was intended in Genesis 1 & 2: a man and woman to coming together as "one flesh" to "be fruitful and multiply" a seed of Elohim. 

Let's now examine the possibility that Yahushua was only talking about divorces which occur during the betrothal period when He made the exception in Matthew 19:9 and 5:32. Those that hold this view believe the only valid divorces are those which occur prior to a couple coming together as "one flesh" through intercourse. In other words, the only valid divorces are between two people who were betrothed but never had physical relations with one another. To this one might wonder, how could they even be considered married if they haven't come together as "one flesh?" Well, in Israel two "betrothed" persons were considered by everyone to be husband and wife from the day they were betrothed (engaged) to be married. This is quite different than what is commonly practiced today. Today, the promises are exchanged at the wedding. In Israel, the promises are made at the beginning of the betrothal or engagement period. The actual wedding night with the couple coming together as 'one flesh' may not take place for months, or even a year after the betrothal was initiated. So the formal marriage agreement and contract was initiated at the beginning of the engagement. This fact is evidenced in a number of scriptures.  For example:

Deuteronomy 22:23-24 If a young woman who is a virgin is betrothed to a husband, and a man finds her in the city and lies with her, 24 "then you shall bring them both out to the gate of that city, and you shall stone them to death with stones, the young woman because she did not cry out in the city, and the man because he humbled his neighbor's wife; so you shall put away the evil from among you. 

Yahweh considered the virgin in this instance to be "his neighbors wife". So even in Yahweh's eyes, two betrothed persons are husband and wife before the marriage is consummated on the wedding night. Anciently, betrothal was so binding that it took a divorce to separate it:

Matthew 1:18-19 Now the birth of Yahushua Messiah was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. 19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. 

Notice that Joseph was called "a just man", yet was minded to divorce his wife during this betrothal period because of what others might perceive as unfaithfulness. This demonstrates the binding nature of a betrothal. For this reason, some believe this is an example of a legitimate divorce in Yahweh's eyes. I would have to agree that it is a legitimate divorce since Joseph is indeed called "a just man" and this scenario does not violate Yahushua's statement that "what Elohim has joined together (as one flesh), let not man separate". They are not yet "one flesh", so no separation of "one flesh" is taking place. For this reason, some assume the "divorce" Yahushua was speaking of in Matthew 19:9 must be speaking of divorces which occur prior to the time the couple comes together physically to become 'one flesh'.

However, is this really what Yahushua was talking about when he mentions the exception? Let's try to put this exception into the text and see what we come up with. Please give careful attention to this and please keep in mind that the basis for their belief is that we should not separate what "Elohim has joined together" as "one flesh".

Matthew 19:9 And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, (...except for porneia), and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery."

Since those who hold this view are limiting the 'porneia' to the betrothal period, when Yahushua says "whoever divorces his wife" He would have to be talking about a betrothed wife rather than a wife that you had become "one flesh" with. This being the case, the entire statement must be read as a statement which only applies to the betrothal period. Therefore, Yahushua would be saying "whoever divorces his betrothed wife, except for "porneia", and marries another, commits adultery." In other words, if a man betrothed himself to a wife and he broke off the betrothal for any reason other than "porneia", both he and his betrothed would be committing adultery if they ever married anyone else! But how could this be the case since he was never 'one flesh' with her to begin with? If he divorced her for reasons other than 'porneia' before he became 'one flesh' with her, and she married someone else and became 'one flesh' with them, how is that a violation of Yahushua's statement "What Elohim has joined together (as one flesh), let no man separate?" It doesn't really make any sense.

So I find it hard to believe that Yahushua was talking about the betrothal period alone when He said "except it be for porneia/zenuth". He was not talking about divorces which occur during the betrothal period because the context of the Pharisees' question was marriages that had already been consummated. A person can remarry after divorcing their betrothed spouse for ANY REASON, not just porneia. There is no logical reason otherwise because they never became "one flesh." A marriage isn't "one flesh" until it is consummated through intercourse. It makes no sense to allow divorces only during the betrothal period for reasons of "porneia" and then condemn remarriages as adultery. That would not a separation of a "one flesh" marriage. Those who hold this view believe that Yahushua could only be speaking of divorces which occur during the betrothal period because they say that is only kind of divorce which would not violate Yahushua's statement "What Elohim has joined together (as one flesh), let not man separate." But this theory does not make any sense because someone could divorce his betrothed for any reason and still not separate a 'one flesh' relationship. 

So what actually constitutes a marriage? Let's examine:

Malachi 2:13-14 And this is the second thing you do: You cover the altar of Yahweh with tears, With weeping and crying; So He does not regard the offering anymore, Nor receive it with goodwill from your hands. 14 Yet you say, "For what reason?" Because Yahweh has been witness Between you and the wife of your youth, With whom you have dealt treacherously; Yet she is your companion And your wife by covenant. 15 But did He not make them one, Having a remnant of the Spirit? And why one? He seeks elohimly offspring. Therefore take heed to your spirit, And let none deal treacherously with the wife of his youth. 16 "For Yahweh Elohim of Israel says That He hates divorce, For it covers one's garment with violence," Says Yahweh of hosts. "Therefore take heed to your spirit, That you do not deal treacherously." 

Notice that it says she is "your wife by covenant." When a man and woman of Yahweh decide that they want to get married, they are considered to be husband and wife whenever they make their covenant with one another to be husband and wife. Consider the example of Isaac and Rebekah:

Genesis 24:67 Then Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah's tent; and he took Rebekah and she became his wife, and he loved her. So Isaac was comforted after his mother's death. 

In the above case, Abraham and Yahweh chose a wife for Isaac and this is obviously something that Isaac had agreed to as well. Rebekah had already agreed to it and showed her agreement by coming with Abraham's servant. All that was needed was an agreement to be husband and wife, which was then consummated when they became one flesh. No ceremony was needed and no formal wedding. Only an agreement (covenant) to be husband and wife is needed, which is then sealed when they become one flesh. 

Today, the marriage covenant with its commitments are made at the wedding, and this is when they are pronounced "husband and wife." The marriage is then sealed when they become "one flesh". In Yahweh's eyes, it requires no involvement from any governmental entity. The marriage is not a covenant between a man, woman and some government. Rather, it is a covenant between a man and woman with Elohim joining them together as one flesh. If a couple has intercourse before the covenant is made, it would be considered a sin (fornication) until they made the covenant/agreement at the wedding. A good test for whether two people are really married is to ask them, "Do you call her your wife?" and "Do you call him your husband?". This usually answers the question.

The other view which is quite popular today is the belief that Yahushua was speaking of adultery when making the exception which allows for divorce and remarriage. In today's adulterous generation, it should be no surprise that this is popular. However, if we closely examine what Yahushua is saying we'll find that in actual application it either results in moral debauchery in the assembly, or in Yahushua contradicting Himself. Let me explain with a scenario that will illustrate this, but first lets quote the passage for reference, this time inserting the exception of adultery into the text:

Matthew 19:9 And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for [adultery], and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery."

Matthew 5:32 "But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except [adultery] causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery. 

With these scriptures in mind, please pay close and careful attention to the following scenario. This scenario assumes adultery alone is legitimate grounds for divorce and remarriage: 

Suppose two believers were married, and the man decided to divorce his wife and marry another woman just because he found a prettier woman than she. This alone would not be legitimate grounds for divorce since no adultery was committed by the wife. Therefore, Yahweh would not honor the divorce on the part of the man and would consider his new marriage to be an adulterous marriage. The entire reason the new marriage is an adulterous marriage is because Yahweh did not honor the divorce with his first wife. He is still "one flesh" with the original wife. Now because Yahweh did not honor the divorce and they are still considered "one flesh", this also would prevent the woman from being able to remarry. For this reason Yahushua says, "whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery." Now if Yahushua's exception for divorce and remarriage was really adultery, then it seems to me He would be contradicting Himself. Why? Because if the man is over there committing adultery in this second marriage, why couldn't she marry anyone else? Isn't he committing adultery? And in fact, since the man is committing adultery, why wouldn't that cancel his first marriage and enable him to continue in that remarriage to the prettier woman? You can't have it as adultery for the one and not adultery for the other. Either the marriage is no longer "one flesh" or it is still "one flesh". Either Yahweh honors the divorce or He doesn't. 

When presenting this scenario to those who accept adultery as legitimate grounds for divorce, I was met with a potential solution to this problem. It was suggested that when a man divorced his wife for the reason mentioned above, in his new marriage he did indeed commit adultery the FIRST TIME he went to bed with his new 'wife'. But because he committed adultery, Yahweh honored the divorce he made with his first wife and he could continue having physical relations with his new wife without committing adultery. Then his first wife (whom he divorced) could also find a new husband since he committed adultery that one time. 

But with this rather bizarre interpretation, anyone could divorce and remarry FOR ANY REASON and the adultery they committed with their new wife cancelled the previous marriage, and their adultery is no longer adultery. How can having physical relations with a woman be adultery the first time, but not adultery each time after that? Is this really what Yahushua meant? What would prevent people from just swapping wives? For instance, suppose brother Sam and sister Sue get divorced for any old reason, then brother Jack and sister Jane get divorced for any old reason. Sam could marry Jack's wife, then Jack would be free to marry Sam's wife! Since Sam and Jane's adultery against their spouses frees them to remain married, their former spouses could marry one another without committing adultery at all! Sure, that first act would be adultery, but that's easy to repent of.. just repent for that one act of adultery and continue the relationship! Surely wife swapping in the body of Messiah is more severe sin than that one act of adultery between Sam and Jane! 

Obviously, this would be moral debauchery in the assembly that results in very confused and very very hurt children in the assembly. How could we explain to Jack's children that "sister Sue" is their new mommy and their real mommy ("Sister Jane"), seated 2 rows back, is married to "sister Sue's" old husband, "brother Sam?" This kind of wicked moral standard would be a horrible witness to our children, not to mention the community. Sadly, such is the case in some churches and congregations today! And to think that such marriages could ever in a million years be considered by Yahweh to be "honorable among all" and the bed "undefiled?" Could Yahweh ever really honor such marriages? 

Hebrews 13:4 Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers Elohim will judge.

But wife swapping would be authorized by Yahushua Himself if you understand adultery alone to be one of the 'physical porneia' exceptions. It just doesn't make any sense. How would such a moral standard be much different than what the heathen do? The marriage bed is to be undefiled by fornication and adultery. Even in the Torah, a woman who remarried after a divorce was called "defiled":

Deuteronomy 24:1-4 "When a man takes a wife and marries her, and it happens that she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some uncleanness in her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce, puts it in her hand, and sends her out of his house, 2 "when she has departed from his house, and goes and becomes another man's wife, 3 "if the latter husband detests her and writes her a certificate of divorce, puts it in her hand, and sends her out of his house, or if the latter husband dies who took her as his wife, 4 "then her former husband who divorced her must not take her back to be his wife after she has been defiled; for that is an abomination before Yahweh, and you shall not bring sin on the land which Yahweh your Elohim is giving you as an inheritance. 

He cannot remarry her after "she has been defiled." In scripture, the act of adultery itself is considered to be a defiling act:

Numbers 5:12-14 Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: 'If any man's wife goes astray and behaves unfaithfully toward him, 13 'and a man lies with her carnally, and it is hidden from the eyes of her husband, and it is concealed that she has defiled herself, and there was no witness against her, nor was she caught -- 14 'if the spirit of jealousy comes upon him and he becomes jealous of his wife, who has defiled herself; or if the spirit of jealousy comes upon him and he becomes jealous of his wife, although she has not defiled herself -- 

So this may very well be why Yahushua said whoever who divorces his wife causes her to commit adultery:

Matthew 5:32 "But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery. 

So what actually should be done if adultery is committed?

If adultery is ever committed by an unbeliever, Paul said Yahushua never commanded a believer to remain married to an unbeliever. Marriages between believers and unbelievers are forbidden in the Torah and are not part of Yahweh's plan from the beginning. Therefore, if an unbelieving spouse chooses to commit adultery, it is not a sin to divorce them. In fact, it is not a sin to divorce them for any reason if they are truly an unbeliever. 

This being the case, the only time adultery even becomes an issue is when adultery is committed by a believer who is married to another believer. Of course, adultery is never supposed to be a problem in marriages between two believers. If it is a problem, this is not a good sign that the offender is truly a believer. The offender certainly can be a believer (for even King David fell in this sin), but it is not supposed to be a problem among us.  

However, in today's sex charged and horribly immoral society where the world's largest collection of pornography is only a few clicks away on the internet, there will sometimes be cases when even a believer can get caught up the sin of adultery. King David's sin began with his eyes. In this wicked and adulterous generation, satan has no shortage of willing servants to tempt men with their eyes. For while men do sin, it is satan and those who imitate satan that tempt men to actually want to do the sin. This is why believers should be wearing modest clothing that draws no attention at all to the parts of our body which are only intended for our spouse to see. We surely don't want to be imitating satan by being a source of temptation for anyone! Those that offend are called tares among the wheat:

Matthew 13:40-42 Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age. 41 "The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, 42 "and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.  

On the internet, believers need to be on guard continually and I encourage everyone to be accountable to one another in this area. Women who spend a lot of time on the internet are also vulnerable to getting into involved relationships with men other than their husband. This ultimately leads to adultery. Many marriages have fallen because of this very snare. Computer screens should be in an active room and in full view of anyone in the house. Husbands and wives should have no problem being accountable for any time spent away from their families. 

So if a believer commits adultery against their believing spouse, what should be done? I find it interesting that in the chapter just before Matthew 19 where divorce is forbidden between believers, Yahushua talks about the danger of offending little children, the need for us to become like little children to enter the kingdom of Yahweh, and how we ought to be willing to even pluck out our eyes and cut off our hand or foot if those members of our body cause us to sin. Let's read:

Matthew 18:1 At that time the disciples came to Yahushua, saying, "Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" 2 Then Yahushua called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, 3 and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 "Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 "Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me. 6 " But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea. 7 "Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes! 8 "If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life lame or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the everlasting fire. 9 "And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire. 10 " Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven. 

Yahushua warns us of the danger of offending the humble little ones that believe in Him. Children born to parents who believe in Yahweh should be just that. Indeed, we all should be as humble little children. If a parent who believes in Yahweh commits adultery or divorces their spouse, it is obviously a major stumbling block to the children. Yahushua warned us about causing them to sin and the dangers of being a stumbling block to them. When King David committed adultery, his children also stumbled. His firstborn Amnon fell into sexual sin by committing incest with his sister (2 Samuel 13). David's third son Absalom committed adultery and incest by lying with David's concubines (2 Samuel 16:22). And we all know that Solomon had a problem with women that ultimately resulted in him committing idolatry as well. The bad example David set in his own household affected everyone, but especially his sons. It is these kinds of dangers that Yahushua is warning us about. In fact, Yahushua made the same statements about plucking out your eye and your hand if necessary if it causes you to sin when He spoke of adultery in Matthew 5:

Matthew 5:27-32 You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not commit adultery.' 28 "But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 "If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. 30 "And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. 31 " Furthermore it has been said, 'Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.' 32 "But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery. 

Can we see the connection? When Yahushua spoke of the dangers of committing adultery in our hearts, He also gave similar admonition about cutting of our hand or eye if it causes us to sin. He is telling us how very important it is to avoid sin, and adultery in particular. He gives us two ways of how adultery was being committed in that very generation:

1) Through ignoring the 10th com