Bible Commentaries

When 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: ^a then let him write her a bill of divorcement, and give [it] in her hand, and send her out of his house.

(a) By this God does not approve light divorcement, but permits it to avoid further inconvenience; (Matthew 19:7).

Her former husband, which sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife, after that she is ^b 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.

(b) Seeing that by divorcing her he judged her to be unclean and defiled.

When a man hath taken a new wife, he shall not go out to war, ^c 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.

(c) That they might learn to know one another's conditions, and so afterward live in godly peace.

No man shall take the nether or the upper ^d millstone to pledge: for he taketh [a man's] life to pledge.

(d) Not anything by which a man gets his living.

When thou dost lend thy brother any thing, thou shalt not go ^e into his house to fetch his pledge.

(e) As though you would appoint what to have, but shall receive what be may spare.

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 ^f before the LORD thy God.

(f) Though he would be unthankful, yet God will not forget it.

Thou shalt not pervert the judgment of the ^g stranger, [nor] of the fatherless; nor take a widow's raiment to pledge:

(g) Because the world valued these people least, therefore God has most care over them.

And thou shalt remember that thou wast ^h a bondman in the land of Egypt: therefore I command thee to do this thing.

(h) God judged them not mindful of his beasts, unless they were beneficial to others.