Mark 10:5

New Testament Gospel ASV (1901)

What does Mark 10:5 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “But Jesus said unto them, For your hardness of heart he wrote you this commandment.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

But Jesus said unto them, For your hardness of heart he wrote you this commandment.
Mark 10:5 — American Standard Version

Context — Mark 10

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
5But Jesus said unto them, For your hardness of heart he wrote you this commandment.

What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“And Jesus answered and said unto them, etc..] With respect to this command, or sufferance of Moses, which they urged: for the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept; it was, not because it was right in its own nature, or according to the original will of God; but, because the Jews were such cruel, and hard hearted men, that if this had not been permitted, some of them, that had wives not so agreeable to them, would have used them in a very inhuman manner, if not murdered them; and therefore to prevent further, and greater mischief, Moses indulged them with such a precept; (see Gill on “<401908>Matthew 19:8”).”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“See this question about divorce explained in the notes at Matthew 19:1-12. Mark 10:12 And if a woman shall put away her husband - It would seem, from this, that a woman, among the Jews, had the power of separating herself from her husband, yet this right is not given her by the law of Moses. There is not, however, any positive evidence that females often claimed or exercised this right. Cases had occurred, indeed, in which it had been done. The wife of Herod had rejected her former husband and married Herod. And though instances of this kind “might” have been attempted to be defended by the example of Pagans, yet our Saviour was desirous of showing them that it did not free them from the…”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“10:5-9 God permitted divorce as a concession to the hard hearts of the people. But God’s will is more aptly expressed in the passages that Jesus quotes from the law of Moses (Gen 1:27; 2:23-24; see also Mal 2:16). Jesus shows that God delights in marriage, which is the creation of a new union in which two become one. No one should rebel against God’s will by seeking to split apart what God has united.”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“For: Deu 9:6, Deu 31:27; Neh 9:16, Neh 9:17, Neh 9:26; Mat 19:8; Act 7:51; Heb 3:7-10 Mark 10:6”
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Related study paths

Sources and verification