Matthew Chapters 1-8

Divorce and Adultery

“But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery” (Matthew 5:32).

 

I have issues with this verse because the responsibility and consequences of divorce are put on the woman. For example, what if a man decides to leave his wife for another woman? According to Matthew 5:32, if the new woman that he is marrying is not divorced herself then it’s not adultery, but if the woman who was left behind want to move forward and get married again is an adulteress. Also, what if the woman is the one to be cheated on? Must she stay in the marriage or is she free to leave without the label of adulteress if she decides to marry again? The text says that “whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication,” indicating that only the man gets to decide if the marriage shall end based on his wife’s infidelity. There is no mention of the possibility for a woman to leave her husband for his infidelity. It can be argued that there is responsibility placed on the man when the text says “and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery,” but even then the responsibility is still on the woman. The woman’s divorce causes the man to be an adulterer. It is clear that the responsibility is on the woman because there is no mention of a consequence for the man that is not derived from something the woman caused. The man is only an adulterer for marrying a divorced woman but not for being a divorced man that marries again. Similarly, a divorced man is not “causeth to commit adultery” as a woman is. By not clearly defining that neither man nor woman can divorce without becoming adulterers, the text is unclear on what the actual rules are and allows for men to find loopholes and treat women as their property rather than fellow human beings.