Mark 10:4 (ASV)

Passage

And they said, Moses suffered to write a bill of divorcement, and to put her away.

Nearby Context

Mark 10:2 And there came unto him Pharisees, and asked him, Is it lawful for a man to put away [his] wife? trying him.

Mark 10:3 And he answered and said unto them, What did Moses command you?

Mark 10:4 And they said, Moses suffered to write a bill of divorcement, and to put her away.

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

Mark 10:6 But from the beginning of the creation, Male and female made he them.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "said", "moses", "suffered", "write", "bill", "divorcement", and "away". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "said" and "moses", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 3's "And he answered and said unto them..." into verse 5's "But Jesus said unto them For your...", so "said" and "moses" belong inside that flow. In Mark context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "said" and "moses" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.