Matthew 5:31 (DBY)

Passage

It has been said too, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a letter of divorce.

Nearby Context

Matthew 5:29 But if thy right eye be a snare to thee, pluck it out and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members perish, and not thy whole body be cast into hell.

Matthew 5:30 And if thy right hand be a snare to thee, cut it off and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members perish, and not thy whole body be cast into hell.

Matthew 5:31 It has been said too, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a letter of divorce.

Matthew 5:32 But *I* say unto you, that whosoever shall put away his wife, except for cause of fornication, makes her commit adultery, and whosoever marries one that is put away commits adultery.

Matthew 5:33 Again, ye have heard that it has been said to the ancients, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt render to the Lord what thou hast sworn.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "been", "said", "whosoever", "shall", "away", "wife", "give", and "letter". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "been" and "said", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 30's "And if thy right hand be a..." into verse 32's "But I say unto you that whosoever...", so "been" and "said" belong inside that flow. In Matthew context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

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