Matthew 5:31 (GNV)

Passage

It hath bene sayd also, Whosoeuer shall put away his wife, let him giue her a bill of diuorcement.

Nearby Context

Matthew 5:29 Wherefore if thy right eye cause thee to offend, plucke it out, and cast it from thee: for better it is for thee, that one of thy members perish, then that thy whole body should be cast into hell.

Matthew 5:30 Also if thy right hand make thee to offend, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for better it is for thee that one of thy members perish, then that thy whole body should be cast into hell.

Matthew 5:31 It hath bene sayd also, Whosoeuer shall put away his wife, let him giue her a bill of diuorcement.

Matthew 5:32 But I say vnto you, whosoeuer shall put away his wife (except it be for fornication) causeth her to commit adulterie: and whosoeuer shall marrie her that is diuorced, committeth adulterie.

Matthew 5:33 Againe, ye haue heard that it was sayd to them of old time, Thou shalt not forsweare thy selfe, but shalt performe thine othes to the Lord.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "hath", "bene", "sayd", "whosoeuer", "shall", "away", "wife", and "giue". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "hath" and "bene", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 30's "Also if thy right hand make thee..." into verse 32's "But I say vnto you whosoeuer shall...", so "hath" and "bene" 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 "hath" and "bene" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.