Matius 19:3

19:3 Then some Pharisees ¹  came to him in order to test him. They asked, “Is it lawful ²  to divorce a wife for any cause?” ³ 

Matius 22:15-16

Paying Taxes to Caesar

22:15 Then the Pharisees ⁴  went out and planned together to entrap him with his own words. ⁵  22:16 They sent to him their disciples along with the Herodians, ⁶  saying, “Teacher, we know that you are truthful, and teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. ⁷  You do not court anyone’s favor because you show no partiality. ⁸ 

Matius 22:35

22:35 And one of them, an expert in religious law, ⁹  asked him a question to test ¹⁰  him:

[19:3]  ¹ tn Grk “And Pharisees.”

[19:3]  sn See the note on Pharisees in 3:7.

[19:3]  ² tc ‡ Most mss have either ἀνθρώπῳ (anqrwpw, “for a man” [so א² C D W Θ 087 Ë^1,13 33 Ï latt]) or ἀνδρί (andri, “for a husband” [1424^c pc]) before the infinitive ἀπολῦσαι (apolusai, “to divorce”). The latter reading is an assimilation to the parallel in Mark; the former reading may have been motivated by the clarification needed (especially to give the following αὐτοῦ [autou, “his”] an antecedent). But a few significant mss (א* B L Γ 579 [700] 1424* pc) have neither noun. As the harder reading, it seems to best explain the rise of the others. NA²⁷, however, reads ἀνθρώπῳ here.

[19:3]  ³ sn The question of the Pharisees was anything but sincere; they were asking it to test him. Jesus was now in the jurisdiction of Herod Antipas (i.e., Judea and beyond the Jordan) and it is likely that the Pharisees were hoping he might answer the question of divorce in a way similar to John the Baptist and so suffer the same fate as John, i.e., death at the hands of Herod (cf. 14:1-12). Jesus answered the question not on the basis of rabbinic custom and the debate over Deut 24:1, but rather from the account of creation and God’s original design.

[22:15]  ⁴ sn See the note on Pharisees in 3:7.

[22:15]  ⁵ tn Grk “trap him in word.”

[22:16]  ⁶ sn The Herodians are mentioned in the NT only once in Matt (22:16 = Mark 12:13) and twice in Mark (3:6; 12:13; some mss also read “Herodians” instead of “Herod” in Mark 8:15). It is generally assumed that as a group the Herodians were Jewish supporters of the Herodian dynasty (or of Herod Antipas in particular). In every instance they are linked with the Pharisees. This probably reflects agreement regarding political objectives (nationalism as opposed to submission to the yoke of Roman oppression) rather than philosophy or religious beliefs.

[22:16]  ⁷ sn Teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Very few comments are as deceitful as this one; they did not really believe this at all. The question of the Pharisees and Herodians was specifically designed to trap Jesus.

[22:16]  ⁸ tn Grk “And it is not a concern to you about anyone because you do not see the face of men.”

[22:35]  ⁹ tn Traditionally, “a lawyer.” This was an expert in the interpretation of the Mosaic law.

[22:35]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “testing.” The participle, however, is telic in force.