Matthew 19:9

Matthew 19:9. And I say unto you. Spoken in the house (Mark 10:10-11).

Except for fornication. This one ground for divorce, mentioned as a matter of course, makes no exception to the rule laid down in Matthew 19:5-6; this offence is in direct antagonism to the idea of marriage. The Church of Rome denies the validity even of this ground. All sins of unchastity are sins against the marriage tie (comp. chap. Matthew 5:27-32), loosening it in spirit, but this act of sin is the only ground for dissolving it in form. The woman referred to is one divorced on improper grounds. Divorce laws should be framed in the light of Matthew 19:8; not to facilitate, but to regulate, a matter arising solely from the sinfulness of mankind. The elevation of women from a condition of slavery has been the result of Christ's teaching in regard to marriage; yet some women, thus elevated, have advocated divorce ‘for any cause.'