Ver. 2. And the: Pharisees came unto him , etc..] As they every where did; not to be instructed by him, but to ensnare him; and asked him, is it lawful for a man to put away his wife ? that is, as Matthew adds, for every cause, (see Gill on Matthew 19:3): for, a divorce might be lawfully made for a cause, or reason, namely, adultery, but not for any, or every cause; which is the sense of this question of the Pharisees; and, which they put, not for information, but tempting him ; trying to entangle him by opposing the authority of Moses, should he deny the lawfulness of divorces, or by objecting his former doctrine, ( Matthew 5:32), and so expose him as an inconsistent preacher, should he allow them to be lawful for every reason. This clause is placed in the Syriac, Arabic, and Persic versions before the question.
Verses 1-12 - Wherever Jesus was, the people flocked after him in crowds, and he taught them. Preaching was Christ's constant practice. He here show that the reason why Moses' law allowed divorce, was such that the ought not to use the permission; it was only for the hardness of their hearts. God himself joined man and wife together; he has fitted them to be comforts and helps for each other. The bond which God has tied, is not to be lightly untied. Let those who are for putting away their wives consider what would become of themselves, if God should deal with them in like manner.
10:2 {Tempting him} (peirazontes). As soon as Jesus appears in Galilee the Pharisees attack him again (cf. #7:5; 8:11). Gould thinks that this is a test, not a temptation. The word means either (see on Mt 4:1), but their motive was evil. They had once involved the Baptist with Herod Antipas and Herodias on this subject. They may have some such hopes about Jesus, or their purpose may have been to see if Jesus will be stricter than Moses taught. They knew that he had already spoken in Galilee on the subject (#Mt 5:31f.).
