Charles Spurgeon Commentary Matthew 19:3

"And there came unto him Pharisees, trying him, and saying, Is it lawful [for a man] to put away his wife for every cause?" — Matthew 19:3 (ASV)

Here are these vipers again! What perseverance in malice! Little did they care for instruction, yet they assumed the air of inquirers. In truth, they were seeking to trap Him and were ready to dispute with Him whatever He might say.

The question is cunningly worded: “Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?” The looser the terms of a question, the more likely it is to entangle the person interrogated. Their own consciences might have told them that the marriage bond is not to be severed for any and every reason that a man likes to mention. Yet it was a question much disputed at the time, whether a man could send away his wife as he pleased or whether there must be some serious reason given. Whatever Jesus might say, the Pharisees meant to use His verdict against Him.