Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Mark 10:3

"And he answered and said unto them, What did Moses command you?" — Mark 10:3 (ASV)

Jesus, as he often did when in controversy with the Jewish religious leaders, countered with a question of his own. Moses was their authority—what did he say? Jesus knew they would appeal to Moses. They admitted that a man could divorce his wife, but only after giving her a certificate of divorce, making the transaction permanent and legal.