What is the meaning of Deuteronomy 24:4? No return to first husband “then the husband who divorced her first may not remarry her after she has been defiled” (Deuteronomy 24:4a) • God forbids the original husband from taking his wife back once she has married another man. • This protects marriage from becoming a casual, revolving-door arrangement (compare Deuteronomy 24:1-3; Matthew 19:6). • “Defiled” points to the sexual union with the second husband; the bond of one-flesh has shifted (1 Corinthians 6:16; Genesis 2:24). • Jeremiah 3:1 shows God echoing this law when confronting Israel’s unfaithfulness: “If a man divorces his wife and she leaves him to marry another, may he return to her again? Would not such a land be utterly defiled?” • By making the first divorce final, the law protects the woman from being traded back and forth like property and urges the man to think twice before ending the covenant (Malachi 2:16). Why God calls it an abomination “for that is an abomination to the LORD” (Deuteronomy 24:4b) • “Abomination” signals moral outrage, the same word used for idolatry (Deuteronomy 7:25-26). • Remarrying her would trivialize covenant vows and blur the line between faithfulness and adultery (Proverbs 6:32; Matthew 19:9). • The holy character of God demands that marriage mirrors His steadfast, exclusive love (Ephesians 5:25-27). • Like the forbidden mixtures in Leviticus 18:24-29, this practice violates the created order and contaminates the worshiping community. Protecting the land from sin “You must not bring sin upon the land that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance” (Deuteronomy 24:4c) • Sin is never merely private; it defiles the very soil of the covenant land (Numbers 35:34; Leviticus 18:25). • Israel’s possession of Canaan is a gift and a stewardship; moral corruption threatens that gift (Deuteronomy 28:15-68). • By outlawing this remarriage, God preserves social stability, family integrity, and the spiritual atmosphere necessary for His presence among the people (Deuteronomy 23:14). • The principle still warns believers today: unrepentant sexual sin pollutes homes, churches, and nations (1 Corinthians 5:6-8). Summary Deuteronomy 24:4 prohibits a first husband from remarrying his former wife after she has been married to another man. God labels such a reunion “an abomination” because it treats marriage lightly, confuses covenant faithfulness, and undermines community holiness. The restriction also shields the land from the collective consequences of personal sin, urging God’s people to honor marital vows and guard the inheritance He entrusts to them. |
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