Who Said Anything About Adultery?

Many people believe that Matthew 5:32 and Matthew 19:9 gives permission to divorce if a partner has committed adultery. However, I do not believe that is what Jesus said at all. If you are just joining this discussion, I encourage you to start at the beginning:

Introduction
Context of Matthew 5
Context of Parallel Passages
Did Matthew Add Words to Jesus?
Why our discipleship for someone considering divorce and someone already divorced must be different.

Judging by comments on the blog already, I have not made an adequate case that the “exceptions” in Matthew are largely misunderstood by the church. I do not believe the previous evidence makes it an open and shut case either, but believe it should at least drive us to the text to look carefully. (At this point, the direction I’ve received from my father begins to merge with a helpful article I read from John Piper…to form a duo that should frighten any contrarian!) :)

Watch words carefully.

A Paraphrase of the Typical Understanding of the Passages

but I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except for the reason of adultery, makes her commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery—Matthew 5:32

And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for cheating on him, and marries another woman commits adultery.

NASB Translation (with key Greek transliterations inserted)

but I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except for the reason of unchastity (porneia), makes her commit adultery (moichao); and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery (moichao).—Matthew 5:32

And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for immorality (porneia), and marries another woman commits adultery (moicheuo).—Matthew 19:9

Matthew carefully chose his words (and the Spirit oversaw them) as he translated to the Greek. Before we dig deeper into the word meanings (which we will), it is important to realize that Matthew was obviously aware of the word for adultery (moicheuo), yet chose not to use it in the “exceptions.” Some would argue that Matthew merely saw them as synonyms. However, Matthew 15:19 says,

"For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries (moicheuo), fornications (porneia), thefts, false witness, slanders.

In this passage, Matthew (translating Jesus’ teaching to Greek) lists seven different sins. Are we to assume that Matthew listed five separate sins and two synonyms?

Matthew did not list “moicheuo” in his exception. He chose a different word, and we’ll look closer at those words next.