Deuteronomy 24:3

Verse

and the second man hates her, writes her a certificate of divorce, hands it to her, and sends her away from his house, or if he dies,

American Standard Version (1901)

And if the latter husband hate her, and write her a bill of divorcement, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house; or if the latter husband die, who took her to be his wife;

Bible in Basic English

And if the second husband has no love for her and, giving her a statement in writing, sends her away; or if death comes to the second husband to whom she was married;

Douay-Rheims 1899

And he also hateth her, and hath given her a bill of divorce, and hath sent her out of his house or is dead:

Free Bible Version

and suppose the second man also ends up hating her, writes out a certificate of divorce for her, gives it to her, and sends her out of his house—or he may happen to die.

Geneva Bible 1599

And if the latter husband hate her, and write her a letter of diuorcement, and put it in her hand, and send her out of his house, or if the latter man die which tooke her to wife:

King James (Authorized) Version

And if the latter husband hate her, and write her a bill of divorcement, and giveth it in her hand, and sendeth her out of his house; or if the latter husband die, which took her to be his wife;

One Unity Resource Bible

If the latter husband hates her, and write her a bill of divorce, and puts it in her hand, and sends her out of his house; or if the latter husband die, who took her to be his wife;

Translation for Translators

and that man later also decides that he does not like her, and he also writes on paper that he is divorcing her, and he sends her away from his house. Or, suppose that the second husband dies.

Unlocked Literal Bible

If the second husband hates her and writes her a certificate of divorce, puts it into her hand, and sends her out of his house; or if the second husband dies, the man who took her to be his wife—

Noah Webster Bible

And if the latter husband shall hate her, and write her a bill of divorcement, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house; or if the latter husband shall die, who took her to be his wife;

World English Bible

If the latter husband hates her, and writes her a certificate of divorce, puts it in her hand, and sends her out of his house; or if the latter husband dies, who took her to be his wife;

Young's Literal Translation

and the latter man hath hated her, and written for her a writing of divorce, and given [it] into her hand, and sent her out of his house, or when the latter man dieth, who hath taken her to himself for a wife:

Context

Marriage and Divorce Laws

²If, after leaving his house, she goes and becomes another man’s wife,³and the second man hates her, writes her a certificate of divorce, hands it to her, and sends her away from his house, or if he dies,⁴then the husband who divorced her first may not remarry her after she has been defiled, for that is an abomination to the LORD. You must not bring sin upon the land that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance.

Summary

This verse in Deuteronomy addresses the practice of divorce in ancient Israel, emphasizing the importance of issuing a certificate of divorce to the wife when a man decides to send her away. By requiring this certificate, the woman is legally freed from the marriage bond and can remarry without being considered an adulteress. This command reflects God's concern for justice and protection of vulnerable individuals, ensuring that divorced women are not left in a state of limbo but have the opportunity to move forward with their lives within the bounds of the law.

Commentary

John Gill

John Gill Bible Commentary

And if the latter husband hate her,.... Or less loves her than another woman, and she is disliked by him as she was by her former husband: and write her a bill off divorcement, and giveth it into her hand, and sendeth her out of his house: as he had by this law a permission, in like manner as her former husband had; See Gill on Deu 24:1, or if her latter husband die, which took her to be his wife; and she survives him; as she is then by death loosed from the law of an husband, she may lawfully marry another man, but not her former husband, as follows.