A divorced woman was forbidden to remarry her first husband after being married to another man because doing so would defile the land and violate the sanctity of marriage. This law guarded against casual divorce and remarriage, treating marriage as a permanent covenant, not a reversible arrangement.
“Her former husband who divorced her must not take her back to be his wife after she has been defiled; for that is an abomination before the Lord, and you shall not bring sin on the land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance.” (Deuteronomy 24:4)
The law emphasized that marriage should not be treated lightly or manipulated for convenience. Once the woman entered into a new covenant with another man, the bond with her first husband was permanently broken. To return to the first husband after another marriage would trivialize the seriousness of marital vows and defile the sacred institution God established.
This command also protected women from being used or passed around between men. It brought accountability to the husband who chose to divorce and prevented him from reclaiming the woman only after she had been with another.
Jesus referred to this passage in His teaching on divorce (Matthew 19), affirming that marriage was intended to be permanent from the beginning. The principle remains: God calls His people to honor the marriage covenant with purity, permanence, and reverence.
