Exception Phrase: Female Promiscuity Prevents A Legitimate Marriage

Both texts, the English (KJV, Mt. 19.9) and the Greek (Westcott and Hort, Mt. 19.9), due to my perception and understanding of the exception phrase, “except it be for fornication” (KJV, Mt.19.9), imply a promiscuous woman can’t establish a legitimate and binding marriage. If she were not unchaste, according to my view of the Greek phrase, “ma' epi' pornei'ai” (Westcott and Hort, Mt. 19.9), and my transliteration and translation, “except for immorality”, the male would be guilty of adultery.

Besides that issue, it seems the KJV text refers to a marriage with a divorcee, “whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery” (KJV, Mt. 19.9), whereas the Greek, Mt 19:9 text according to my perception, transliteration and translation refers to “another” woman—“a'llan” (Westcott and Hort, Mt. 19.9), a woman not necessarily a divorcee (Westcott and Hort, Mt. 19.9). See Mark 10:11 in the KJV.

Nevertheless, the KJV text generally agrees as to whoever should marry “… her that is divorced committeth adultery” (KJV, Mt. 5.32); and according to my perception of transliteration and translation of “… apolelume'nan gama'sai moicha'tai” (Westcott and Hort, Mt. 5.32), the Greek does so also.

A promiscuous woman cannot form a legitimate marriage: the man is not bound

I suppose we can assume the first part of the compound predicate, “shall put away” (KJV, Mt. 19.9), in one sense, implies that it is proper to divorce a defiled woman of fornication even as Joseph was thinking about putting away Mary, the mother of Jesus (Mt. 1.19). The one who puts away or divorces would not even be prevented from marrying another.

However, the remedy and exception phrase of a case of betrothal could not be the same as a case wherein a defiled dowry wife (which required female virginity and chastity) who committed lesbianism or other form of sexual defilement. Then, it seems the man who divorces would not be tolerated to marry another due to the expiration of polygamy. See 1 Cor. 7:27 and Mark 10:11.

On the other hand, nevertheless, if fornication were expanded to mean such immorality it would not negate or nullify Jesus' explanation of betrothal marriage concerning divorce and marriage. The former case would have involved the woman in an act of defilement before consummation with the man who put her away, whereas the latter would not have.

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Works Cited

The Greek New Testament. Edited by Brooke Foss Westcott and Fenton John Anthony Hort, Harper & Brothers, 1881. Perseus Digital Library, Tufts University, https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Matthew+5.32&fromdoc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0155, Accessed 19 Sept. 2026.

The Greek New Testament. Edited by Brooke Foss Westcott and Fenton John Anthony Hort, Harper & Brothers, 1881. Perseus Digital Library, Tufts University, https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Matthew+19.9&fromdoc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0155, Accessed 19 Sept. 2026.