Jesus refused to argue on the Pharisees' terms. Barnes explains: "Instead of referring to the opinions of either party, Jesus called their attention to the original design of marriage, to the authority of Moses," an authority both parties acknowledged. The question "Have ye not read" also exposes something. These men claimed to know the Scriptures well. Gill reasons that if they had not read Genesis, they were negligent; if they had read it and not understood it, that was to their reproach; and if they understood it, "there was no need for this question, which therefore must be put with an evil design." Jesus' question sends them back to the first page of their own Bible.

Jesus does not wait for the Pharisees to reply. His question runs on into the next verse, where He quotes Genesis 2:24: "For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife" (Matthew 19:5). He then draws the conclusion Himself: "they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder" (Matthew 19:6). The Pharisees do not answer what they had read. They turn instead to Moses: "Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement?" (Matthew 19:7).

Jesus is quoting Genesis 1:27: "male and female created he them." Mark's account puts it this way: "from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female" (Mark 10:6).

Both Barnes and Gill draw attention to the numbers. God made one man and one woman. Gill puts it this way: "not male and females, but one male, and one female." Barnes concludes that later generations "should learn that the original intention of marriage was that a man should have but one wife." Gill adds that in this first arrangement no provision was made for divorce, since Adam could not put away Eve and marry another.

Jesus answers a question about divorce by pointing to the God who made us. Marriage did not begin with Moses' law or with the rabbis' debates. It began with the Creator, "at the beginning." What God made then is still the measure of what is right. Matthew Henry says Jesus was "thus pointing out that every departure therefrom was wrong."

This is how Jesus often handled Scripture in disputes. He asked, "Have ye not read?" (Matthew 12:3, 5) or "have ye never read?" (Matthew 21:16), and let God's Word speak for itself. The answer to a hard question was already written. The problem was not a lack of information, but hearts unwilling to receive it (Matthew 19:8).