And Jesus answered and said unto them, For the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept.

To whom Jesus answering, said: Because of the hardness of your heart he wrote you that precept.

And Jesus answering said to them, In view of your hard-heartedness he wrote this commandment for you;

And Jesus answering said to them, 'For the stiffness of your heart he wrote you this command,

"It was in consideration of your stubborn hearts," said Jesus, "that Moses enacted this law for you;

But Jesus said to them, Because of your hard hearts he gave you this law.

But Jesus responded by saying: "It was due to the hardness of your heart that he wrote that precept for you.

"It was owing to the hardness of your hearts," said Jesus, "that Moses gave you this direction;

(1) And Jesus answered and said unto them, For the hardness of your heart he wrote you this (b) precept.
(1) God never allowed those divorces which the law tolerated.
(b) See (Matthew 19:3-12). For Moses gave them no commandment to put away their wives, but rather made a good stipulation for the wives to protect them from the stubborn hardness of their husbands.

And Jesus answered and said unto them,.... With respect to this command, or sufferance of Moses, which they urged:
for the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept; it was, not because it was right in its own nature, or according to the original will of God; but, because the Jews were such cruel, and hard hearted men, that if this had not been permitted, some of them, that had wives not so agreeable to them, would have used them in a very inhuman manner, if not murdered them; and therefore to prevent further, and greater mischief, Moses indulged them with such a precept; See Gill on Matthew 19:8.