assumption, because divorce on such grounds would be a valid divorce. Because Mark applies the rule to the husband as well as the wife, we may assume that in a monogamous society where the wife also had the right of divorce, the innocent wife would also be permitted to remarry. Matthew’s wording assumes Palestinian Jewish customs and makes them part of the hyperbole. We are arguing on the premise that Matthew assumes his readers’ familiarity with Palestinian Jewish regulations. It is, however, possible