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NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Mar_10:10-12
10In the house the disciples began questioning Him about this again. 11And He said to them, "Whoever divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her; 12and if she herself divorces her husband and marries another man, she is committing adultery."
Mar_10:10 "the disciples began questioning Him about this" Mat_19:10 records the disciples' astonishment. They were curious about what they had always been taught concerning divorce and remarriage. This phrase shows the pattern of Jesus' public teaching and private interpretation. This pattern shows how easily Jesus' words could be misunderstood. These private sessions were the opportunity to train the Twelve in the proper understanding and new radical perspective of the Kingdom of God. Jesus focused ultimate authority in Himself, not the OT (cf. Mat_5:17-19), though He honored and usually affirmed the OT.
Mar_10:11-12 "commits adultery. . .committing adultery" These are both present indicative verbs. The form (morphology) of the word "adultery" in Koine Greek could be either middle or passive voice. Mat_5:32, which deals with the same subject, has an aorist passive infinitive. This implies that all the forms are passive. If this is true, then it is not the divorce and remarriage that was adultery, but the legal act of putting the woman away, which culturally stigmatized her as an adulteress. Literally "she is caused to commit adultery." This is not a total scriptural ban on remarriage. It relates to a theological aspect of Jewish interpretation (i.e., Hillel vs. Shammai).
However, the dissolution of the marriage covenant between believers (i.e., who swear in Christ's name to remain married) was, and is, never God's ideal. Believers are held to a higher "kingdom standard." Divorce is often the lesser of two evils; it is not the unpardonable sin! See full note at Mar_10:4.
Mar_10:12 "if she herself divorces her husband and marries another man, she is committing adultery" This translation follows the Alexandrian Greek texts. The Western texts read "that she leaves husband, but is not divorced and marries someone else, therefore, commits adultery." The parallel passage in Mat_19:1-12 leaves this verse out, probably because Matthew, writing to Jews, had no need to include this. In Judaism women did not have the right to divorce their husbands. Mark, writing to Gentiles, records this to show the universal aspect of Jesus's teaching. This focuses on the legal equality of husband and wife, reflected in Roman law. This is another evidence that Mark was written to Romans. Jesus is pro family (cf. Mar_10:13-16)!
▣ "if" This is a third class conditional sentence which means potential action.