Deuteronomy 24:1-4

Suppose a man enters into marriage with a woman, but she does not please him because he finds something objectionable about her, and so he writes her a certificate of divorce, puts it in her hand, and sends her out of his house; she then leaves his house and goes off to become another man’s wife.¹ Then suppose the second man dislikes her, writes her a bill of divorce, puts it in her hand, and sends her out of his house (or the second man who married her dies); her first husband, who sent her away, is not permitted to take her again to be his wife after she has been defiled;² for that would be abhorrent³ to the Lord, and you shall not bring guilt on the land that the Lord your God is giving you as a possession.

1 To this point it appears to only be saying something true about the culture. However, there is no effort made to condemn it, as Jesus will late do.

2 Now she has been “defiled”, simply for having accepted a second marriage, or having been subjected to a second divorce? What about the man?

3 “abhorrent” (and the following “guilt”) are very hard to explain.

Take-home: The process of divorce is implicitly sanctioned and institutionalized, and kept strongly within the man's authority. Remarriage of a previously divorced couple is prohibited, possibly to prohibit frivolous repeat separations.