If divorce may be enacted three times, why does this verse seem to limit them to two?
Answer
In the broader passage, this verse explains how many times a revocable divorce may be issued. After each pronouncement of divorce, the couple may reconsider and the husband may take back his wife within the waiting period (‘iddah), with no need for a new marriage contract. If they wish to reconcile after the waiting period, this requires a fresh contract (‘aqd, nikah).
The following verse ({2:230](https://quran.com/2/230)) then describes what happens if a third divorce is issued: that is irrevocable, and the marriage cannot be reinstated except in very particular circumstances.
The sequence can be summarized in translation like this: “(Revocable) divorce is two times…Then if he divorces her (a third time), she is not lawful for him until she marries another husband. Then if he (i.e. the new husband) divorces her, there is no sin on them if they (the wife and first husband) return to one another…”
After a third divorce, it is not possible for husband and wife to reunite unless she marries a new husband and later separates from him after the marriage has been consummated. This limit was legislated to bring an end to an unjust practice from the pre-Islamic era in which men would divorce their wives repeatedly, preventing them from enjoying a proper marriage and from moving on.
Summary
This verse clarifies the ruling of revocable divorce, which may be issued twice, as the third divorce is irrevocable.