Jesus goes into a house with apostles and they ask him about divorce.
Mark 10:11 Whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery against her.
Mark 10:11 Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her.
Whoever releases that woman of his and marries another is faithless towards her.
A woman romancing a married man is not likely to get what she expects.
Though Jesus is clearly being serious here, he still manages to through a little humor in at the punchline. The word translated as "commits adultery means to "debauch a woman". The punchline is the last preposition phrase, "against her" or "towards her." The "her" however, has a double meaning. It could be either woman. It could refer to the wife that has been divorced or the new wife, but, knowing Jesus, he could be referring to both. The idea is the same. The verb is in a passive form or a form where the subject acts on or for themselves.
The verb translated as "put away," means to "loosen" or "release." It also means "to set free," which was a more negative idea in the time of Jesus. The word translated as "another" has many negative connotations including "bad," "unworthy," and "wrong."
In virtually every ancient culture going back to the Code of Hammurabi 1,800 years before Jesus, adultery was the equivalent of murder, punishable by death. Infidelity was a death-sentence both for men and women, though it was more often enforced against women. Ancient people were very pragmatic. They saw sexual infidelity as the destruction of an institution, marriage, on which survival depends. If a man couldn't trust his wife to bear children that were his, the whole family was at risk, not only the immediate family but the kinship ties that were the basis of economic survival for everyone.
Today's more casual attitudes about marriage and infidelity are the history exception. Throughout history, every culture that experimented with various forms of sexual license eventually fell apart. Possibly because a culture of people who cannot be trusted by their spouses cannot be trusted by anyone. Of course, this doesn't prevent new generations from thinking that they are the exception to the rule and trying the experiment again.
- CW - Confusing Word - This "shall" does not indicate the future tense, but describes a possibility, the subjunctive voice.
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "the/this" before "wife" is not shown in the English translation.
- CW --Confusing Word -- This is not the common word usually translated as "who."
- IW - Inserted Word -- The word "who" doesn't exist in the source.
- MW -- Missing Word -- This verb is a subjunctive, which requires a "should" or "might" when outside of a when/if/whoever clause.
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "the/this" before "wife" is not shown in the English translation.
- IW - Inserted Word -- The word "woman" doesn't exist in the source.
Whosoever -- "Whoever" is from a special construction connecting a pronoun with a conditional particle. Together, they begin a relative, conditional clause that refers to each individual person or thing. The verb form is one of possibility, which is assumed in English.
shall -- (CW) This helping verb "shall" does not indicate the future tense, but that the verb describes a possibility, the subjunctive voice. A "might" or "should" in English is more appropriate, but is assumed in an "if/when/whoever/except" clause. Helping verbs are not needed in Greek since the main verb carries this information in its form.
put away -- The Greek verb translated as "put away" means "to loose from" "to set free", "to release", "to acquit", and "to divorce [a wife]".
missing "the/this" -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article," the," which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," and "those"). See this article for more.
his -- The word translated as "his" is the Greek word commonly translated as third-person pronouns in English. Though the form is masculine, it refers to a person in general. This pronoun follows the noun so "of his."
wife, -- The word translated as "wife" is the Greek word that means "woman (as opposed to man)", "wife", "spouse", "mortal woman (as opposed to a goddess)," and "female mate (among animals)." It is closer to our "female."
and -- The Greek word translated as "and" is used as the conjunction "and", but it also is used to add emphasis ("also
marry -- The word translated as "marry" means, for a man, "to take a wife" and for a woman, to "give yourself in marriage." It is not the past tense, but in a tense meaning something happening at some time.
another, - "Another" is an adjective that means "another", "one besides", "of another sort", "different", "other than what is true", "as well", "besides," {with numerals: "yet", "still", "further"), "of other sort", "other than what is", "untrue", "unreal", "other than right", "wrong", "bad", "unworthy," [with an article] "the rest", "all besides," and [in series] "one...another."
committeth adultery -- The word translated as "commit adultery" means to"corrupt a woman." In the Greek Old Testament, this word was used to refer to being faithless to the Divine. Jesus uses the word translated as "adultery" most often to describe the faithlessness of divorcing a spouse. There are two versions of the verb are used, the rarer version by Mark and once by Matthew and the more common version by Luke and the largest number of times by Matthew. John never uses any form of this word. Both versions are common in Greek. I hope to separate the two words better in the future.
against -- The word translated as "against" means "on", "over", "upon", "against", "before", "towards." "after", "during", "by" or "on."
her. -- The word translated as "her" is the Greek word commonly translated as third-person pronouns in English.
Anyone -- (CW) "Anyone " is from a special construction connecting a pronoun with a conditional particle. Together, they begin a relative, conditional clause that refers to each individual person or thing. This is not the word usually translated as "through."
who -- (IW) There is nothing that can be translated as "who" in the Greek source.
missing "should" or "might"-- (MW) A helping verb is necessary because the following verb is a verb of possibility, a subjunctive, something that "should" or "might" occur. The helping verb is not needed in a clause beginning with an "if," "when," "whoever" and other conditional clauses.
divorces -- The Greek verb translated as "divorces " means "to loose from" "to set free", "to release", "to acquit", and "to divorce [a wife]".
missing "the/this" -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article," the," which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," and "those"). See this article for more.
his -- The word translated as "his" is the Greek word commonly translated as third-person pronouns in English. Though the form is masculine, it refers to a person in general. This pronoun follows the noun so "of his."
wife, -- The word translated as "wife" is the Greek word that means "woman (as opposed to man)", "wife", "spouse", "mortal woman (as opposed to a goddess)," and "female mate (among animals)." It is closer to our "female."
and -- The Greek word translated as "and" is used as the conjunction "and", but it also is used to add emphasis ("also
marries -- The word translated as "marry" means, for a man, "to take a wife" and for a woman, to "give yourself in marriage." It is not the past tense, but in a tense meaning something happening at some time.
another, - "Another" is an adjective that means "another", "one besides", "of another sort", "different", "other than what is true", "as well", "besides," {with numerals: "yet", "still", "further"), "of other sort", "other than what is", "untrue", "unreal", "other than right", "wrong", "bad", "unworthy," [with an article] "the rest", "all besides," and [in series] "one...another."
woman -- (IW) There is nothing that can be translated as "woman" in the Greek source.
commits adultery -- The word translated as "commit adultery" means to"corrupt a woman." In the Greek Old Testament, this word was used to refer to being faithless to the Divine. Jesus uses the word translated as "adultery" most often to describe the faithlessness of divorcing a spouse. There are two versions of the verb are used, the rarer version by Mark and once by Matthew and the more common version by Luke and the largest number of times by Matthew. John never uses any form of this word. Both versions are common in Greek. I hope to separate the two words better in the future.
against -- The word translated as "against" means "on", "over", "upon", "against", "before", "towards." "after", "during", "by" or "on."
her. -- The word translated as "her" is the Greek word commonly translated as third-person pronouns in English.
Ὃς ἂν [36 verses](pron sg masc nom)(partic) This is a special construction that means "that possibly." "whoever" "whatever," or "who if any." It combines the relative pronoun (hos) or the demostrative pronoun (hostis) with the particle of possibility (an). The literal sense is "this one might." Together, they begin a relative, conditional clause that refers to each individual. If takes a subjective verb like an "if/when" phrase.
ἀπολύσῃ [13 verses](verb 3rd sg aor subj act) "Shall put away" might be from apolyo. which means "to loose from" "to set free", "to release", "to acquit", "to divorce [a wife]", "to do away with," and "to begin to count." In the passive, it means "to be released", "to be separated [combatants]," "to be brought forth [a child]," and "to be delivered [of a mother]," and "to be undone."
τὴν [821 verses](article) Untranslated is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the"), which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one" or, in the plural, "the ones."
γυναῖκα [28 verses](noun sg fem acc) "Wife" is gyne, which means "woman (as opposed to man)", "wife", "spouse", "mortal woman (as opposed to a goddess)," and "female mate (among animals)."
αὐτοῦ [142 verses](adj sg masc gen) "His" is autou, which means is the singular adjective used as the subject pronoun. It also means "one's true self," that is, "the soul" as opposed to the body and "of one's own accord."
καὶ [1089 verses] (conj/adv) "And" is kai, which is the conjunction joining phrases and clauses, "and," or "but." After words implying sameness, "as" (the same opinion as you). Used in series, joins positive with negative "Not only...but also." Also used to give emphasis, "even", "also," and "just."
γαμήσῃ [12 verses]( verb 3rd sg aor subj act ) "Marry" is from gameo, which mean "to marry" and "to take a wife." For a woman, it means "to give yourself in marriage." It can also mean to "take a lover.
ἄλλην [34 verses]( adj sg fem acc ) "Another" is allos, which means "another", "one besides", "of another sort", "different", "other than what is true", "as well", "besides," {with numerals: "yet", "still", "further"), "of other sort", "other than what is", "untrue", "unreal", "other than right", "wrong", "bad", "unworthy," [with an article] "the rest", "all besides," and [in series] "one...another."
μοιχᾶται {μοιχάω} [10 verses]( verb 3rd sg pres ind mp ) "Commit adultery" is moichao a form of moicheuo , which means "commit adultery with a woman, " "to debauch a woman," and generally, "to commit adultery with anyone." It is a metaphor for "worshiping idolatrously."
ἐπ᾽[138 verses] (prep) "Against" is epi, which means "on", "over", "upon", "at", "by", "before", "across," "after" in position, "during", and "against."
αὐτὴν [39 verses]((adj sg fem acc) "It" is auten, in the form of the singular, object, feminine pronoun "her"
The situation Jesus describes is not clear here. Was the man involved with the other woman before the divorce? Or did the divorce happen and then the man remarries. I tend to assume this refers to Antipas's divorce and remarriage to Herodias, which was political as well as adulterous in other senses because Herodias was married to Antipas's brother
The broader concept of the time was that "adultery" is anything that is corrupting, as we might say "adulterating." Jesus focuses on activities that violate vows. The central vow in human relationships is the marriage vow. Violating such vows betrays the one to whom the vow is made and corrupts the person breaking it. In Jewish law, unmarried women could not commit adultery. A vow is required. Using this idea, Jesus connects adultery with the destruction of trust, faithlessness, rather than sex. Therefore, the word is also used to refer to idolatry. Idolatry violates a vow to God.