Matthew 19:6 Herefore they are no more twain,

Spoken to
audience

A teaching on the marriage.

KJV

Matthew 19:6 Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.

NIV

Matthew 19:6 So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.

LISTENERS HEARD

In as much as no longer are they two, instead one flesh but rather oneflesh, . What really the Deity yoked together, humanity must not make space between.

MY TAKE

A marriage is a team, with only a shared goal, their family.

LOST IN TRANSLATION

The two key words in this verse, the ones translated as "joined together" and "put asunder/separe" are used by Jesus only in this verse and its parallel in Matthew 19:6. Jesus commonly uses two other Greek words to mean "join" and "divide."

The humor here is in the word translated as "joined." which means "yoke together" and "harness together"  and in yoking a team of mules or oxen to a plow or wagon.  The root word means  the "yoke" used for draft animals. and also, a pair of balances.

The "man" here is the same word describe what was made in the image of the Divine and could be translated as "mankind" or "humanity." It is also the "man" who leaves his parents to take a wife.

The Greek word for "put asunder/separate"  is not the word that Jesus used to refer to divorce. The word Jesus uses to mean "divorce" is the Greek word meaning "to untie" or "to loosen." This word can mean "divorce," but it is never used in the Bible. It is usually used to mean "depart" or "separate." The root word is a noun that refers to the space between or around things. Its literal meaning is "to make space."

# KJV TRANSLATION ISSUES
4
  • CW - Confusing Word -- The "but" is not the common word usually translated as "but."
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "the" before "God" is not shown in the English translation.
  • WT - Wrong Tense - The verb "hath" indicates the past perfect tense, but the tense is something that happens at a specific point in time (past, present, or future).
  • CW - Confusing Word -- The "not" is the subjective negative of opinion with the sense of "not wanting," "not thinking" or not seeming when used with a non-opinion verb.
# NIV TRANSLATION ISSUES
5
  • CW - Confusing Word -- The "but" is not the common word usually translated as "but."
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "the" before "God" is not shown in the English translation.
  • WT - Wrong Tense - The verb "hath" indicates the past perfect tense, but the tense is something that happens at a specific point in time (past, present, or future).
  • CW - Confusing Word -- The "not" is the subjective negative of opinion with the sense of "not wanting," "not thinking" or not seeming when used with a non-opinion verb.
  • WW - Wrong Word -- The word translated as "one" should be something more like "man."
EACH WORD of KJV

Wherefore  - "Wherefore" is from an adverb that marks the power or virtue by which one does a thing. At the beginning of a sentence, it marks a strong conclusion: "and so," "therefore."

they -- This is from the third-person, plural form of the verb.

are - The verb "is" here is the common form of "to be" in Greek. It means to have a certain characteristic or remain in a certain condition. It also equates terms or assigns characteristics.

no more -- "No more" is an adverb that means "no more," "no longer," "no further" and generally, "not now."

twain,  - The Greek word for "twain" means "two" but it was also used to mean or a "couple," which is its sense here.

but  - (CW) The Greek word translated as "but" denotes an exception or simple opposition meaning "except," "yet," "rather," and "nay." It is not the common conjunction translated as "but."

one -- The Greek word translated as "one " means "one" (as opposed to other numbers), "single," and "one and the same."As in English, it can be used as a pronoun, meaning a single person.

flesh.  - The Greek word translated as "the flesh" means "flesh," "meat," and "the physical order of things" as opposed to the spiritual.

What  - The word translated as "what" is a demonstrative pronoun, but it often acts as a pronoun, especially a connective pronoun introducing a dependent clause. This is the object of the verb. It is neuter, singular.

therefore  - (CW) The Greek word translated as "therefore" either emphasizes the truth of something ("certainly," "really") or it simply continues an existing narrative. This is not the word translated as "wherefore" to start the verse that more clearly means "therefore" stating a conclusion.

missing "the"  -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article, 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," "those"). See this article for more. 

God - The word translated as "God" means "God" and "deity." It is introduced with an article, so "the God." Jesus often uses it this way perhaps to indicate the one God as opposed to the pagan gods.

hath -- (WT) This helping verb "hath" indicates that the verb is the tense indicating an action completed in the past. This is not the tense of the verb here.

joined   -- "Joined together" is from a verb which means "yoke together", "harness together", "bond fast", "join together," and "pair. Its root word is a yoke used for draft animals. It is the tense meaning "at some time" past, present, or future.

together, -- This is from the prefix of the previous verb that means "together."

let  - The "let" comes from the form of the verb translated as "out asunder" which is a command in the third person, which in English, we translated as with a "let." The sense is that something must happen or, in this case, must not.

not  - (CW) The negative "not used here is the Greek negative of a subjective opinion, commands, and requests. The sense is that "you don't want" to do or "don't think" something, not that it isn't done or real. If it was a statement of fact, a different negative would be used.

man  - The Greek word for "man" in the singular means "person" and "humanity" and "people" and "peoples" in the plural. However, the sense here seems to be "a man" because a man is the one who must give the divorce papers to the wife.

put asunder.  -- The word translated as "put asunder" means to physically "separate," or "divide," but is also means to "separate in thought," and "distinguish." The word literally means "to make space between."

EACH WORD of NIV

So - "So" is from an adverb that marks the power or virtue by which one does a thing. At the beginning of a sentence, it marks a strong conclusion: "and so," "therefore."

they -- This is from the third-person, plural form of the verb.

are - The verb "is" here is the common form of "to be" in Greek. It means to have a certain characteristic or remain in a certain condition. It also equates terms or assigns characteristics.

no longer -- "No longer " is an adverb that means "no more," "no longer," "no further" and generally, "not now."

two  - The Greek word for "two" means "two" but it was also used to mean or a "couple," which is its sense here.

but  - (CW) The Greek word translated as "but" denotes an exception or simple opposition meaning "except," "yet," "rather," and "nay." It is not the common conjunction translated as "but."

one -- The Greek word translated as "one " means "one" (as opposed to other numbers), "single," and "one and the same."As in English, it can be used as a pronoun, meaning a single person.

flesh.  - The Greek word translated as "the flesh" means "flesh," "meat," and "the physical order of things" as opposed to the spiritual.

Therefore - (CW) The Greek word translated as "therefore" either emphasizes the truth of something ("certainly," "really") or it simply continues an existing narrative. This is not the word translated as "wherefore" to start the verse that more clearly means "therefore" stating a conclusion.

what  - The word translated as "what" is a demonstrative pronoun, but it often acts as a pronoun, especially a connective pronoun introducing a dependent clause. This is the object of the verb. It is neuter, singular.

missing "the"  -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article, 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," "those"). See this article for more. 

God - The word translated as "God" means "God" and "deity." It is introduced with an article, so "the God." Jesus often uses it this way perhaps to indicate the one God as opposed to the pagan gods.

has -- (WT) This helping verb "has " indicates that the verb is the tense indicating an action completed in the past. This is not the tense of the verb here.

joined -- "Joined together" is from a verb which means "yoke together", "harness together", "bond fast", "join together," and "pair. Its root word is a yoke used for draft animals. It is the tense meaning "at some time" past, present, or future.

together, -- This is from the prefix of the previous verb that means "together."

let  - The "let" comes from the form of the verb translated as "out asunder" which is a command in the third person, which in English, we translated as with a "let." The sense is that something must happen or, in this case, must not.

not  - (CW) The negative "not used here is the Greek negative of a subjective opinion, commands, and requests. The sense is that "you don't want" to do or "don't think" something, not that it isn't done or real. If it was a statement of fact, a different negative would be used.

one - (WW) The Greek word for "one" in the singular means "person" and "humanity" and "people" and "peoples" in the plural. However, the sense here seems to be "a man" because a man is the one who must give the divorce papers to the wife.

separate.  -- The word translated as "separate means to physically "separate," or "divide," but is also means to "separate in thought," and "distinguish."  Jesus only uses this word here and in the parallel verse in Mark. Everywhere else he uses another word to mean "divide" in the sense of severing.The word literally means "to make space between."

COMPARISON: GREEK to KJV

ὥστε [9 verses](adv/conj) "Wherefore" is from hoste, which marks the power or virtue by which one does a thing, "as being," "inasmuch as," expresses the actual or intended result of the action in the principal clause: "as," "for," implying " on condition that," at the beginning of a sentence, to mark a strong conclusion, "and so," "therefore," and with subj. " in order that."

οὐκέτι [17 verses](adv) "No more" is ouketi, which means "no more," "no longer," "no further" and generally, "not now."

εἰσὶν (verb 3rd pl pres ind act) "They are" is from eimi, which means "to be," "to exist," "to be the case," and "is possible."

δύο [36 verses](numeral) "Twain" is from duo, which means the number "two," "a couple," and "a pair."

ἀλλὰ (conj) "But" is from alla, which means "otherwise," "but," "still," "at least," "except," "yet," nevertheless," "rather," "moreover," and "nay."

σὰρξ [19 verses](noun sg fem nom) "Flesh" is sarx, which means "flesh," "the body," "fleshy," "the pulp of fruit," "meat," and "the physical and natural order of things" (opposite of the spiritual or supernatural).

μία: [85 verses](adj sg fem nom) "One" is from heis, which means "one" (as opposed to other numbers), "single," and "one and the same." As in English, it can be used as a pronoun, meaning a single person.

(pron sg neut acc) "What" is from hos, which means "this," "that," "he," "she," "which," "what," "who," "whosoever," "where," "for which reason," and many similar meanings.

οὖν [82 verses] (adv) "Therefore" is from oun, which means "certainly," "in fact," "really," "in fact," "so" and "then" (continuing a narrative), and "then" and "therefore."

(article sg masc nom)  "The" is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the"). 

θεὸς [144 verses](noun sg masc nom) "God" is from theos, which means "God," "divine," and "Deity."

συνέζευξεν [2 verses](verb 3rd sg aor ind act) "Joined together" is syzeugnymi, which means to "yoke together," "to coupled together," "to pair together," "to harness," "to bond fast," "join together," and "join in wedlock."

ἄνθρωπος [209 verses](noun sg masc nom) "Man" is from anthropos, which is "man," and, in plural, "mankind." It also means "humanity" and that which is human and opposed to that which is animal or inanimate.

μὴ (partic) "Not" is from me , which is the negative used in prohibitions and expressions of doubt meaning "not" and "no." As οὐ (ou) negates fact and statement; μή rejects, οὐ denies; μή is relative, οὐ absolute; μή subjective, οὐ objective.

χωριζέτω [2 verses](verb 3rd sg pres imperat act) "Put asunder" is chorizo which means "separate," "divide," "exclude," "separate in thought," "distinguish," and, in the passive, "to be separated," "severed," "divided," "to be different," "depart," and "to go away.

Unimportant Opinions and Imaginings

By this power they are no longer a couple but rather a single body that the Divine has certainly joined together. Don't let humanity distinguish [between them].

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