Jesus goes into a house with apostles and they ask him about divorce.
Mark 10:12 And if a woman shall put away her husband, and be married to another, she committeth adultery.
Mark 10:12 And if she divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery.
And when she, divorcing that husband of hers, might marry another, he/she is faithless.
What is bad for the gander is bad for the goose.
The double meaning punchline here is in the final verb, the last word in the verse. Since there is no "she" in the final phrase "commit adultery," the sense of the verb could be either "he," that is the man she marries" or "she," the woman divorcing. This man committing adultery makes this verse more consistent with the versions in Matthew 5:32 and Luke 18:20 which refer to the other man in the relationship, not the woman.
Under Jewish law, women did not divorce men. This verse only makes sense only in the context of Herodias's divorce from Antipas's brother, which was done under Roman law because they lived in Rome.
There is no "a woman" in the Greek. There is just the pronoun, "she."
The "put away/divorces" is not an active verb but a verbal adjective, "divorcing." There is not "and" because their is only one active verb. Notice this action is the same as a man toward a woman. The active verb in the "when" (not "if) statement, is "marry," In other words, it is marrying after divorce that creates adultery. The term "commit adultery" is only usually applied to man debauch women.
- CW - Confusing Word -- The "if" does not capture the word's specific meaning.
- OS -- Outdated Source -- The Greek word translated as "woman" existed in the KJV Greek source but not the source we use today.
- IW - Inserted Word -- The word "shall" doesn't exist in the source.
- WF -- Wrong Form - The "put away" is not an active verb but a participle, "divorcing."
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "the/this" before "husband" is not shown in the English translation.
- OS -- Outdated Source -- The Greek word translated as "and " existed in the KJV Greek source but not the source we use today.
- OS -- Outdated Source -- The Greek word translated as "to" is from the form of the "another" in KJV Greek source but not the source we use today.
- WW - Wrong Word -- The word translated as "be" should be something more like "might."
- CW - Confusing Word -- The "if" does not capture the word's specific meaning.
- WF -- Wrong Form - The "divorces" is not an active verb but a participle, "divorcing."
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "the/this" before "husband" is not shown in the English translation
- IW - Inserted Word -- The word "and" doesn't exist in the source.
- IW - Inserted Word -- The word "man" doesn't exist in the source.
And -- The Greek word translated as "and" is used as the conjunction "and", but it also is used to add emphasis ("also"). In a series, it is best translated as "not only...but also." After words implying sameness "as".
if -- (CW) "If" indicates more of an expectation of something happening than "if" alone. This is how we use the word "when." It can be used after a demonstrative pronoun to mean "that possibly," "whosoever," or "whatsoever." This is not the simple "if."
a woman -- (OS) There is nothing in the Greek that can be translated as "a woman" in the source we use today but it does exist in the source that the KJV translators used.
shall -- (IW) There is nothing that can be translated as "shall" in the Greek source.
put away -- (WF) The Greek verb translated as "put away" means "to loose from" "to set free", "to release", "to acquit", and "to divorce [a wife]". This word is a participle, not an active verb.
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.
her -- The word translated as "hers/her" is the Greek word commonly translated as third-person pronouns in English. Though the form is feminine, it refers to feminine words, not people. The word appears after the noun so the sense is "of hers." This form is often used as the object of a preposition. A genitive object means a movement away from something or a position away from something else. The time sense of a genitive object is that the event occurred within a specified time.
husband, -- "Husband" is a noun that isn't the normal Greek word translated as "man" but a special word that indicates that manliness of "men," both for good and bad. In English, we would say "male." It emphasizes the adult man when compared to a youth or the mortality of a man when compared to the divinity of God. It is also used to mean "husband."
and -- (OS) There is nothing in the Greek that can be translated as "and " in the source we use today but it does exist in the source that the KJV translators used.
be -- (WW) This seems to make the following verb passive, but the Greek verb is not passive. It is a subjunctive verb so "might" or "should" should appear here.
married -- The word translated as "I have married" 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.
to -- (OS) There is nothing in the Greek that can be translated as "to" in the source we use today but it does exist in the source that the KJV translators used.
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."
she -- This is from the 3-person, singular form of the verb. The feminine is assumed because the only subject is the earlier "she." However, the verb, "commits adultery" usually only applies to men so this could also refer to the "another" that she marries. This makes this verse more consistent with the versions in Matthew 5:32 and Luke 18:20 which refer to the other man in the relationship, not the woman.
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.
And -- The Greek word translated as "and" is used as the conjunction "and", but it also is used to add emphasis ("also"). In a series, it is best translated as "not only...but also." After words implying sameness "as".
if -- (CW) "If" indicates more of an expectation of something happening than "if" alone. This is how we use the word "when." It can be used after a demonstrative pronoun to mean "that possibly," "whosoever," or "whatsoever." This is not the simple "if."
she -- The word translated as "she" is the Greek word commonly translated as third-person pronouns in English. The word means "the same" when used as an adjective. In the adverbial form, it means "just here" or "exactly there."
divorces -- (WF) The Greek verb translated as "put away" means "to loose from" "to set free", "to release", "to acquit", and "to divorce [a wife]". This word is a participle, not an active verb.
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.
her -- The word translated as "hers/her" is the Greek word commonly translated as third-person pronouns in English. Though the form is feminine, it refers to feminine words, not people. The word appears after the noun so the sense is "of hers." This form is often used as the object of a preposition. A genitive object means a movement away from something or a position away from something else. The time sense of a genitive object is that the event occurred within a specified time.
husband, -- "Husband" is a noun that isn't the normal Greek word translated as "man" but a special word that indicates that manliness of "men," both for good and bad. In English, we would say "male." It emphasizes the adult man when compared to a youth or the mortality of a man when compared to the divinity of God. It is also used to mean "husband."
and -- (IW) There is nothing that can be translated as "and" in the Greek source.
marries -- The word translated as "I have married" 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."
man -- (IW) There is nothing that can be translated as "man" in the Greek source.
she -- This is from the 3-person, singular form of the verb. The feminine is assumed because the only subject is the earlier "she." However, the verb, "commits adultery" usually only applies to men so this could also refer to the "another" that she marries. This makes this verse more consistent with the versions in Matthew 5:32 and Luke 18:20 which refer to the other man in the relationship, not the woman.
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.
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."
ἐὰν [163 verses](conj) "If" is ean, which is a conditional particle (derived from ei (if) and an (possibly), which makes reference to a time and experience in the future that introduces but does not determine an event. This is how we use the word "when." It can be used after a demonstrative pronoun hos or hostis meaning "that possibly," "whosoever" or "whatsoever."
αὐτὴ [42 verses]( adj sg fem nom ) "She" is aute, which means is the singular adjective used as the subject pronoun in the feminine. It also means "it" because feminine pronouns refer to things or ideas as much as to people.
ἀπολύσασα [13 verses] ( part sg aor act fem nom ) "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."
τὸν [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."
ἄνδρα [10 verses] (noun sg masc acc) "Husband" is from aner, which means "a man (as opposed to a god)", "a man (as opposed to a woman)", "a husband", "a man in the prime of life (as opposed to a youth)," and "a man indeed." --
αὐτῆς [29 verses]( adj sg fem nom ) "She/It" is aute, which means is the singular adjective used as the subject pronoun in the feminine. It also means "it" because feminine pronouns refer to things or ideas as much as to people. This is also the adverbial form meaning "there."
γαμήσῃ [12 verses] ( verb 3rd sg aor subj act ) "be married" 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.
ἄλλον [34 verses]( adj sg masc acc ) "To 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 ) "She commiteth adultery" is moichao a form 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." -- Christ uses the word translated as "adultery" more broadly than its general meaning of having sex with a person not your spouse. He uses it more generally to mean "betraying your vows" or, more simply, "betray".