Bible Strands
Matthew 19:6
So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.”
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Jesus addresses the Pharisees immediately after quoting Genesis 2:24 about marital union, responding to their direct inquiry about divorce regulations. He speaks at the moment when the religious leaders are pressuring him to clarify the boundaries of Mosaic law regarding marriage dissolution.
The words — The text highlights οὐκέτι (ouketi), meaning “no longer,” and σὰρξ (sarx), meaning “flesh,” to declare that a married couple ceases to function as separate individuals and becomes a single entity. This phrasing establishes that the marital bond supersedes previous familial ties, creating a permanent union.
The thread — The prohibition against separating the divine marital union appears in Mark 10:9, while Hebrews 13:4 and Romans 7:2 further define marriage as a binding covenant under God’s judgment and legal framework. These passages collectively trace the theological thread of marital permanence and divine oversight across the New Testament.
Why it lands — The verse states that God unites the couple and explicitly commands that humans must not dissolve that bond. It requires the reader to acknowledge the limitation of human authority over marriage and to submit to the established divine boundary.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.
Cross-references
- Mark 10:9 Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.”
- Hebrews 13:4 Marriage should be honored by all and the marriage bed kept undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers.
- Romans 7:2 For instance, a married woman is bound by law to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is released from the law of marriage.
- 1 Corinthians 7:10 To the married I give this command (not I, but the Lord): A wife must not separate from her husband.
- Ephesians 5:28 In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.
- Malachi 2:14 Yet you ask, “Why?” It is because the LORD has been a witness between you and the wife of your youth, against whom you have broken faith, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant.
- Proverbs 2:17 who abandons the partner of her youth and forgets the covenant of her God.