And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from her husband: 11 But and if she depart, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband: and let not the husband put away his wife.
This text is often cited to teach that the divorced may not marry. But is this the proper understanding?
First, the text is not about a person who is divorced. It is about a woman who "leaves" or "departs." The meaning of chōrizō must not be overlooked or perverted.
Chorizo kho-rid'-zo From G5561; to place room between, that is, part; reflexively to go away: - depart, put asunder, separate. (Strong)
Separations happen often, but separation is not divorce. Even a "legal separation" is not a divorce. Couples who separate usually should get back together, and this is especially true of Christians; and often they do reunite. But the process does not involve getting married again. This is exactly what Paul encourages in our text - the wife to reconcile with her husband.
One man I discoursed with first admitted that the text was about the "married" (which is undeniable); but then he opined that if the wife merely leaves, she is no longer married. This was evidently his effort to make sense of the English word "unmarried," which is the word most translators use in their attempt to translate the Greek word "chorizo."
It is easy to see the predicament this man created for himself. Divorce or death is all that ends marriage. The word for "unmarried" (chorizo) is not easily translated and does not prove the one who leaves is no longer married. How can one even consciously make the argument that "unmarried" means "no longer married" while at the same time arguing that even divorce does not make one unmarried, which may, in the right context, mean "no longer married" (see verse 8 of the chapter)?
This proof text that many have run to, hoping to save their tradition, proves too much. Unfortunately, many love their tradition and do not want the simple truth that divorce ends marriage and frees the parties (Deut. 24:1, 2; Jer. 3:8). For this reason, they will continue to look for a weak link in the truth chain regarding whether a divorced person may marry.
For a more in-depth study of the text follow this link:
https://www.totalhealth.bz/apostle-paul-celibacy.htm
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