2 Corinthians 6:14
Bible verses · Also called: 2 Cor. 6:14, Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers, Do not be unequally yoked, Unequally yoked, What fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness
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Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
The text is the New Korean Revised Version (1998), shown under a licence from the Korean Bible Society. Wording may differ slightly from the Korean Revised Version and the Revised New Korean Standard Version. Read in the Korean Revised Version
This verse reads, "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers." In Korean churches it is the verse most often cited in discussions of marriage between believers and unbelievers, although commentators also note that its original context concerns separation from idolatry.
Context
In the first part of 2 Corinthians 6, Paul describes his ministry and sufferings and appeals to his readers, "be ye also enlarged" (vv. 11–13). From verse 14 through 7:1 he contrasts righteousness and unrighteousness, light and darkness, Christ and Belial, and the temple of God and idols, and he urges, "come out from among them, and be ye separate." Because this section appears to shift abruptly to a subject different from what precedes and follows it, scholars debate its place in the letter. The expression "unequally yoked" (Greek heterozygeō) recalls the law forbidding the yoking together of different kinds of animals (Deuteronomy 22:10).
Interpretation
- Application to marriage: Many denominations and churches cite this verse as grounds for believers not to enter into marriage with unbelievers, since marriage is the deepest of yokes, binding two people together in the whole of life. They pair it with "only in the Lord" in 1 Corinthians 7:39.
- Separation from idolatry: Because the context speaks of the temple and idols and of Belial (a name for the power of evil), this reading holds that the primary meaning is a call to break off relationships that involve participation in idolatry and pagan worship. On this view, marriage is one application of that principle.
- Extension to partnerships and cooperation: Some interpreters also apply the verse to business partnerships or other close alliances with people whose faith and values differ.
Questions of Application
Paul separately addresses, in 1 Corinthians 7:12–14, the case of an existing marriage in which only one spouse has come to faith. For this reason, most denominations agree that using this verse to call for the dissolution of an existing marriage is a misapplication. Some also point out that extending the verse to mean avoiding ordinary contact or friendship with unbelievers goes too far, since Paul himself clarified that he did not mean believers should avoid all association with the people of the world (1 Corinthians 5:9–10).
In the Korean Church
The verse is frequently cited in young adult ministry teaching and in marriage counseling, and some churches also use it as a standard for deciding whether to officiate at weddings involving an unbeliever.
Related Passages
- Deuteronomy 22:10
- 1 Corinthians 7:12–16, 39
- 1 Corinthians 5:9–10
- 2 Corinthians 7:1
See also 5
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