Greek word · G1060

γαμέω

gameō

to marry

To marry, to take a spouse. In the active voice it was usually said of the man taking a wife, though by the Koine period (the everyday Greek of the New Testament era) it could also be said of a woman (Mark 10:12; 1 Cor 7:28). It refers to entering marriage and to the institution itself.

Appears 28 times in 25 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

γαμέω, -ῶ,

[in LXX: Esther 10:3, 2Ma.14:25, 4Ma.16:9 * ;]

to marry;

1. of the man, to marry, take to wife (ducere): absol., Matthew 19:10 22:25, 30 24:38, Mark 12:25, Luke 17:27, 20:34, 35, 1 Corinthians 7:28, 33; with accusative: Matthew 5:32 19:9, Mark 6:17 10:11, Luke 14:20 16:18.

2. Of the woman,

(a) mid. (and in late writers, pass.), to give oneself in marriage, marry (nubere): 1 Corinthians 7:39;

(b) in Hellenistic (M, Pr., 159), act. (as of the man), to marry: absol., 1 Corinthians 7:28, 34 1 Timothy 5:11, 14. with accusative, Mark 10:12.

3. Of both sexes: absol., 1 Timothy 4:3, 1 Corinthians 7:9, 10 36.

† (AS)

From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Matthew 22:30

Range of meaning

To marry, to take a spouse. In the active voice it was usually said of the man taking a wife, though by the Koine period (the everyday Greek of the New Testament era) it could also be said of a woman (Mark 10:12; 1 Cor 7:28). It refers to entering marriage and to the institution itself.

Against the English

'Marry' is accurate. NLT's 'will not be married' turns two verbs about actions into one statement about a state. That smooths the sense but loses the paired picture of a man taking and a woman being given.

Used elsewhere in the period

Common in the papyri for marriage contracts and in the Septuagint (the Greek Old Testament). Matthew uses it alongside gamizō in Jesus' description of the days of Noah (24:38): 'marrying and giving in marriage' was a stock pair for ordinary life going on as usual.

From the study of 1 Corinthians 7:9

Range of meaning

To marry, to take a spouse. In classical Greek it was used mostly of the man, with the middle voice for the woman. In Koine Greek it is used freely of both, as in 1 Cor 7:28 and 7:39.

Against the English

"Let them marry" is accurate. English "let" can sound like reluctant permission. The Greek third-person imperative is a real directive ("they should marry"), though it is softer in tone than a second-person command.

Used elsewhere in the period

Common across the Septuagint, the NT and the papyri for entering a legal and social marriage. In the Greco-Roman world this meant a household arrangement involving families, dowry and the procreation of legitimate heirs, not only a private romantic bond.

From the study of Luke 16:18

Range of meaning

To marry or take a wife. In the active voice it is usually said of the man. Wedding language in the culture was patriarchal: a man 'takes' a wife, and a woman 'is given in marriage' (γαμίζομαι, Luke 17:27; 20:34–35).

Against the English

'Marry' is accurate. Note only that here both men are the ones doing the marrying, which matches the custom of the time.

Used elsewhere in the period

Common in classical Greek, the papyri and the LXX for contracting a marriage. Luke 14:20 has 'I have married a wife.'

Where it appears

Matthew · 6

  1. Matthew 5:32 γαμήσῃ, shall marry,

    But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, brings adultery upon her. And he who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

    Here: Aorist subjunctive, 'should marry.' The act of taking her as a wife.

  2. Matthew 19:9 γαμήσῃ shall marry

    Now I tell you that whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.”

    Here: Takes a new wife. A Jewish divorce document existed precisely to make a new marriage lawful. That is the step Jesus calls adultery.

  3. Matthew 19:10 γαμῆσαι.¶ to marry.

    His disciples said to Him, “If this is the case between a man and his wife, it is better not to marry.”

  4. Matthew 22:25 γήμας having married

    Now there were seven brothers among us. The first one married and died without having children. So he left his wife to his brother.

    Here: An aorist participle: "having married." Marrying is the man's act of taking a wife. It is stated as a completed step before his death.

  5. Matthew 22:30 γαμοῦσιν do they marry

    In the resurrection, people will neither marry nor be given in marriage. Instead, they will be like the angels in heaven.

    Here: Active voice. In that culture this was usually the man's part, taking a wife. The present tense describes what resurrection life is like as a general fact: marrying does not happen there.

  6. Matthew 24:38 γαμοῦντες marrying

    For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark.

    Here: Men taking wives. In that culture the man "married" and the bride's father "gave" her in marriage. This is normal family life carrying on into the future.

Mark · 4

  1. Mark 6:17 ἐγάμησεν· he had married;

    For Herod himself had ordered that John be arrested and bound and imprisoned, on account of his brother Philip’s wife Herodias, whom Herod had married.

  2. Mark 10:11 γαμήσῃ shall marry

    So He told them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her.

    Here: To take a wife, to marry. Like 'divorces,' it is a single completed act. The man who divorces then enters a new marriage.

  3. Mark 10:12 γαμήσῃ shall marry

    And if a woman divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery.”

  4. Mark 12:25 γαμοῦσιν do they marry

    When the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage. Instead, they will be like the angels in heaven.

Luke · 6

  1. Luke 14:20 ἔγημα I have married

    Still another said, ‘I have married a wife, so I cannot come.’

  2. Luke 16:18 γαμῶν γαμῶν marrying

    Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery, and he who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

    Here: 'Marrying'. Here it is the man taking a new wife. In this period the husband was the one who 'marries', meaning he takes a woman as wife.

  3. Luke 17:27 ἐγάμουν, were marrying,

    People were eating and drinking, marrying and being given in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all.

    Here: "They were marrying." In normal usage the active verb describes the man taking a wife, which is why the KJV supplies "married wives". Weddings kept happening: people were planning families and futures.

  4. Luke 20:34 γαμοῦσιν marry

    Jesus answered, “The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage.

  5. Luke 20:35 γαμοῦσιν marry

    But those who are considered worthy to share in the age to come and in the resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage.

    Here: 'They marry.' In the language of the time this is mainly the man's act of taking a wife. The present tense describes what life is normally like in that age.

1 Corinthians · 9

  1. 1 Corinthians 7:9 γαμησάτωσαν· γαμῆσαι they should marry;, to marry

    But if they cannot control themselves, let them marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion.

    Here: A third-person command in the aorist tense: "let them get married". It is a directive to take the step of marrying, not a grudging shrug, and it applies to both men and women.

  2. 1 Corinthians 7:10 γεγαμηκόσιν having married

    To the married I give this command (not I, but the Lord): A wife must not separate from her husband.

    Here: Perfect participle: people who married and are still married. From v. 12 ("to the rest", meaning couples where one spouse does not believe) it is clear that he means believing couples here.

  3. 1 Corinthians 7:28 γαμήσῃς, γήμῃ you shall marry,, shall marry

    But if you do marry, you have not sinned. And if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. But those who marry will face troubles in this life, and I want to spare you this.

  4. 1 Corinthians 7:33 γαμήσας having been married

    But the married man is concerned about the affairs of this world, how he can please his wife,

  5. 1 Corinthians 7:34 γαμήσασα having been married

    and his interests are divided. The unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the work of the Lord, how she can be holy in both body and spirit. But the married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world, how she can please her husband.

  6. 1 Corinthians 7:36 γαμείτωσαν. they should marry.

    However, if someone thinks he is acting inappropriately toward his betrothed, and if she is beyond her youth and they ought to marry, let him do as he wishes; he is not sinning; they should get married.

  7. 1 Corinthians 7:39 γαμηθῆναι, to be married,

    A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, as long as he belongs to the Lord.

    Here: 'To be married'. Greek normally used the passive for a woman marrying, but here the woman is the one who chooses.

1 Timothy · 3

  1. 1 Timothy 4:3 γαμεῖν, to marry,

    They will prohibit marriage and require abstinence from certain foods that God has created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.

    Here: "To marry". The ordinary word for entering marriage. The present infinitive points to marrying as a practice in general, not to one particular wedding. The ban stops believers from marrying at all, and probably pressed married believers to give up married life too.

  2. 1 Timothy 5:11 γαμεῖν to marry

    But refuse to enroll younger widows. For when their passions draw them away from Christ, they will want to marry,

  3. 1 Timothy 5:14 γαμεῖν, to marry,

    So I advise the younger widows to marry, have children, and manage their households, denying the adversary occasion for slander.

    Here: For widows, this means marrying again. Verse 11 faulted younger widows for wanting to marry after making a pledge. Here Paul commends marriage itself, so the fault there was the broken pledge, not the wish to marry.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.