6:14

Do not become unevenly yoked: This illustration is based on a principle of agricultural life. A farmer does not yoke together, or join together, two animals that are very different in size or strength to work in the fields. If he did, the weaker animal would have to struggle to keep up the pace, and the stronger animal would have a greater burden to bear. Paul likely had in mind De 22:10, where the Mosaic Law forbade the Israelites to plow with a bull and a donkey yoked together. He used this principle of farming to illustrate how spiritually detrimental it would be for Christians to form alliances with individuals who were no part of the Christian congregation. For example, if a Christian married an unbeliever, the two would be unevenly yoked. In spiritual matters, they would not be united in thought and action.

unevenly yoked: The Greek word rendered “unevenly yoked” (he·te·ro·zy·geʹo), used only here in the Christian Greek Scriptures, literally means “to be differently yoked (joined together).” The related verb syn·zeuʹgny·mi is used at Mt 19:6 and Mr 10:9 in the phrase “what God has yoked [or, “joined”] together.” Both these verbs are related to the Greek word for “yoke,” zy·gosʹ.