Limitless Word
For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother,
Mark 10:7 · New American Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB For this cause a man will leave his father and mother, and will join to his wife,
  • KJV For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife;
  • BSB ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife,
  • NKJV ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife,
  • NLT ‘This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife,

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

A man will leave his parents and be joined to his wife. Marriage forms a new, primary bond established by God.

Overview

Quoting Genesis 2:24, Jesus describes the leaving and joining that constitute marriage. The man's departure from his family of origin signals the creation of a new household and covenant union. This God-ordained bond is presented as the proper context for the one-flesh relationship that follows.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 3

  • Gen 2:24Therefore a man will leave his father and his mother, and will join with his wife, and they will be one flesh.
  • Matt 19:5–6and said, ‘For this cause a man shall leave his father and mother, and shall join to his wife; and the two shall become one flesh?’
  • Eph 5:31“For this cause a man will leave his father and mother, and will be joined to his wife. The two will become one flesh.”

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (4)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Mark videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Mark 10:7YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on MarkMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

Mark drives urgently to the cross, showing Jesus the Son of God as the suffering Servant who 'came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.'

How Mark 10:7 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.