The term "sunder" is an archaic English word meaning to separate, divide, or split apart. In the context of the Bible, it is often used to describe the act of dividing or separating in both physical and metaphorical senses. The concept of sundering is significant in various biblical narratives and teachings, illustrating themes of division, judgment, and the separation of the righteous from the wicked.

Biblical Usage and Context

1. Creation and Division: The act of sundering is first seen in the creation narrative. In Genesis, God divides light from darkness, waters from waters, and day from night. This divine act of separation establishes order in creation. Genesis 1:4 states, "And God saw that the light was good, and He separated the light from the darkness."

2. Judgment and Separation: Sundering is often associated with divine judgment, where God separates the righteous from the unrighteous. In the parable of the sheep and the goats, Jesus describes a future judgment where people will be divided based on their deeds. Matthew 25:32 says, "All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats."

3. Relational and Spiritual Division: The concept of sundering also appears in the context of relationships and spiritual allegiances. Jesus speaks of the potential for division even within families due to allegiance to Him. In Matthew 10:34-35 , Jesus states, "Do not assume that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn ‘a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.’"

4. Covenantal Separation: The Old Testament law often required the Israelites to be separate from other nations to maintain their covenantal purity. This separation was both physical and spiritual, intended to keep the Israelites distinct as God's chosen people. Leviticus 20:24 emphasizes this, "But I have said to you, 'You will inherit their land, and I will give it to you as a possession, a land flowing with milk and honey.' I am the LORD your God, who has set you apart from the peoples."

5. Eschatological Division: In eschatological contexts, sundering is depicted as a final separation at the end of the age. The Book of Revelation describes the ultimate division between those who follow Christ and those who do not. Revelation 20:12-15 portrays the final judgment where the dead are judged according to their deeds, resulting in eternal separation for those not found in the Book of Life.

Theological Implications

The theme of sundering in the Bible underscores the holiness and justice of God, who separates light from darkness, truth from falsehood, and righteousness from sin. It serves as a reminder of the call to holiness and the reality of divine judgment. The biblical narrative consistently presents sundering as a necessary act to uphold God's order and righteousness, urging believers to live lives that reflect their separation from worldly values and dedication to God's purposes.1. (v. t.) To disunite in almost any manner, either by rending, cutting, or breaking; to part; to put or keep apart; to separate; to divide; to sever; as, to sunder a rope; to sunder a limb; to sunder friends.

2. (v. i.) To part; to separate.

3. (n.) A separation into parts; a division or severance.

4. (v. t.) To expose to the sun and wind.

4486. rhegnumi -- to break apart, by ext. to throw down
... forms, and is itself probably a strengthened form of agnumi (see in katagnumi))
to "break," "wreck" or "crack", ie (especially) to sunder (by separation of the ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4486.htm - 7k

1369. dichazo -- to cause a separation, separate, fig. alienate
... set at variance, alienate. From a derivative of dis; to make apart, ie Sunder
(figuratively, alienate) -- set at variance. see GREEK dis. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/1369.htm - 6k

1371. dichotomeo -- to cut in two, cut asunder
... cut, flog. From a compound of a derivative of dis and a derivative of temno (to
cut); to bisect, ie (by extension) to flog severely -- cut asunder (in sunder). ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/1371.htm - 6k

5310. naphats -- to shatter
... 5309, 5310. naphats. 5310a . to shatter. Transliteration: naphats Phonetic
Spelling: (naw-fats') Short Definition: sunder. be beaten ...
/hebrew/5310.htm - 5k

7112. qatsats -- cut off
... cut asunder, in pieces, in sunder, off, utmost. A primitive root; to chop off
(literally or figuratively) -- cut (asunder, in pieces, in sunder, off), X utmost. ...
/hebrew/7112.htm - 6k

1438. gada -- to hew, hew down or off
... cut asunder, in sunder, down, off, hew down. A primitive root; to fell a tree;
generally, to destroy anything -- cut (asunder, in sunder, down, off), hew down. ...
/hebrew/1438.htm - 6k

4560. masar -- to deliver up, offer
... commit, deliver. A primitive root; to sunder, ie (transitively) set apart, or (reflex.)
Apostatize -- commit, deliver. 4559, 4560. masar. 4561 . ...
/hebrew/4560.htm - 6k

6504. parad -- to divide
... to break through, ie Spread or separate (oneself) -- disperse, divide, be out of
joint, part, scatter (abroad), separate (self), sever self, stretch, sunder. ...
/hebrew/6504.htm - 6k

Going Home --A Christmas Sermon
... had attempted to curb him; he had been bound with fetters and chains, but in the
paroxysms of his madness he had torn the chains in sunder, and broken the ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 3 1857/going homea christmas sermon.htm

Listen, My Brethren, to Death, Mocking the Evil One: that Caused ...
... Be thou torn in sunder, and may the seven brothers, see thy defeat: the
sons of Shemuni who by thy wolves, were torn in sunder!"31. ...
/.../hymns and homilies of ephraim the syrian/hymn lvii listen my brethren.htm

Letter vii. To Chromatius, Jovinus, and Eusebius.
... 5). 1. Those whom mutual affection has joined together, a written page ought
not to sunder. ... [105] Thou hast broken my bonds in sunder. ...
/.../jerome/the principal works of st jerome/letter vii to chromatius jovinus.htm

The Desolations of the Lord, the Consolation of his Saints
... He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth
the spear in sunder, he burneth the chariot in the fire.""Psalm 46:8-9. ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 4 1858/the desolations of the lord.htm

Christ Triumphant
... O sing unto the Lord a new song, all ye his peoole, make a joyful noise unto him
with psalms, all ye his redeemed; for he hath broken in sunder the gates of ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 5 1859/christ triumphant.htm

Samson Conquered
... Have you not read how they were cast to the lions, how they were sawn in sunder,
how they languished in prisons, or met with the swifter death of the sword? ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 4 1858/samson conquered.htm

The Christian view of Sorrow
... to weep; weep, then, in that great catastrophe which is coming, when barbed affliction
shall pierce your hearts, and the dearest ties shall be cut in sunder. ...
/.../chapin/the crown of thorns/the christian view of sorrow.htm

"Go Forward on Your Knees"
... "I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces
the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron" (Isa.45:2). ...
/.../goforth/how i know god answers prayer/iii go forward on your.htm

Book Eight Conversion to Christ. ...
... Let my bones be bathed in thy love, and let them say: "Lord, who is like unto thee?
[231] Thou hast broken my bonds in sunder, I will offer unto thee the ...
/.../augustine/confessions and enchiridion/book eight conversion to christ .htm

Hymn for the Burial of the Dead
... Yet they must one day disunite, Sunder in death this mortal frame; Dust to the
dust from whence it came, The spirit to its heavenward flight. ...
/.../prudentius/the hymns of prudentius/x hymn for the burial.htm

Sunder (9 Occurrences)
... To disunite in almost any manner, either by rending, cutting, or breaking; to part;
to put or keep apart; to separate; to divide; to sever; as, to sunder a rope ...
/s/sunder.htm - 9k

Cuts (20 Occurrences)
... Psalms 46:9 He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; He breaketh the bow,
and cutteth the spear in sunder; He burneth the chariots in the fire. ...
/c/cuts.htm - 11k

Unbelievers (9 Occurrences)
... Luke 12:46 The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him,
and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will ...
/u/unbelievers.htm - 9k

Gloom (29 Occurrences)
... NIV). Psalms 107:14 He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death,
and broke their bonds in sunder. (See RSV NIV). Isaiah ...
/g/gloom.htm - 15k

Gossamer (1 Occurrence)
... Multi-Version Concordance Gossamer (1 Occurrence). Job 8:14 Whose confidence shall
break in sunder, And whose trust is a spider's web. (See JPS). ...
/g/gossamer.htm - 7k

Tear (97 Occurrences)
... 6. (vt) To rend away; to force away; to remove by force; to sunder; as, a child
torn from its home. 7. (vt) To pull with violence; as, to tear the hair. ...
/t/tear.htm - 37k

Expiated (6 Occurrences)
... be forgiven, and this is all the fruit of taking away his sin: that he maketh all
the stones of the altar as chalkstones that are beaten in sunder,'so that the ...
/e/expiated.htm - 8k

Deepest (11 Occurrences)
... NIV). Psalms 107:14 He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death,
and broke their bonds in sunder. (See NIV). Proverbs ...
/d/deepest.htm - 9k

Dissolve (4 Occurrences)
... dissolve Parliament. 2. (vt) To break the continuity of; to disconnect; to
disunite; to sunder; to loosen; to undo; to separate. 3. (vt ...
/d/dissolve.htm - 8k

Divorce (18 Occurrences)
... 6. (n.) To dissolve the marriage contract of, either wholly or partially; to separate
by divorce. 7. (n.) To separate or disunite; to sunder. ...
/d/divorce.htm - 41k

Sunder: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

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