Bible Dictionary
UNEQUAL
Unequal describes something not properly weighed or matched. The New Testament warning against being unequally yoked uses the image of joining animals of different kinds and teaches against binding oneself in a spiritually unsuitable partnership.
Definition
Unequal describes things that are not properly matched or weighed. In the phrase “unequally yoked,” it refers to joining animals of different kinds under one yoke.
Biblical Usage
Ezekiel uses the word for something not weighed or illogical. Paul’s expression in 2 Corinthians uses the image of unlike animals yoked together, presenting an unsuitable joining.
Historical Background
The New Testament term is also used of yoking together animals of different kinds. The comparison is connected with the Greek Old Testament wording of Leviticus 19:19.
Related Figures
Historical Bible Dictionaries
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)
<p>un-e'-kwal: Eze 18:25,29 for lo' thakhan, "not weighed," "illogical." "Unequally" in 2Co 6:14, in the phrase "unequally yoked," heterozugeo, is used of the yoking together of two animals of different kinds (compare the Septuagint of Le 19:19).</p>