This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
х To (G3588) musteerion (G3466) mega (G3173) estin (G1510)] 'This mystery is great.' This truth, hidden once, but now revealed-namely, Christ's spiritual union with the Church, mystically represented by marriage-is of deep import (note, Ephesians 5:30). So "mystery" means a divine truth not to be discovered except by revelation of God (Romans 11:25; 1 Corinthians 15:51). The Vulgate wrongly translates 'This is a great sacrament'-the plea of the Romish Church (in spite of the blunder having been long ago exposed by their own commentators, Cajetan and Estius) for making marriage a sacrament. Not marriage in general, but that of Christ and the Church, is 'the great mystery,' as the words following prove: 'I (emphatic) say it in regard to х eis (G1519)] Christ and to [eis] the Church.' Whereas the words (Genesis 2:24) refer primarily to literal marriage, I quote them in a higher sense.