Cleave, Clave

"to join fast together, to glue, cement," is primarily said of metals and other materials (from kolla, "glue"). In the NT it is used only in the Passive Voice, with reflexive force, in the sense of "cleaving unto," as of cleaving to one's wife, Mat 19:5; some mss. have the intensive verb No. 2, here; 1Co 1:6-17, "joined." In the corresponding passage in Mar 10:7, the most authentic mss. omit the sentence. In Luk 10:11 it is used of the "cleaving" of dust to the feet; in Act 5:13, Act 8:29, Act 9:26, Act 10:28, Act 17:34, in the sense of becoming associated with a person so as to company with him, or be on his side, said, in the last passage, of those in Athens who believed: in Rom 12:9, ethically, of "cleaving" to that which is good. For its use in Rev 18:5 see REACH (RV, marg. "clave together"). See COMPANY, JOIN.

in the Passive Voice, used reflexively, "to cleave unto," is found in Eph 5:31 (AV "joined to").

lit., "to abide with" (pros, "toward or with," and meno, "to abide"), is used of "cleaving" unto the Lord, Act 11:23. See ABIDE.