Idioms
Cut off
Means to kill, die or come to an end.
For example: Genesis 9:11, 1 Samuel 24:21, 1 Kings 18:4, Isaiah 53:8
From heaven
Nobody believed John pre-existed and came "from heaven", yet it was written:
But Jesus answered and said to them, “I also will ask you one thing, which if you tell Me, I likewise will tell you by what authority I do these things: The baptism of John — where was it from? From heaven or from men?”
And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ But if we say, ‘From men,’ we fear the multitude, for all count John as a prophet.” -- Matthew 21:25
The issue was that "from heaven" means "it is good" and therefore they were supposed to accept John's baptism and "from men" means "it is bad" which would have offended the people.
Likewise, nobody believed John was God's avatar or reincarnation "sent from God", yet it was written:
There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. -- John 1:6
Nobody expected the Christ to "come from heaven". This is clear from the crowd's reaction to Jesus announcement:
Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the offspring of David, and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David was?” -- John 7:42 (ESV)
Another example:
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. -- James 1:17 (NKJV)
and
"And try Me now in this," says the LORD of hosts, "If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it." -- Malachi 3:10 (NKJV)
Nobody expected "good gifts" or "blessings" to literally fall out of the sky.
With this in context, John 3:31 also makes more sense if it is interpreted as an idiom:
He who comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all. -- John 3:31 (NKJV)
It should not be taken literally, then John would have meant that Jesus' disciples were also previously in heaven or some other place other than our world
As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. -- John 17:18 (NKJV)
Jesus' disciples were already on Earth. As a literal interpretation Jesus' statement does not make sense, but in the context of this idiom it means they will continue the "good work" that God originally sent Jesus to do.
Touching women
Some bible translations read:
Now I will answer the questions you asked in your letter. You asked, "Is it best for people not to marry?" -- 1 Corinthians 7:1 (CEV)
or
Now in response to the matters you wrote about: “It is good for a man not to have relations with a woman.” -- 1 Corinthians 7:1 (HCSB)
This supports the Roman Catholic view that priests should remain celibate. But was that really what Paul intended to communicate? A more literal translation reads:
Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman. -- 1 Corinthians 7:1 (KJV)
But men and women touches each other every day as they interact. This would be an unfair request from Paul.
In verse 1, the Greek text does not have the word “marry.” Instead, it has the phrase, “touch a woman,” which explains why the King James Version and many other versions read that way. Although translating literally is usually the best practice, this is a good example of when a word or phrase is misleading if translated that way.
In the above verse it is quite obvious that the word “touch” is being used idiomatically (to touch in a sexual way), because men and women “touch” all the time. The verse is not talking about touch in the normal course of daily activity. The whole context of the chapter is sexual behavior, so it is not unusual that we find a sexual idiom here. The subject of sex is inherently relational, often taboo, and always exciting. Every language abounds in figurative language for sex and sexuality. It is widely known that the word “touch” in this verse refers to sexual touch and sexual intercourse. In his commentary on 1 Corinthians, R. C. H. Lenski writes: “‘To touch a woman’ is euphemistic for the sexual contact and intercourse in marriage.” Many other sources could be given to support the fact that “touch” can mean “touch sexually,” but this fact is so well known that anyone wishing to substantiate it will find an abundance of references.
For people not used to the Greek idiom, the verse could be translated,
“It is good for a man not to touch a woman in a sexual way.”
This would be a closer rendition of the Greek text than the NIV and would be clearer than just “touch.” The problem then is that most people do not realize that a large part of the meaning of the verse is guidance to stay unmarried if possible. It is “good” to touch your spouse in a sexual way when you are married. When this verse is properly understood, it means that it is good to stay unmarried if you are able to do so, and it is always good to avoid sexual touch outside of marriage. By wording the Greek the way it is, God “killed two birds with one stone,” so to speak. He makes the point about not getting married, which the NIV picks up very well, and He refers to the obvious fact that a man should not be touching a woman in a sexual way if he is not married to her. Of course, the same is true for women touching men.
Touch is a very strong stimulant, and once a person gets aroused and stimulated by touch, it can be difficult for him to control his thoughts and actions. Satan has always had plenty of sexual distractions for those men and women trying to live godly lives, and if someone is so distracted by the sexual influences around him that his service to the Lord seems difficult, then that person should marry.
The next verse makes this point clear:
Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband. -- 1 Corinthians 7:2 (KJV)
Yoke
In the biblical culture, the literal yoke that was used to harness animals together for work was essential for survival: it was used so animals could plow, thresh grain, and pull loads such as carts. The yoke was not something animals liked to wear, because the loads they pulled were often heavy and difficult. Furthermore, many yokes rubbed sores on the animal’s necks because they were quickly and crudely made.
People also used the word “yoke” figuratively and applied it to things that were heavy and unpleasant. The hard work that Solomon made his subjects do was called a “yoke” by his subjects (1 Kings 12:4). Enemies put a “yoke” on the people of Israel, placing various kinds of burdens on them (Deuteronomy 28:48; Isaiah 10:27, 47:6; Jeremiah 27:11). The word “yoke” was also used of being a slave because it was usually burdensome (1 Timothy 6:1).