It is the final word of this statement in 1 Corinthians 16:22 that helps sort out Paul\u2019s words.<\/p>\n

In English, it says \u201cO Lord, come!\u201d but the Greek is maranatha <\/em>(which is actually Aramaic). <\/em><\/p>\n

The final two words of this verse sound like this: anathema maranatha. <\/em>You can very clearly hear the repeated sound of anatha <\/em>in both words. And of course, one word ends with ma <\/em>while the other begins with ma. <\/em><\/p>\n

So what we have in 1 Corinthians 16:22 is a typical Pauline play on words. Paul, more than any other New Testament author, loved to make theological points through word play.<\/p>\n

In Philemon, for example, Paul uses the words achr\u0113ston <\/em>(useless) and euchr\u0113ston <\/em>(useful) as a way of making a point about Onesimus (whose name means \u201cUseful\u201d) and his relation to Paul and Philemon in Christ (Christos<\/em>).<\/p>\n