Thanks for the explanation. It solved my problem, too.
Grace

> En ef sundur skipt er lögunum þá mun sundur skipt friðinum og mun

eigi mega við það búa.

> But if (one) is divided asunder for the law, then (one) will be

divided apart for the peace and (one) will not be able to deal-with
(see bua, Z4) that.

Simply "if the law is split then peace will be split, and that can't
be lived (dealt) with (i.e. we can't live with that)" [
http://www.usask
<http://www.usask.ca/english/icelanders/proverbs_BNS.html>
ca/english/icelanders/proverbs_BNS.html ]. It's
phrased in this impersonal way in Old Norse only because the verb
'skipta' takes dative. When a verb is made passive like this with the
auxiliary 'vera' or 'verða', an accusative object becomes the
nominative subject; but dative and genitive objects remain dative or
genitive, and the neuter singular past participle of the verb is used.

Var Oddr þar fundinn ok síðan bundinn.
Oddr was found there and then bound.

mönnum varð borgit
the men were saved

Fred and Grace Hatton
Hawley Pa