1 Corinthians — Chapter 7
Loading ESV text...
1Now for the matters you wrote about: It is good to abstain from sexual relations.
2But because there is so much sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman her own husband.
3The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband.
4The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband. Likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife.
5Do not deprive each other, except by mutual consent and for a time, so you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again, so that Satan will not tempt you through your lack of self-control.
6I say this as a concession, not as a command.
7I wish that all men were as I am. But each man has his own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that.
8Now to the unmarried and widows I say this: It is good for them to remain unmarried, as I am.
9But if they cannot control themselves, let them marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion.
10To the married I give this command (not I, but the Lord): A wife must not separate from her husband.
11But if she does, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband. And a husband must not divorce his wife.
12To the rest I say this (I, not the Lord): If a brother has an unbelieving wife and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her.
13And if a woman has an unbelieving husband and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him.
14For the unbelieving husband is sanctified through his believing wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified through her believing husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but now they are holy.
15But if the unbeliever leaves, let him go. The believing brother or sister is not bound in such cases. God has called you to live in peace.
16How do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?
17Regardless, each one should lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him and to which God has called him. This is what I prescribe in all the churches.
18Was a man already circumcised when he was called? He should not become uncircumcised. Was a man still uncircumcised when called? He should not be circumcised.
19Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing. Keeping God’s commandments is what counts.
20Each one should remain in the situation he was in when he was called.
21Were you a slave when you were called? Do not let it concern you—but if you can gain your freedom, take the opportunity.
22For he who was a slave when he was called by the Lord is the Lord’s freedman. Conversely, he who was a free man when he was called is Christ’s slave.
23You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men.
24Brothers, each one should remain in the situation he was in when God called him.
25Now about virgins, I have no command from the Lord, but I give a judgment as one who by the Lord’s mercy is trustworthy.
26Because of the present crisis, I think it is good for a man to remain as he is.
27Are you committed to a wife? Do not seek to be released. Are you free of commitment? Do not look for a wife.
28But if you do marry, you have not sinned. And if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. But those who marry will face troubles in this life, and I want to spare you this.
29What I am saying, brothers, is that the time is short. From now on those who have wives should live as if they had none;
30those who weep, as if they did not; those who are joyful, as if they were not; those who make a purchase, as if they had nothing;
31and those who use the things of this world, as if not dependent on them. For this world in its present form is passing away.
32I want you to be free from concern. The unmarried man is concerned about the work of the Lord, how he can please the Lord.
33But the married man is concerned about the affairs of this world, how he can please his wife,
34and his interests are divided. The unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the work of the Lord, how she can be holy in both body and spirit. But the married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world, how she can please her husband.
35I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but in order to promote proper decorum and undivided devotion to the Lord.
36However, if someone thinks he is acting inappropriately toward his betrothed, and if she is beyond her youth and they ought to marry, let him do as he wishes; he is not sinning; they should get married.
37But the man who is firmly established in his heart and under no constraint, with control over his will and resolve in his heart not to marry the virgin, he will do well.
38So then, he who marries the virgin does well, but he who does not marry her does even better.
39A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, as long as he belongs to the Lord.
40In my judgment, however, she is happier if she remains as she is. And I think that I too have the Spirit of God.
1Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman.
2Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband.
3Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband.
4The wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath not power of his own body, but the wife.
5Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency.
6But I speak this by permission, and not of commandment.
7For I would that all men were even as I myself. But every man hath his proper gift of God, one after this manner, and another after that.
8I say therefore to the unmarried and widows, It is good for them if they abide even as I.
9But if they cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn.
10And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from her husband:
11But and if she depart, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband: and let not the husband put away his wife.
12But to the rest speak I, not the Lord: If any brother hath a wife that believeth not, and she be pleased to dwell with him, let him not put her away.
13And the woman which hath an husband that believeth not, and if he be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him.
14For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy.
15But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases: but God hath called us to peace.
16For what knowest thou, O wife, whether thou shalt save thy husband? or how knowest thou, O man, whether thou shalt save thy wife?
17But as God hath distributed to every man, as the Lord hath called every one, so let him walk. And so ordain I in all churches.
18Is any man called being circumcised? let him not become uncircumcised. Is any called in uncircumcision? let him not be circumcised.
19Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God.
20Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called.
21Art thou called being a servant? care not for it: but if thou mayest be made free, use it rather.
22For he that is called in the Lord, being a servant, is the Lord’s freeman: likewise also he that is called, being free, is Christ’s servant.
23Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men.
24Brethren, let every man, wherein he is called, therein abide with God.
25Now concerning virgins I have no commandment of the Lord: yet I give my judgment, as one that hath obtained mercy of the Lord to be faithful.
26I suppose therefore that this is good for the present distress, I say, that it is good for a man so to be.
27Art thou bound unto a wife? seek not to be loosed. Art thou loosed from a wife? seek not a wife.
28But and if thou marry, thou hast not sinned; and if a virgin marry, she hath not sinned. Nevertheless such shall have trouble in the flesh: but I spare you.
29But this I say, brethren, the time is short: it remaineth, that both they that have wives be as though they had none;
30And they that weep, as though they wept not; and they that rejoice, as though they rejoiced not; and they that buy, as though they possessed not;
31And they that use this world, as not abusing it: for the fashion of this world passeth away.
32But I would have you without carefulness. He that is unmarried careth for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may please the Lord:
33But he that is married careth for the things that are of the world, how he may please his wife.
34There is difference also between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman careth for the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit: but she that is married careth for the things of the world, how she may please her husband.
35And this I speak for your own profit; not that I may cast a snare upon you, but for that which is comely, and that ye may attend upon the Lord without distraction.
36But if any man think that he behaveth himself uncomely toward his virgin, if she pass the flower of her age, and need so require, let him do what he will, he sinneth not: let them marry.
37Nevertheless he that standeth stedfast in his heart, having no necessity, but hath power over his own will, and hath so decreed in his heart that he will keep his virgin, doeth well.
38So then he that giveth her in marriage doeth well; but he that giveth her not in marriage doeth better.
39The wife is bound by the law as long as her husband liveth; but if her husband be dead, she is at liberty to be married to whom she will; only in the Lord.
40But she is happier if she so abide, after my judgment: and I think also that I have the Spirit of God.
1Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote: It is good for a man not to touch a woman.
2But, because of fornications, let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband.
3Let the husband render unto the wife her due: and likewise also the wife unto the husband.
4The wife hath not power over her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath not power over his own body, but the wife.
5Defraud ye not one the other, except it be by consent for a season, that ye may give yourselves unto prayer, and may be together again, that Satan tempt you not because of your incontinency.
6But this I say by way of concession, not of commandment.
7Yet I would that all men were even as I myself. Howbeit each man hath his own gift from God, one after this manner, and another after that.
8But I say to the unmarried and to widows, It is good for them if they abide even as I.
9But if they have not continency, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn.
10But unto the married I give charge, [yea] not I, but the Lord, That the wife depart not from her husband
11(but should she depart, let her remain unmarried, or else be reconciled to her husband); and that the husband leave not his wife.
12But to the rest say I, not the Lord: If any brother hath an unbelieving wife, and she is content to dwell with him, let him not leave her.
13And the woman that hath an unbelieving husband, and he is content to dwell with her, let her not leave her husband.
14For the unbelieving husband is sanctified in the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified in the brother: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy.
15Yet if the unbelieving departeth, let him depart: the brother or the sister is not under bondage in such [cases]: but God hath called us in peace.
16For how knowest thou, O wife, whether thou shalt save thy husband? Or how knowest thou, O husband, whether thou shalt save thy wife?
17Only, as the Lord hath distributed to each man, as God hath called each, so let him walk. And so ordain I in all the churches.
18Was any man called being circumcised? Let him not become uncircumcised. Hath any been called in uncircumcision? Let him not be circumcised.
19Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing; but the keeping of the commandments of God.
20Let each man abide in that calling wherein he was called.
21Wast thou called being a bondservant? Care not for it: nay, even if thou canst become free, use [it] rather.
22For he that was called in the Lord being a bondservant, is the Lord`s freedman: likewise he that was called being free, is Christ`s bondservant.
23Ye were bought with a price; become not bondservants of men.
24Brethren, let each man, wherein he was called, therein abide with God.
25Now concerning virgins I have no commandment of the Lord: but I give my judgment, as one that hath obtained mercy of the Lord to be trustworthy.
26I think therefore that this is good by reason of the distress that is upon us, [namely,] that it is good for a man to be as he is.
27Art thou bound unto a wife? Seek not to be loosed. Art thou loosed from a wife? Seek not a wife.
28But shouldest thou marry, thou hast not sinned; and if a virgin marry, she hath not sinned. Yet such shall have tribulation in the flesh: and I would spare you.
29But this I say, brethren, the time is shortened, that henceforth both those that have wives may be as though they had none;
30and those that weep, as though they wept not; and those that rejoice, as though they rejoiced not; and those that buy, as though they possessed not;
31and those that use the world, as not using it to the full: for the fashion of this world passeth away.
32But I would have you to be free from cares. He that is unmarried is careful for the things of the Lord, how he may please the Lord:
33but he that is married is careful for the things of the world, how he may please his wife,
34and is divided. [So] also the woman that is unmarried and the virgin is careful for the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit: but she that is married is careful for the things of the world, how she may please her husband.
35And this I say for your own profit; not that I may cast a snare upon you, but for that which is seemly, and that ye may attend upon the Lord without distraction.
36But if any man thinketh that he behaveth himself unseemly toward his virgin [daughter], if she be past the flower of her age, and if need so requireth, let him do what he will; he sinneth not; let them marry.
37But he that standeth stedfast in his heart, having no necessity, but hath power as touching in his own heart, to keep his own virgin [daughter], shall do well.
38So then both he that giveth his own virgin [daughter] in marriage doeth well; and he that giveth her not in marriage shall do better.
39A wife is bound for so long time as her husband liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is free to be married to whom she will; only in the Lord.
40But she is happier if she abide as she is, after my judgment: and I think that I also have the Spirit of God.
1Now with regard to the issues you wrote about: “It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.”
2But because of immoralities, each man should have relations with his own wife and each woman with her own husband.
3A husband should fulfill his marital responsibility to his wife, and likewise a wife to her husband.
4It is not the wife who has the rights to her own body, but the husband. In the same way, it is not the husband who has the rights to his own body, but the wife.
5Do not deprive each other, except by mutual agreement for a specified time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then resume your relationship, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.
6I say this as a concession, not as a command.
7I wish that everyone was as I am. But each has his own gift from God, one this way, another that.
8To the unmarried and widows I say that it is best for them to remain as I am.
9But if they do not have self-control, let them get married. For it is better to marry than to burn with sexual desire.
10To the married I give this command—not I, but the Lord—a wife should not divorce a husband
11(but if she does, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband), and a husband should not divorce his wife.
12To the rest I say—I, not the Lord—if a brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is happy to live with him, he should not divorce her.
13And if a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is happy to live with her, she should not divorce him.
14For the unbelieving husband is sanctified because of the wife, and the unbelieving wife because of her husband. Otherwise your children are unclean, but now they are holy.
15But if the unbeliever wants a divorce, let it take place. In these circumstances the brother or sister is not bound. God has called you in peace.
16For how do you know, wife, whether you will bring your husband to salvation? Or how do you know, husband, whether you will bring your wife to salvation?
17Nevertheless, as the Lord has assigned to each one, as God has called each person, so must he live. I give this sort of direction in all the churches.
18Was anyone called after he had been circumcised? He should not try to undo his circumcision. Was anyone called who is uncircumcised? He should not get circumcised.
19Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing. Instead, keeping God’s commandments is what counts.
20Let each one remain in that situation in life in which he was called.
21Were you called as a slave? Do not worry about it. But if indeed you are able to be free, make the most of the opportunity.
22For the one who was called in the Lord as a slave is the Lord’s freedman. In the same way, the one who was called as a free person is Christ’s slave.
23You were bought with a price. Do not become slaves of men.
24In whatever situation someone was called, brothers and sisters, let him remain in it with God.
25With regard to the question about people who have never married, I have no command from the Lord, but I give my opinion as one shown mercy by the Lord to be trustworthy.
26Because of the impending crisis I think it best for you to remain as you are.
27The one bound to a wife should not seek divorce. The one released from a wife should not seek marriage.
28But if you marry, you have not sinned. And if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. But those who marry will face difficult circumstances, and I am trying to spare you such problems.
29And I say this, brothers and sisters: The time is short. So then those who have wives should be as those who have none,
30those with tears like those not weeping, those who rejoice like those not rejoicing, those who buy like those without possessions,
31those who use the world as though they were not using it to the full. For the present shape of this world is passing away.
32And I want you to be free from concern. An unmarried man is concerned about the things of the Lord, how to please the Lord.
33But a married man is concerned about the things of the world, how to please his wife,
34and he is divided. An unmarried woman or a virgin is concerned about the things of the Lord, to be holy both in body and spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the things of the world, how to please her husband.
35I am saying this for your benefit, not to place a limitation on you, but so that without distraction you may give notable and constant service to the Lord.
36If anyone thinks he is acting inappropriately toward his virgin, if she is past the bloom of youth and it seems necessary, he should do what he wishes; he does not sin. Let them marry.
37But the man who is firm in his commitment, and is under no necessity but has control over his will, and has decided in his own mind to keep his own virgin, does well.
38So then, the one who marries his own virgin does well, but the one who does not, does better.
39A wife is bound as long as her husband is living. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes (only someone in the Lord).
40But in my opinion, she will be happier if she remains as she is—and I think that I too have the Spirit of God!
1Now concerning the things about which you wrote to me: it is good for a man not to touch a woman.
2But, because of sexual immoralities, let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband.
3Let the husband give his wife the affection owed her, and likewise also the wife her husband.
4The wife doesn’t have authority over her own body, but the husband. Likewise also the husband doesn’t have authority over his own body, but the wife.
5Don’t deprive one another, unless it is by consent for a season, that you may give yourselves to fasting and prayer, and may be together again, that Satan doesn’t tempt you because of your lack of self-control.
6But this I say by way of concession, not of commandment.
7Yet I wish that all men were like me. However each man has his own gift from God, one of this kind, and another of that kind.
8But I say to the unmarried and to widows, it is good for them if they remain even as I am.
9But if they don’t have self-control, let them marry. For it’s better to marry than to burn.
10But to the married I command—not I, but the Lord—that the wife not leave her husband
11(but if she departs, let her remain unmarried, or else be reconciled to her husband), and that the husband not leave his wife.
12But to the rest I—not the Lord—say, if any brother has an unbelieving wife, and she is content to live with him, let him not leave her.
13The woman who has an unbelieving husband, and he is content to live with her, let her not leave her husband.
14For the unbelieving husband is sanctified in the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified in the husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but now they are holy.
15Yet if the unbeliever departs, let there be separation. The brother or the sister is not under bondage in such cases, but God has called us in peace.
16For how do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?
17Only, as the Lord has distributed to each man, as God has called each, so let him walk. So I command in all the assemblies.
18Was anyone called having been circumcised? Let him not become uncircumcised. Has anyone been called in uncircumcision? Let him not be circumcised.
19Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God.
20Let each man stay in that calling in which he was called.
21Were you called being a bondservant? Don’t let that bother you, but if you get an opportunity to become free, use it.
22For he who was called in the Lord being a bondservant is the Lord’s free man. Likewise he who was called being free is Christ’s bondservant.
23You were bought with a price. Don’t become bondservants of men.
24Brothers, let each man, in whatever condition he was called, stay in that condition with God.
25Now concerning virgins, I have no commandment from the Lord, but I give my judgment as one who has obtained mercy from the Lord to be trustworthy.
26Therefore I think that because of the distress that is on us, that it’s good for a man to remain as he is.
27Are you bound to a wife? Don’t seek to be freed. Are you free from a wife? Don’t seek a wife.
28But if you marry, you have not sinned. If a virgin marries, she has not sinned. Yet such will have oppression in the flesh, and I want to spare you.
29But I say this, brothers: the time is short, that from now on, both those who have wives may be as though they had none;
30and those who weep, as though they didn’t weep; and those who rejoice, as though they didn’t rejoice; and those who buy, as though they didn’t possess;
31and those who use the world, as not using it to the fullest. For the mode of this world passes away.
32But I desire to have you to be free from cares. He who is unmarried is concerned for the things of the Lord, how he may please the Lord;
33but he who is married is concerned about the things of the world, how he may please his wife.
34There is also a difference between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman cares about the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit. But she who is married cares about the things of the world—how she may please her husband.
35This I say for your own profit; not that I may ensnare you, but for that which is appropriate, and that you may attend to the Lord without distraction.
36But if any man thinks that he is behaving inappropriately toward his virgin, if she is past the flower of her age, and if need so requires, let him do what he desires. He doesn’t sin. Let them marry.
37But he who stands steadfast in his heart, having no urgency, but has power over his own will, and has determined in his own heart to keep his own virgin, does well.
38So then both he who gives his own virgin in marriage does well, and he who doesn’t give her in marriage does better.
39A wife is bound by law for as long as her husband lives; but if the husband is dead, she is free to be married to whomever she desires, only in the Lord.
40But she is happier if she stays as she is, in my judgment, and I think that I also have God’s Spirit.
Summary
Responding to questions the Corinthians had written to him, Paul addresses marriage, teaching that husbands and wives should give each other their due and not withhold intimacy except briefly by mutual consent for prayer (vv. 1-6). He wishes all had his gift of singleness but recognizes it is not given to everyone, and tells the unmarried and widowed that it is fine to remain single or to marry if they cannot control desire (vv. 7-9). He relays the Lord's instruction that married believers should not divorce, and his own guidance that a believer married to an unbeliever should stay in the marriage unless the unbeliever chooses to leave, since God has called believers to peace (vv. 10-16). His broader principle is that each person should remain in the situation God called them to, whether circumcised or not, slave or free, since outward status matters far less than keeping God's commands (vv. 17-24). Because of the present distress and because the time is short, Paul counsels that it is good to remain as one is, encouraging undivided devotion to the Lord, though he clarifies that marrying is not a sin and that his advice, not a command, is meant for their good (vv. 25-40).
Authorship & Background
Deep Dive
Setting: Paul is still writing from Ephesus, about AD 53–55 (16:8). Chapters 1–4 dealt with the church's divisions, and chapters 5–6 with reports Paul had heard: a man living with his father's wife, believers suing each other in pagan courts, and church members visiting prostitutes, all answered with "flee from sexual immorality" and "you were bought with a price" (6:18–20). Now the letter turns. The Corinthians had written to Paul with questions, probably carried by Stephanas, Fortunatus and Achaicus (16:17), and from here to chapter 16 he works through them. "Now concerning" (peri de) marks each new topic (7:1, 25; 8:1; 12:1; 16:1, 12). The first is marriage and sex. A church where some said "all things are lawful" about the body (6:12) apparently had others swinging the opposite way, toward the idea that real spirituality means no sex at all, even inside marriage. Paul answers both mistakes.
Principles for Marriage (vv1–16)
- "It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman" (v1). The ESV puts this in quotation marks because most scholars think it is a line from the Corinthians' own letter, which Paul quotes and then qualifies, as he did with "all things are lawful" (6:12). The Greek is literally "not to touch a woman," as the ESV footnote notes, a polite idiom for sexual relations also found in the Greek Old Testament (Gen 20:6; Prov 6:29). Paul grants there is something good in the single life (vv7–8, 26), but he will not let the slogan become a rule for husbands and wives.
- "Each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband" (v2). "Because of the temptation to sexual immorality" is literally "because of the immoralities," plural. After chapters 5–6, Paul is realistic about Corinth. This is not his whole view of marriage, which elsewhere pictures Christ and the church (Eph 5:31–32). It is the reason that fits this question.
- "The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband" (v3). The word (opheilē) means a debt, what is owed. Later manuscripts soften it to "due benevolence," the KJV wording. Notice the balance: almost every instruction in this chapter is given to both husband and wife, in pairs. In a world that took a husband's sexual freedom for granted and not a wife's, that evenness was striking.
- "The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise the husband…" (v4). The verb (exousiazō) is the one in 6:12, "I will not be dominated by anything." Each spouse hands authority over his or her body to the other. The first half would have sounded normal to ancient readers. The second half would not. This is mutual self-giving, never permission to demand or force.
- "Do not deprive one another" (v5). Apostereō means to defraud or rob, the same verb as "defraud" in 6:7–8. Holding back from a spouse is treated as a kind of theft. The one exception has three conditions: by agreement (symphōnos, our "symphony"), for a limited time, and for prayer. Then "come together again," because Satan exploits a long, strained abstinence. Later manuscripts add "fasting and" before "prayer," as in the KJV.
- "As a concession, not a command" (v6). "This" most likely points back to the temporary abstinence of v5. Paul allows it. He does not require it.
- "Each has his own gift from God" (v7). Paul was single when he wrote (9:5). Whether he had ever married is unknown. Some guess he was a widower, but the text never says. "Gift" is charisma, the word for spiritual gifts in 12:4–11, a free gift of grace. Paul treats both singleness and marriage as gifts, "one of one kind and one of another."
- "It is better to marry than to burn with passion" (vv8–9). To widowers and widows, Paul commends staying single, but not at any price. Pyroō is to be set on fire, and the lexicon lists this verse as a figurative use for lust. A person consumed by desire should not pretend to a gift he or she does not have.
- "Not I, but the Lord" (vv10–11). Here Paul has Jesus' own teaching (Mark 10:9–12; Matt 5:32; 19:3–9; Luke 16:18). The wife should not "separate" (chōrizō), the husband should not "divorce" (aphiēmi, send away). Under Greek and Roman law either partner could end a marriage simply by leaving, with no court involved, and the lexicon lists chōrizō as a word used of divorce. So both verbs mean divorce in practice. "But if she does" admits that it happens even among believers. Paul then gives two options only: stay unmarried, or be reconciled.
- "I, not the Lord" (vv12–13). Jesus had spoken to Jews married to Jews, so he left no saying on believers married to unbelievers. Paul speaks with an apostle's authority (v40). The rule is the same: the believer should not be the one to leave. Becoming a Christian does not dissolve a marriage.
- "The unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife" (v14). The Corinthians may have feared that a pagan spouse defiled the believer, the way 6:15–16 warned about a prostitute. Paul turns it around. Hagiazō means to set apart for God, and the lexicon flags this verse as a special case. It cannot mean the spouse is saved by association, because v16 says the spouse still needs saving. It means the marriage is clean in God's sight and the unbeliever is placed under a holy influence. The children too "are holy," within the circle of God's people. Reformed and Presbyterian readers often cite this in support of infant baptism, and Baptists reply that it speaks of holiness by relationship. The verse itself mentions no baptism.
- "If the unbelieving partner separates, let it be so" (v15). The believer is not to cling or fight to keep a spouse who has chosen to go. "Not enslaved" is douloō, to be held in bondage, a stronger word than the ordinary "bound" (deō) Paul uses for the marriage tie in vv27 and 39. "God has called you to peace" (some manuscripts read "us").
- The main views on divorce and remarriage. Faithful Christians read vv10–16 differently. Many early church writers, and Roman Catholic teaching today, hold that a valid Christian marriage cannot be dissolved, so separated believers may not remarry while a spouse lives. Catholic canon law does recognize the "Pauline privilege," drawn from this verse, which lets a convert remarry when the unbaptized spouse departs. The Reformation confessions (the Westminster Confession, for example) and most evangelicals hold that sexual unfaithfulness (Matt 19:9) and desertion by an unbelieving spouse (v15) end the marriage and leave the innocent party free to remarry. Some scholars go further and read v15 as a wider principle covering abandonment or abuse. All agree Paul's aim is to keep marriages together wherever possible.
- "How do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband?" (v16). Two readings. Hopeful: stay, because the spouse may come to faith (1 Pet 3:1). Realistic: do not cling to a departing spouse on the hope of converting him, because there is no guarantee. The Tyndale notes allow both. The first fits vv12–14, the second fits v15.
- Commentators: Guzik reads v1 as the Corinthians' own statement and thinks some were urging abstinence even within marriage. He notes, correctly by the lexicon, that "deprive" in v5 is the verb of 6:8 and "gift" in v7 the word for spiritual gifts in chapter 12. JFB calls v4 "A paradox. She hath not power over her body, and yet it is her own," and explains "burn" as "with the secret flame of lust, which lays waste the whole inner man." Henry, on v12: "It does not mean that the apostle spoke without authority from the Lord." On v14 he calls the children "a holy, not a common and unclean seed," and JFB agrees that "those inseparably connected with the people of God are hallowed thereby." On v15 they part ways. Henry says "the deserted person must be free to marry again," and Guzik also reads "not under bondage" as freedom to remarry. JFB reads it more narrowly, that the believer "is not bound to renounce the faith for the sake of retaining her unbelieving husband," and the Tyndale notes say only that the believer may let the spouse go.
Live as You Are Called (vv17–24)
- "Let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him" (v17). Paul widens the lens. Some form of the word "call" appears nine times in vv17–24. Becoming a Christian does not require changing one's marriage, ethnicity or social position to be acceptable to God. "This is my rule in all the churches" (4:17).
- "Let him not seek to remove the marks of circumcision" (v18). This was a real practice. Some Jewish men in the Greek world had surgery to disguise circumcision so they could appear at the gymnasium without mockery (1 Maccabees 1:14–15). Paul tells Jewish believers not to erase their identity and Gentile believers not to take it on (Gal 5:2–6).
- "Neither circumcision counts for anything nor uncircumcision, but keeping the commandments of God" (v19). A startling line from a Jew, since circumcision was itself commanded (Gen 17). The covenant sign no longer marks who belongs. What matters is obedience from the heart, "faith working through love" (Gal 5:6).
- "Were you a bondservant when called? Do not be concerned about it" (v21). Slaves were a large part of Corinth's population and very likely of the church (1:26). A slave's faith was not second-rate. Then a terse Greek clause, literally "but if you are able to become free, rather use it." "It" could mean the freedom, as the ESV takes it, or the present condition of slavery, the view of Chrysostom. Most modern translations take the first, since "if you can gain your freedom" leads naturally to "take it."
- "A freedman of the Lord… a bondservant of Christ" (v22). Paul flips the categories. A believing slave has already been freed in the way that matters most (John 8:36). A believing free man now has a Master (Rom 6:22).
- "You were bought with a price; do not become bondservants of men" (v23). The same words as 6:20, drawn from the slave market. Christ paid for his people with his blood (1 Pet 1:18–19). They should not hand themselves to human masters, whether by selling themselves into debt slavery or by becoming slaves to human opinion and party leaders, the problem of chapters 1–4.
- "There let him remain with God" (v24). The key words are "with God." Paul is not freezing people in place. He is denying that a change of circumstances is the path to holiness.
- Commentators: Guzik draws the line from circumcision to marriage: if even circumcision counts for nothing beside obedience, married or single is no measure of spirituality. He adds that this never means staying in a sinful occupation. JFB: "The heavenly calling does not set aside our earthly callings." On v21 JFB weighs both readings, grants that the context favors staying a slave, but concludes, "I prefer this latter view, as more according to the tenor of the Gospel," that is, taking freedom when offered. Henry agrees: "There are many conveniences in a state of freedom above that of servitude." On v22 JFB adds, "Love makes Christ's service perfect freedom."
The Unmarried and the Widowed (vv25–40)
- "Now concerning the betrothed" (v25). Another question from their letter. The Greek is "the virgins" (parthenos). The lexicon shows the word can describe chaste men too (Rev 14:4), so Paul may mean never-married people of both sexes. Jesus left no saying on this, so Paul gives his "judgment" as one made "trustworthy" by the Lord's mercy (1 Tim 1:12–13). This is counsel, not law.
- "In view of the present distress" (v26). Anankē can mean necessity, but the lexicon lists this verse with Luke 21:23, where it means hardship. Paul may mean a particular crisis. Some scholars point to grain shortages known in Greece in the early 50s. Others think he means the troubles that mark the whole time before Christ returns.
- "Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be free" (vv27–28). "Bound" is deō, the lexicon's word for the marriage bond (Rom 7:2). The advice runs both ways: the married should not look for a way out, and the free should not rush in. "If you do marry, you have not sinned." Marriage brings "worldly troubles," literally "trouble in the flesh," the weight of a household in hard times, and Paul would spare them that.
- "The appointed time has grown very short" (v29). Systellō means to draw together or shorten. It is used in Acts 5:6 for wrapping a body for burial, and in classical Greek for shortening sail. Some say Paul was simply wrong about Christ's return. But he sets no date, and what he says is true of every generation since the resurrection: history is pressing toward its end (Rom 13:11–12).
- "Let those who have wives live as though they had none" (vv29–31). Five "as though not" phrases: wives, mourning, rejoicing, buying, dealing with the world. This cannot mean neglecting a spouse, which would contradict vv3–5. It means holding everything with an open hand. Some Stoics taught a similar detachment to protect themselves from pain. Paul's reason is different: "the present form of this world is passing away." "Form" is schēma, outward shape, the word in Philippians 2:8, and the verb is present tense. The world's present shape is already passing (1 John 2:17).
- "The unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord" (vv32–34). The word for "anxious" (merimnaō) runs through these verses, the word of Jesus' "do not be anxious about your life" (Matt 6:25). Paul is not saying married people care about the wrong things. Caring for a spouse is right (vv3–4). He means their attention is necessarily "divided."
- "Not to lay any restraint upon you" (v35). "Restraint" (brochos) is a noose or halter, and the lexicon confirms it means a restraint here, not a snare. Paul is not lassoing anyone into celibacy. His aim is "undivided devotion," a word (aperispastōs) found only here in the New Testament and meaning "without distraction," the opposite of Martha "distracted with much serving" (Luke 10:40).
- The hardest paragraph (vv36–38). The Greek speaks of "a man" and "his virgin," and translations divide over who they are. The older view (KJV, NASB, and most commentators until the 20th century) is a father deciding whether to give his daughter in marriage. It draws on v38's gamizō, "give in marriage" (the verb in Matt 22:30), and on ancient custom. The ESV, NIV and most modern versions see an engaged man deciding whether to go ahead with the wedding, which suits "his passions are strong" and "let them marry." A third view sees a couple who had agreed to live together without sex, a later church practice with little evidence this early. The word the ESV renders "if his passions are strong" (hyperakmos) shows the problem: the lexicon gives "past the bloom of youth," which suits an aging daughter, but the classical sense "sexually well-developed" can describe a man's desire. On any view the teaching is the same: marrying "does well," and remaining single, for one who is settled and under no pressure, "will do even better."
- "A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives" (v39). Death ends a marriage, and a widow "is free to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord," which most read, with the Tyndale notes, as marrying a believer (2 Cor 6:14).
- "I think that I too have the Spirit of God" (v40). "Happier" is makarios, the "blessed" of the Beatitudes. The closing line is quietly ironic. Some at Corinth claimed special spiritual insight. Paul's "I too" suggests his counsel is no less spiritual than theirs.
- Commentators: Guzik thinks a local crisis lies behind "the present distress," while JFB takes it more broadly as "the distresses to which believers were then beginning to be subjected." On v29 Henry writes, "It is contracted, reduced to a narrow compass," and Guzik borrows the Puritan Trapp's picture of sails rolled up. The lexicon supports that as a classical use of the verb, though here it simply means "shortened." JFB: "We ought to consider nothing as our own in real or permanent possession." Henry: "The world may be used, but must not be abused." On vv36–38 Guzik and JFB both take the man to be a father, JFB saying he "is not treating his daughter well in leaving her unmarried beyond the flower of her age." Henry mentions the father reading as the common one but prefers, following Locke and Whitby, that "his virgin" means the man's own virginity. The lexicon allows parthenos of a chaste man, though Henry admits the usage is unusual. Guzik insists neither state is more spiritual and faults both enforced clerical celibacy and churches that will not ordain single people. On v39 Henry: "Marriages are likely to have God's blessing only when they are made in the Lord."
Pointing to Christ
Paul measures everything in this chapter by belonging to Christ. Spouses give themselves to each other because their bodies were "bought with a price." Slaves are free and free men are slaves because Christ is the Master who paid for both. The single can give him undivided attention, and the married serve him in a divided but holy calling. Marriage, so carefully guarded here, points to Christ's faithful love for his church, a bride he will never send away. Nothing in this world can be held too tightly because its present form is passing, and he is not. The Lord who said "what God has joined together, let not man separate" has joined his people to himself, and that union outlasts every other.
Commentary
- Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik examines marriage, singleness, divorce, mixed marriages, and contentment in one's calling.
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871): blueletterbible.org A critical and explanatory commentary on the whole Bible, more concise than Matthew Henry and closer to the Hebrew and Greek, with attention to historical and geographical detail. Public domain.
- Matthew Henry's Exposition (1710): blueletterbible.org A devotional verse-by-verse commentary in the Puritan tradition, still among the most widely read three centuries on. Public domain.
Videos
Articles
- GotQuestions.org: gotquestions.org On the whole book: an overview of the book of 1 Corinthians -- who wrote it, when, why, and how it fits the rest of Scripture.
Links open on the publisher's own site. Nothing here is reproduced on this page.
Reflection
- Marriage and Singleness as Gifts (v.7) — Paul says each person has their own gift from God, whether that's marriage or singleness. Are you stewarding your current relational status as a gift from God, or resenting it as a limitation?
- Called to Peace in Hard Relationships (v.15) — In the difficult case of a believer married to an unbeliever who chooses to leave, Paul says God has called us to peace. Where do you need to pursue peace rather than conflict in a strained or broken relationship?
- Contentment in Your Present Calling (v.20) — Paul instructs believers to remain in the situation they were in when God called them, rather than constantly chasing different circumstances. Where do you need to find contentment and "bloom where you're planted" instead of always wanting a different life?
- Bought With a Price, Free From Human Pressure (v.23) — Paul reminds believers that they were purchased by God and therefore should not become slaves to human opinion or expectation. Whose approval are you actually living for — God's, or the people around you?
- Living With Urgency Because Time Is Short (vv.29-31) — Paul urges believers to hold everything in this passing world loosely because time is short and its present form is fading away. Are you gripping the things of this life tightly, or holding them with open hands?
- Undivided Devotion to the Lord (v.35) — Paul explains that singleness can allow for undistracted devotion to the Lord. Whatever your situation, married or single, how are you protecting your devotion to Christ from being crowded out by other demands?