1 Corinthians 7

Now about the things you wrote to me: it is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.

1Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman.

NotePaul is replying point by point to a letter the Corinthians had sent him; phrases like "Now concerning" mark where he takes up each of their questions. "Touch a woman" is a Greek idiom for sexual relations, not for physical contact in general. Many readers of the Greek take the whole sentence to be a slogan Paul is quoting back from the Corinthians' own letter before he qualifies it.

2But because there is so much sexual sin, each man should have his own wife, and each woman should have her own husband.

2Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband.

Note"Fornication" translates porneia, a broad term covering sexual activity outside marriage of every kind, not one narrow offense.

3The husband should give his wife what he owes her as her husband, and the wife should do the same for her husband.

3Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband.

Note"Due benevolence" sounds in modern English like kindness or generosity, but the Greek is the language of debt: what each partner owes the other, here sexual relations. The oldest manuscripts read simply "what is owed."

4The wife does not have authority over her own body; her husband does. In the same way, the husband does not have authority over his own body; his wife does.

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.

5Do not hold back from each other, unless you both agree to it for a while, so you can give your time to fasting and prayer. Then come together again, so Satan will not tempt you because you lack self-control.

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.

Note"Defraud" here means deprive or withhold, not cheat someone financially. "Incontinency" is an old word for lack of self-control and has no connection to the modern medical sense. The words "fasting and" are absent from the earliest manuscripts, which read only "prayer."

6I say this as something allowed, not as a command.

6But I speak this by permission, and not of commandment.

Note"By permission" means as a concession, something conceded rather than commanded. What "this" points back to is disputed: either the temporary abstinence just described, or the advice to marry at all.

7I wish that everyone were like I am. But each person has his own gift from God; one has one kind, and another has another kind.

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.

Note"Proper" in 1611 English means one's own, belonging to that person. It does not mean suitable or correct.

8So I say to those who are not married and to widows: it is good for them to stay single, as I am.

8I say therefore to the unmarried and widows, It is good for them if they abide even as I.

Note"The unmarried" translates a word meaning simply not currently married. Widows are named separately, so the group probably includes the widowed and divorced as well as those who never married.

9But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry. It is better to marry than to burn with desire.

9But if they cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn.

Note"Contain" in 1611 English means to hold oneself in, to keep control of oneself. "Burn" is burning with sexual desire.

10To those who are married I give this command, and it is not mine but the Lord's: a wife must not leave her husband.

10And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from her husband:

NotePaul is marking a distinction he keeps up through this section: here he passes on a ruling he traces to a saying of Jesus, while in verse 12 he gives his own judgment on a situation no such saying covers.

11But if she does leave, she must stay unmarried, or else make peace with her husband. And a husband must not divorce his wife.

11But and if she depart, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband: and let not the husband put away his wife.

Note"Put away" is the standard KJV expression for divorcing a wife. The wife "departing" and the husband "putting away" are most likely the same act described from each side, not two different legal procedures; in the Greek world a wife could end a marriage by leaving it.

12To the rest I say this, and it is me speaking, not the Lord: if a Christian man has a wife who does not believe, and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her.

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.

Note"Brother" here means a fellow Christian, not a blood relative. "The rest" are couples where only one partner has become a believer, a situation that would arise constantly in a new congregation.

13And if a woman has a husband who does not believe, and he is willing to live with her, she must not leave him.

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 husband who does not believe is set apart by his wife, and the wife who does not believe is set apart by her husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy.

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.

Note"Sanctified," "holy" and "unclean" are borrowed from Jewish purity vocabulary. Holy means set apart for God; unclean means standing outside that sphere. Neither word means dirty, and "unclean" children would not mean illegitimate ones.

15But if the one who does not believe leaves, let him go. In cases like that, the Christian man or woman is not tied down. God has called us to live in peace.

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.

Note"Not under bondage" means not bound, not held to the obligation just described. The KJV wording suggests slavery, and the Greek verb here is a different word from the one translated "bound" in verse 39.

16Wife, how do you know whether you will save your husband? Husband, how do you know whether you will save your wife?

16For what knowest thou, O wife, whether thou shalt save thy husband? or how knowest thou, O man, whether thou shalt save thy wife?

NoteThe Greek can be read two ways, and it does not settle which is meant. Hopefully: "who knows, you may yet save your husband," which argues for staying. Or discouragingly: "how can you be sure you will save him?", which argues for letting the unbeliever go.

17Each person should live the life God has given him, in the situation the Lord called him in. This is the rule I give in all the churches.

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.

Note"Ordain" here means lay down as a rule or direct; it has nothing to do with ordaining ministers. "Walk" is a standard biblical idiom for how a person conducts his life.

18Was a man already circumcised when God called him? He should not try to undo it. Was a man uncircumcised when he was called? He should not get circumcised.

18Is any man called being circumcised? let him not become uncircumcised. Is any called in uncircumcision? let him not be circumcised.

NoteCircumcision, the cutting away of the foreskin, was the bodily mark of belonging to Israel. "Become uncircumcised" refers to a real surgical procedure, called epispasm, by which Jewish men stretched or restored the foreskin. The usual motive was to avoid being recognized as a Jew at the gymnasium or the baths, where men exercised and bathed naked.

19Being circumcised means nothing, and not being circumcised means nothing. What counts is keeping God's commands.

19Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God.

20Each person should stay in the same situation he was in when God called him.

20Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called.

21Were you a slave when God called you? Do not let it trouble you. But if you can gain your freedom, take it.

21Art thou called being a servant? care not for it: but if thou mayest be made free, use it rather.

Note"Servant" in this passage translates doulos, a slave who is legally owned property, not a hired worker. The second sentence is one of the most disputed in the letter: the Greek says only "rather use," with no object supplied, so it can mean "take your freedom instead" or "make use of your present condition instead." Translators divide, and the rendering here picks one side.

22For the one who was a slave when the Lord called him is now the Lord's free man. In the same way, the one who was free when he was called is Christ's slave.

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.

NoteA "freeman" in the KJV sense is a freedman, a slave who has been legally released. Under Roman law a freedman kept lasting obligations to his former owner, who became his patron, so the word carries the memory of the slavery it ended.

23You were bought at a price. Do not become slaves of people.

23Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men.

Note"Bought with a price" is slave market language: the sum paid to acquire a person, or the sum paid to purchase a slave's freedom.

24Brothers and sisters, each person should stay with God in the situation he was in when he was called.

24Brethren, let every man, wherein he is called, therein abide with God.

25Now about those who have never married: I have no command from the Lord, but I give my own judgment, as someone the Lord in his mercy has made trustworthy.

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.

Note"Virgins" translates parthenos, which can mean an unmarried woman generally or specifically a woman engaged to be married. Who exactly is in view runs as a question through verse 38. "Faithful" here means trustworthy or reliable, not full of faith.

26Because of the hard times we are in right now, I think it is good for a person to stay as he is.

26I suppose therefore that this is good for the present distress, I say, that it is good for a man so to be.

Note"The present distress" translates a word meaning pressure, constraint or crisis. It may point to a particular hardship then pressing on Corinth, such as a famine or local hostility, or to the general pressure of an age Paul thinks is running out. The Greek does not specify.

27Are you tied to a wife? Do not look for a way out. Are you free of a wife? Do not go looking for one.

27Art thou bound unto a wife? seek not to be loosed. Art thou loosed from a wife? seek not a wife.

Note"Bound" and "loosed" are ordinary words for tied and untied. "Loosed from a wife" need not mean divorced or widowed; it can simply mean unattached.

28But if you do marry, you have not sinned. And if a woman who has never married gets married, she has not sinned. Still, people who marry will have trouble in this life, and I would rather spare you that.

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.

Note"Trouble in the flesh" means hardship in ordinary bodily life, not moral corruption. In the KJV "flesh" often just means human existence with its physical needs and limits. "I spare you" means Paul wants to spare them that hardship, though some read it as Paul sparing them the details of what it involves.

29What I mean, brothers and sisters, is that the time is short. From now on, those who have wives should live as if they had none;

29But this I say, brethren, the time is short: it remaineth, that both they that have wives be as though they had none;

Note"The time is short" renders a verb meaning drawn together or compressed, the picture of a sail being furled or cloth gathered in. The point is that the remaining interval has been shortened, not simply that life goes by quickly.

30those who are crying, as if they were not crying; those who are glad, as if they were not glad; those who buy something, as if it were not theirs to keep;

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 those who use the things of this world, as if they were not tied to them. For the world as we see it now is passing away.

31And they that use this world, as not abusing it: for the fashion of this world passeth away.

Note"Abusing" is a false friend. In 1611 it meant using up or using to the full, making the most of something; it did not mean mistreating. "The fashion of this world" translates schema, the outward form or arrangement of things, close to the set of a stage that is about to be struck.

32I want you to be free from worry. A man who is not married cares about the Lord's work, and how to please the Lord.

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:

Note"Carefulness" in 1611 English means anxiety, being full of care. The same root gives "careth" in the verses that follow, where it means being preoccupied with something or taken up by it, not being fond of it.

33But a married man cares about the things of this world, and how to please his wife.

33But he that is married careth for the things that are of the world, how he may please his wife.

34There is also a difference between a married woman and one who has never married. The unmarried woman cares about the Lord's work, so she may be holy in body and in spirit. But the married woman cares about the things of this world, and how to please her husband.

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.

NoteThe manuscripts and the ancient punctuation divide here. The phrase translated "is divided" can attach to the end of verse 33, making the point that the married man is pulled two ways, or to the start of verse 34, making the point that there is a difference between a wife and a virgin. The KJV follows the second option; most modern translations follow the first.

35I say this for your own good, not to tie you down, but so that you may live in a proper way and give yourselves to the Lord without anything pulling you away.

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.

Note"Cast a snare upon you" is the image of throwing a noose or net over someone to restrict his movement. "Comely" means seemly or fitting, proper in bearing and conduct.

36But if a man thinks he is not treating the young woman in his care properly, and she is past the best years for marrying, and it needs to happen, he should do what he wants. He is not sinning. They should marry.

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.

NoteThis is the most disputed passage in the chapter. "His virgin" may be the man's fiancee, or a daughter whose marriage he is responsible for arranging, or a woman he shares a household with but does not sleep with. The Greek does not say which. "If she pass the flower of her age" translates a single word that may describe the woman as past the usual age for marrying, or may describe the man as at the peak of his sexual urges. The rendering chooses one reading out of several defensible ones.

37But the man whose mind is firmly settled, who is under no pressure, who has control over his own choices, and who has decided in his heart to keep her as she is, does well.

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.

Note"Keep his virgin" means keep her as she is, that is unmarried, rather than keep her for himself. "Having no necessity" means being under no compulsion or pressure of circumstance.

38So the man who gives her in marriage does well, and the man who does not give her in marriage does better.

38So then he that giveth her in marriage doeth well; but he that giveth her not in marriage doeth better.

NoteThe verb translated "giveth in marriage" can mean give a woman in marriage, which fits a father, or simply marry her, which fits a fiance. Which sense is right depends on how verse 36 is taken.

39A wife is bound to her husband by law as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wants, as long as he belongs to the Lord.

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.

Note"Bound by the law" means held by binding obligation; the words "by the law" are missing from the oldest manuscripts, which read simply "bound." "Only in the Lord" is compressed in the Greek. It is usually taken to mean she must marry a fellow Christian, though it can be read as meaning she should marry in a way consistent with her faith.

40In my judgment, though, she is happier if she stays as she is. And I think that I too have the Spirit of God.

40But she is happier if she so abide, after my judgment: and I think also that I have the Spirit of God.

Note"Happier" translates a word closer to more fortunate or better off than to more cheerful. The closing sentence is deliberately understated in Greek, and many readers hear a note of irony in it aimed at Corinthians who claimed the Spirit for their own opinions.