1 Cor 7

 

Footnotes

1. 7:1 Or “not to marry.” The Aramaic can be translated “It is proper for a husband not to have intimacy with his wife at times.” Paul now responds to a series of questions posed by the church of Corinth.
2. 7:2 Or “because of immoralities” or “because of prostitutions.”
3. 7:3 The Aramaic (and a few of the oldest Greek manuscripts) can be translated “The husband should pay back the love he owes to his wife and the wife to her husband.”
4. 7:5 Some later manuscripts add “and fasting.”
5. 7:5 Or “[lack of] self-control.”
6. 7:6 Or “concession.” There are at least two ways this could be interpreted: (1) Paul is saying that to be married is advisable but not commanded. This seems the most likely because of v. 7. (2) Paul is referring to the preceding paragraph, especially regarding the advice of abstinence during seasons of prayer.
7. 7:7 The Aramaic can be translated “I wish that all humanity lived in purity as I do.” It is possible that Paul was once married and became a widower. Some suggest he had to have been married at the time he persecuted the early church, since only married men could be part of the Sanhedrin and cast a vote. However, there is evidence that some Jewish leaders during his time were committed to celibacy. See Acts 26:10.
8. 7:7 Both being single and being married require a special grace from God.
9. 7:9 Or “better than to have a fire ever smoldering within them.”
10. 7:10 Paul is not stating that there is an opposition between what he says, in his teaching as an apostle, and what the Lord says. He is taking our Lord’s own teaching from Mark 10:5–12 and bringing it to the people.
11. 7:14 Or “The unbelieving husband is made holy because of the wife, and the unbelieving wife because of her husband.” By implication, Paul is making the point that in marriages where one is a believer and one an unbeliever, the spouses should remain together, for the righteous faith of a believer makes the marriage holy. Apparently, because of their desire to serve Christ, some of the Corinthians who had pagan spouses thought it would be best to divorce their spouses and find believing ones. Paul corrects that error and affirms the marriage covenant.
12. 7:14 In the concepts of the Old Testament, the entire family is in covenant with God. Therefore, the children of even one believing parent are set apart for God.
13. 7:15 Or “enslaved.”
14. 7:16 Translators are almost equally divided over making this an optimistic possibility versus a pessimistic one. If the pessimistic choice of grammar is chosen, the verse could be translated “Wife, how do you know that you will save your husband? And husband, how do you know that you will save your wife?” Which would infer “It’s no use hanging on to a marriage with no hope of converting the unbelieving spouse, for how do you know it would ever happen?” Though both are possible, this translation has chosen the optimistic possibility.
15. 7:17 Or “in all the churches.”
16. 7:19 Or “Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing.” No doubt this statement was a tremendous shock to the Corinthians. To the Jews it would be earthshaking, for circumcision was the outward sign of God’s covenant with Abraham and his descendants. Paul, as elsewhere, places the emphasis not on outer things but on an inward transformation that longs to please God.
17. 7:20 Paul is teaching that no matter what a person’s situation is in life, the real change needed is not just in circumstances, but in a heart that is willing to be faithful to God in all things. We often wish we could be in different circumstances instead of looking for opportunities to serve God where we are.
18. 7:25 Or “virgins.”
19. 7:25 Or “one who has been mercied.”
20. 7:26 Or “impending crisis.” Some scholars believe this severe pressure could refer to the great famine of AD 51, while others view it as imminent persecution.
21. 7:27 The Aramaic can be translated “If you are divorced, don’t seek marriage.”
22. 7:28 Or “If you [men] do get married it is not sin, and if a [female] virgin marries, she hasn’t sinned.” This translation combines both statements with brothers and sisters.
23. 7:33 The Aramaic can be translated “to beautify.”
24. 7:36 This is arguably one of the most difficult verses to translate in all the New Testament. You will find many possible translations and interpretations of this passage, which is loaded with cultural implications for the first-century church. Consulting a variety of translations is recommended.