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1 Corinthians 7

KJV · Chapter 7/16

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.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

Answering specific questions from the church, Paul offers counsel on marriage, celibacy, divorce, and remaining in the state in which each person was called by God. He values both marriage and celibacy as different gifts.

Explanation

This chapter responds to a letter the Corinthians themselves had sent to Paul, likely influenced by currents that either rejected marriage as something inferior or treated it with license. Paul presents a balanced view: marriage is good and involves mutual duties of care, but celibacy dedicated to God's service is also a valid gift, especially given the hardships of that time. He repeats the principle that each person should remain, whenever possible, in the state in which they were called, without anxiously seeking to change their social or marital condition. Today's practical lesson is that both marriage and single life can be full paths of service to God, with neither superior to the other.

Fun facts

  • The mention of 'the present distress' (v.26) likely refers to a concrete crisis Corinth was facing at the time — possibly famine or persecution — which made marriage more costly at that particular moment.
  • This is one of the most cited texts in Christian debates about marriage and celibacy throughout history, including a direct influence on the tradition of priestly celibacy in some churches.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. 1 Corinthians 7:1Paul is answering a letter the Corinthians had sent him — “now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me” — which is why this chapter deals only with their specific questions. The phrase “it is good for a man not to touch a woman” may even be a quotation from their letter, reflecting a current in the church that considered marriage inferior to single life.
  2. 1 Corinthians 7:2Answering the idea that “it is good not to touch a woman” (v. 1), Paul gives practical advice for most people: because of the risk of sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband — marriage is the answer.
  3. 1 Corinthians 7:3Within marriage, Paul calls for sexual reciprocity: husband and wife owe each other the same consideration, without either side imposing abstinence on the other on their own.
  4. 1 Corinthians 7:4An unusual idea for the time: within marriage, neither the husband nor the wife has exclusive power over his or her own body — each one “belongs” also to the spouse, balancing the authority on both sides.
  5. 1 Corinthians 7:5Paul treats the body within marriage as something belonging equally to both spouses. He allows agreed-upon pauses for prayer, but warns they should not be long, so as not to open the door to temptation.
  6. 1 Corinthians 7:6Paul makes clear that permitting agreed-upon pauses for prayer (v. 5) is his suggestion, not a binding command — the first sign in the letter that he distinguishes his personal advice from a commandment of the Lord.
  7. 1 Corinthians 7:7Paul wishes everyone could live single as he does, but he recognizes that this is a specific gift from God, not something to impose on everyone — each person receives a different calling.
  8. 1 Corinthians 7:8To the unmarried and widows, Paul gives his personal opinion: it would be good to remain unmarried, as he does — but this is advice, not a fixed rule for everyone.
  9. 1 Corinthians 7:9If a person cannot manage sexual self-control well, Paul recommends marriage, because it is better to marry than to be consumed by repressed desire.
  10. 1 Corinthians 7:10Here Paul marks the distinction that guides the whole chapter: on not separating from one’s spouse, he cites a direct command from Jesus Himself, not his own opinion.
  11. 1 Corinthians 7:11The Lord’s command continues: if separation has already happened, the person should remain unmarried or be reconciled — divorce followed by remarriage is not the solution recommended here.
  12. 1 Corinthians 7:12Paul now switches to speaking “I, not the Lord” — a case Jesus did not address directly: a mixed marriage with an unbelieving spouse. If the unbeliever is willing to keep living with the believer, the believer should not separate.
  13. 1 Corinthians 7:13He repeats the same instruction for the reverse case, of a believing woman married to an unbelieving husband who is willing to continue the marriage.
  14. 1 Corinthians 7:14“Sanctified” here does not mean “saved,” but something like “set apart,” within the protection of the Christian family. Paul reassures those married to an unbelieving spouse: the union and the children are not made “unclean” because of it.
  15. 1 Corinthians 7:15But if it is the unbelieving spouse who wants to separate, the believer is set free — God called the church to live in peace, not bound to a marriage the other party no longer wants to keep.
  16. 1 Corinthians 7:16He explains why he does not insist on staying in a marriage the unbeliever wants to end: there is no guarantee that staying will lead the spouse to conversion, so that is no reason to hold anyone against their will.
  17. 1 Corinthians 7:17A general rule closing this section: each person should live according to the situation in which God called them, without trying to force sudden changes. Paul says he teaches this in every church.
  18. 1 Corinthians 7:18The first example of this rule: circumcision. Whoever was called by Christ already circumcised need not try to “undo” it; whoever was uncircumcised need not be circumcised now.
  19. 1 Corinthians 7:19“Circumcision” was the ritual cutting that marked a man as a Jew under the covenant with Abraham. Paul says that for a Christian, that has stopped being what matters — what counts is keeping the commandments of God, whether the person is circumcised or not.
  20. 1 Corinthians 7:20He sums up the principle: let each one remain in the condition, in the calling, they were in when God reached them — there is no need to change social or religious status to be truly Christian.
  21. 1 Corinthians 7:21Paul is writing in a society where slavery was common and legal. He does not order anyone here to free their slaves, but he tells the Christian slave himself not to be troubled by his condition, though he should take advantage of freedom if it becomes available.
  22. 1 Corinthians 7:22A second example: slavery, common in Roman society. A slave called by Christ is spiritually free before the Lord; a free man called by Christ spiritually becomes Christ’s servant.
  23. 1 Corinthians 7:23He reinforces the point: believers “are bought with a price” (the death of Christ), so they should not become slaves to human standards of status or to other people’s opinions.
  24. 1 Corinthians 7:24He repeats the chapter’s refrain: each one should remain before God in the condition in which they were called, without being troubled trying to change social category in order to be more spiritual.
  25. 1 Corinthians 7:25On “virgins” (unmarried young women, or engaged couples not yet married), Paul admits he has no commandment from the Lord — he gives only his personal judgment, as someone the Lord has made trustworthy.
  26. 1 Corinthians 7:26His opinion, considering the “present distress” (a likely coming crisis or persecution), is that staying as one is, without marrying, is good for that specific time.
  27. 1 Corinthians 7:27He advises case by case: whoever is already married should not seek to be released; whoever is free of marriage should not seek a wife — each situation left as it is for now.
  28. 1 Corinthians 7:28But he makes clear that marrying is not a sin — whoever marries has done nothing wrong; they will only face the practical troubles of married life, which Paul wants to spare them.
  29. 1 Corinthians 7:29He explains the urgency of the advice: the time is short (given the expectation of persecution or Christ’s return), so even married people should live without clinging too tightly to this world’s priorities.
  30. 1 Corinthians 7:30He continues the list of “as though not”: living through life’s emotions and possessions — sorrow, joy, property — without letting them take over, because none of it is permanent.
  31. 1 Corinthians 7:31He closes the reasoning: use the things of this world without clinging to them, because the present form of this world is passing away — this is no time to hold on to structures that will not last.
  32. 1 Corinthians 7:32Paul wants to spare the Corinthians excessive worry: the unmarried person can focus all their attention on pleasing the Lord, without the divided concerns marriage naturally brings.
  33. 1 Corinthians 7:33The married person, on the other hand, must also care about the things of this world, especially pleasing their spouse — this is not a flaw, it is the practical reality of marriage.
  34. 1 Corinthians 7:34The same logic applies to women: the unmarried woman can devote body and mind entirely to being holy for the Lord, while the married woman divides her attention with caring to please her husband.
  35. 1 Corinthians 7:35Paul clarifies his intent: he is not trying to trap anyone under a rule, only pointing to the more practical path for living with less distraction and more devotion to the Lord.
  36. 1 Corinthians 7:36The Greek text here is ambiguous, which is why this passage generates debate: it may speak of a father deciding whether to give his virgin daughter in marriage, or of a man deciding whether to marry his fiancée. Translators choose different interpretations, but the central idea is the same — it is no sin either to marry or to remain single.
  37. 1 Corinthians 7:37It speaks of the case of someone who decides, with their own conviction and without outside pressure, to remain single (keeping “his virgin”) — a good decision, made in freedom and with a clear purpose.
  38. 1 Corinthians 7:38He sums up the chapter’s dilemma in one line: marrying is not wrong, it is good; but not marrying, under the circumstances Paul described, is even better for those who can live that way.
  39. 1 Corinthians 7:39He shifts the subject to widowhood: a married woman is bound by the marriage law as long as her husband lives; once he dies, she is free to marry again, as long as it is to another believer (“in the Lord”).
  40. 1 Corinthians 7:40He closes the chapter repeating his personal opinion: she would be happier remaining a widow without remarrying — but Paul makes clear this is his own judgment, even though he trusts the Spirit of God guides him.

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