ESV Global Study Bible :: Footnotes for 1 Corinthians 7

1 Cor. 7:1–11:1 Three Issues from the Corinthians’ Letter. Paul discusses problems raised in a letter from the Corinthians.

1 Cor. 7:1–16 Paul tells the Corinthians to be faithful in their marriages and to avoid divorce.

1 Cor. 7:1 Now concerning. The phrase indicates Paul is writing about issues the Corinthians raised in their letter (compare v. 25; 8:1; 12:1; 16:1; 12).

1 Cor. 7:2 Have probably refers to sexual intercourse (compare 5:1).

1 Cor. 7:4 Husbands and wives should act for each other’s benefit. See Eph. 5:22–23 and Col. 3:18–19.

1 Cor. 7:5–7 Do not deprive. Married couples should abstain from sexual relations only for short periods of time and only when both the husband and wife agree. concession. Paul does not demand such abstention. each has his own gift. Both marriage and celibacy have their own benefits. Both should be considered “gifts” from the Lord. See vv. 28, 36; Matt. 19:12.

1 Cor. 7:10–11 Paul’s words are in contrast to Roman law, which permitted either a husband or a wife to begin a divorce with no stated cause required.

1 Cor. 7:12–13 I, not the Lord. Paul knows Jesus’ sayings on divorce that were later written in the Gospels (Matt. 5:32; 19:9; Mark 10:11–12; Luke 16:18). Jesus never spoke specifically about the situation of one spouse becoming a Christian and the other remaining unconverted, and yet Paul views his instruction here as authoritative and inspired by God (1 Cor. 7:40; see 14:37–38).

1 Cor. 7:14 made holy . . . are holy. These are the same terms used earlier for God’s separation of Corinthian Christians from their pagan environment as his special people (1:2; 3:17; 6:1; 2; 11). Unbelieving spouses and children in a family with a believing spouse are not saved by this connection (7:16), but they may benefit from the believer’s Christian influence. Thus they are more likely to have faith themselves eventually.

1 Cor. 7:15 let it be so. Paul advises the Christian spouse not to create strife by trying to bring about reconciliation with an unbelieving spouse who has left the marriage. not enslaved. This at least means that the believing spouse is not obligated to seek reconciliation to the unbelieving spouse who abandoned him or her (see v. 11). Most interpreters think that the phrase also implies that the abandoned spouse is free to obtain a divorce and to marry someone else. Jesus’ teaching on divorce also appears to allow remarriage when sexual immorality has prompted the divorce (see notes on Matt. 5:31–32; 19:9). The term peace in this context probably includes the OT sense that “all is well” in one’s life and circumstances (see note on John 14:27). Most interpreters therefore conclude that God releases the believing spouse from the twin distresses of a lifelong vain hope of reconciling with the unbeliever and a lifelong prohibition against enjoying the blessings of marriage again.

1 Cor. 7:16 how do you know? Paul probably expects a negative answer to these rhetorical questions. There is no guarantee that an unbelieving spouse will be saved. The believer is not required to pursue the spouse who has left.

1 Cor. 7:17 God calls people to himself who are in various situations regarding economics (slavery vs. freedom), family (divorce vs. marriage), and religious background (circumcision vs. uncircumcision), and often God has a purpose for the new believer in that very situation (see vv. 20, 24). It is the place to which God has called him. The idea of one’s occupation being a “calling” comes from this verse.

1 Cor. 7:19 Even though circumcision was no longer commanded (Gen. 17:1–14), God still had commandments for his people to keep (Gal. 6:2).

1 Cor. 7:21 Being a bondservant in NT times was different from the institution of slavery in North America during the seventeenth through the nineteenth centuries. Slaves (bondservants, servants) generally were permitted to work for pay and to save enough to buy their freedom (see Matt. 25:15, where the “servants” were entrusted with immense amounts of money and responsibility). The NT assumes that trafficking in human beings is a sin (1 Tim. 1:10; Rev. 18:11–13), and Paul urges Christian bondservants who can gain . . . freedom to do so. The released bondservant was officially designated a “freedman” and frequently continued to work for his former master. See also esv Preface.

1 Cor. 7:25 The betrothed translates the Greek term for “virgins.” The term could apply to either men or women. Paul’s use of the term in v. 28 is clearly feminine, so he probably has women in mind here as well. Given what he writes in vv. 36–38, his comments in vv. 25–26 are directed to any man who has promised to marry a “virgin.”

1 Cor. 7:26 present distress. This may refer to living in the last days (see note on vv. 29–31), or to some difficulty the Corinthians were experiencing, such as famine.

1 Cor. 7:28 On deciding whether to marry, see note on vv. 5–7.

1 Cor. 7:29–31 See 10:11. Paul is not saying that Jesus will definitely return within the Corinthians’ lifetimes. Elsewhere, he encourages Christians to continue with their normal daily lives, while awaiting the second coming (see 7:1–16; 25–40; 10:23–11:1; 16:1–4; 5–11). Like other NT writers, Paul considers all of time beginning with the cross to be the “last days” (compare Acts 2:17; Heb. 1:2; James 5:3). He advises Christians always to live in the light of Christ’s certain return at an unforeseen moment (1 Cor. 3:13; 15:52; see also Matt. 24:44; 25:13; Mark 13:32–37; 1 Thess. 5:1–9).

1 Cor. 7:32–35 On living as a single person, see note on vv. 5–7.

1 Cor. 7:36 If his passions are strong translates a difficult word. The esv is consistent with Paul’s reasoning in vv. 2–3 and 9. Paul’s comment is not intended as a disapproval of marriage (see vv. 28, 38; Eph. 5:22–33; 1 Tim. 4:1–4).

1 Cor. 7:37–38 keep her as his betrothed. Paul now turns to the person who chooses to remain unmarried. does well . . . even better. Sometimes, one is free to choose between courses of action, none of which are morally better than the others, and all of which give unique opportunities for service in God’s kingdom.

1 Cor. 7:39 her husband dies. Presumably all that Paul has just said about the betrothed person applies to the widow as well (vv. 8–9, 40a). His instruction that she marry only in the Lord (that is, she should marry only a fellow Christian) would also apply to the betrothed.