1 Corinthians 7:1

Principles of Marriage

1 Now concerning the things of which you wrote to me: ^aIt is good for a man not to touch a woman.

2 Nevertheless, because of sexual immorality, let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband.

3 ^aLet the husband render to his wife the affection due her, and likewise also the wife to her husband.

4 The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. And likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does.

5 ^aDo not deprive one another except with consent for a time, that you may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again so that ^bSatan does not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.

6 But I say this as a concession, ^anot as a commandment.

7 For ^aI wish that all men were even as I myself. But each one has his own gift from God, one in this manner and another in that.

8 But I say to the unmarried and to the widows: ^aIt is good for them if they remain even as I am;

9 but ^aif they cannot exercise self-control, let them marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion.

Keep Your Marriage Vows

10 Now to the married I command, yet not I but the ^aLord: ^bA wife is not to depart from her husband.

11 But even if she does depart, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband. And a husband is not to divorce his wife.

Commentaries:

Adam Clarke

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1 Corinthians 7:1

The things whereof ye wrote unto me - It is sufficiently evident that the principal part of this epistle was written in answer to some questions which had been sent to the apostle in a letter from the Corinthian Church; and the first question seems to be this: "Is it proper for a man to marry in the present circumstances of the Church?" The question concerning the expediency or inexpediency of marriage was often agitated among the ancient philosophers; and many, though inclined to decide against it, because of the troubles and cares connected with it, tolerated it in their opinions; because, though an evil, it was judged to be a necessary evil. The words of Menander are full to this effect: , ͅ, , ' · "If a man consider marriage in a proper point of view, it is an evil; but then it is a necessary evil." Metellus Numidicus spoke of it nearly in the same way. Si sine uxore possemus, Quirites, esse, omnes ea molestia careremus; sed quoniam ita natura tradidit, ut nec Cum Illis salis commode, nec Sine Illis ullo modo vivi possit, saluti perpetus potius quam brevi voluptati consulendum . "If, O ye Romans, we could live unmarried, we should be saved from a great deal of trouble; but, seeing that nature has so ordered it that we cannot live very comfortably with wives, and without them cannot live at all, marriage should be adopted, not for the sake of the short-lived pleasure, but rather for perpetual safety." But this was not the common opinion; the Jews absolutely required that every man should marry, and reputed those as murderers who did not. - See on I Corinthians 7:6 (note). By the laws of Lycurgus unmarried persons were prohibited from seeing the public games. By the laws of the Spartans bachelors were punished. And Plato declares all such unworthy of any honor. And to this the commentator says, Amen.

Not to touch a woman - ̔· The learned reader need not be informed in what sense ̔ is used among the Greeks, and langere among the Latins. For examples Wetstein may be consulted.

Other Adam Clarke entries containing 1 Corinthians 7:1:

Acts 19:21
1 Corinthians 9:5

<< 1 Corinthians 6:20

1 Corinthians 7:2 >>

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Principles of Marriage

Keep Your Marriage Vows

A Verse and a Thought,Every Morning

A Verse and a Thought,
Every Morning