7:36 If anyone thinks he is acting inappropriately toward his virgin, 5 if she is past the bloom of youth 6 and it seems necessary, he should do what he wishes; he does not sin. Let them marry.
7:39 A wife is bound as long as her husband is living. But if her husband dies, 7 she is free to marry anyone she wishes (only someone in the Lord).
1 tn Grk “entered the heart,” an OT expression, in which the heart functions like the mind.
2 sn A quotation from Isa 64:4.
3 tc Most later witnesses (א2 Ï sy) add “fasting and” (τῇ νηστείᾳ καί, th nhsteia kai) before “prayer.” But such an addition is motivated by ascetic concerns; further, its lack in Ì11vid,46 א* A B C D F G P Ψ 33 1739 1881 2464 al latt co argues decisively against its authenticity.
4 tn Grk “and be together again.”
5 tn Grk “virgin,” either a fiancée, a daughter, or the ward of a guardian. For discussion see the note at the end of v. 38.
6 tn Or referring to an engaged man: “if he is past the critical point,” “if his passions are too strong.” The word literally means “to be past the high point.”
7 tn The verb κοιμάω (koimaw) literally means “sleep,” but it is often used in the Bible as a euphemism for the death of a believer.
9 tn Grk “how can someone who fills the place of the unlearned say ‘Amen.’”