6:1 When any of you has a legal dispute with another, does he dare go to court before the unrighteous rather than before the saints?
1:4 I always thank my God for you because of the grace of God that was given to you in Christ Jesus.
7:36 If anyone thinks he is acting inappropriately toward his virgin, 10 if she is past the bloom of youth 11 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, 12 she is free to marry anyone she wishes (only someone in the Lord).
1 tn Grk “does a brother sue a brother,” but see the note on the word “Christian” in 5:11.
2 sn Paul does not use a word specifying what type of “covering” is meant (veil, hat, etc.). The Greek word he uses here (ἐξουσία exousia; translated symbol of authority) could be (1) a figure of speech that may substitute the result (the right to participate in worship) for the appropriate appearance that makes it possible (the covered head). Or (2) it refers to the outward symbol (having the head covered) as representing the inward attitude the woman is to possess (deference to male leadership in the church).
3 sn Paul does not explain this reference to the angels, and its point is not entirely clear. It seems to reflect an awareness that angels are witnesses to church life (cf. Eph 3:10) and would be particularly sensitive to resistance against God’s created order.
3 sn The various materials described here, both valuable (gold, silver, precious stones) and worthless (wood, hay, or straw) refer to the quality of work built on the foundation, or possibly to the motivation of those doing the building. The materials themselves have been understood (1) as deeds or (2) as people (since ultimately the passage is addressing those who minister to others).
4 tn Or “they have made up for your absence” (BDAG 70 s.v. ἀναπληρόω 3).
5 tn Grk “entered the heart,” an OT expression, in which the heart functions like the mind.
6 sn A quotation from Isa 64:4.
6 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.
7 tn Grk “and be together again.”
7 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.
8 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.”
8 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.’”