1 Corinthians 7:9

7:9 But if they do not have self-control, let them get married. For it is better to marry than to burn with sexual desire. ¹ 

1 Corinthians 7:33

7:33 But a married man is concerned about the things of the world, how to please his wife,

1 Corinthians 7:28

7:28 But if you marry, you have not sinned. And if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. But those who marry will face difficult circumstances, ²  and I am trying to spare you such problems. ³ 

1 Corinthians 7:10

7:10 To the married I give this command – not I, but the Lord ⁴  – a wife should not divorce a husband

1 Corinthians 7:36

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.

1 Corinthians 7:39

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 Corinthians 7:34

7:34 and he is divided. An unmarried woman ⁸  or a virgin ⁹  is concerned about the things of the Lord, to be holy both in body and spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the things of the world, how to please her husband.

[7:9]  ¹ tn Grk “than to burn,” a figure of speech referring to unfulfilled sexual passion.

[7:28]  ² tn Grk “these will have tribulation in the flesh.”

[7:28]  ³ tn Grk “I am trying to spare you.” Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context. “Such problems” has been supplied here to make the sense of the statement clear.

[7:10]  ³ sn Not I, but the Lord. Here and in v. 12 Paul distinguishes between his own apostolic instruction and Jesus’ teaching during his earthly ministry. In vv. 10-11, Paul reports the Lord’s own teaching about divorce (cf. Mark 10:5-12).

[7:36]  ⁴ 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.

[7:36]  ⁵ 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.”

[7:39]  ⁵ 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.

[7:34]  ⁶ sn In context the unmarried woman would probably refer specifically to a widow, who was no longer married, as opposed to the virgin, who had never been married.

[7:34]  ⁷ tc There are three viable variant readings at this point in the text. (1) The reading ἡ γυνὴ ἡ ἄγαμος καὶ ἡ παρθένος (Jh gunh Jh agamo" kai Jh parqeno", “the unmarried woman and the virgin”) is represented by ancient and important mss, as well as some significant versions (̹⁵ B 104 365 1505 pc vg co). (2) The reading ἡ γυνὴ ἡ ἄγαμος καὶ ἡ παρθένος ἡ ἄγαμος (“the unmarried woman and the unmarried virgin”) is also found in ancient and important mss (Ì⁴⁶ א A 33 1739 1881 pc). (3) The reading ἡ γυνὴ καὶ ἡ παρθένος ἡ ἄγαμος (“the woman and the unmarried virgin”) is found in Western mss (D F G) and the majority of Byzantine cursives. Based upon external evidence, the first and second readings are the strongest; the readings both reach deep into the second century with strong testimony from mss of the Alexandrian texttype. Internal evidence seems equally balanced: Scribes may have wanted to add ἡ ἄγαμος to παρθένος for stylistic reasons, but they might also have wanted to remove it because it sounded redundant. Because Paul’s meaning is not quite clear, a decision on the proper textual reading is difficult. On the whole scribes tended to add to the text, not take from it. Thus the first reading should be favored as original, but this decision should be regarded as less than certain.