Bible Strands
1 Corinthians 7:1
Now for the matters you wrote about: It is good to abstain from sexual relations.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Paul writes to the Corinthian church in direct response to their written inquiry regarding marital conduct. He issues this instruction while addressing their immediate moral challenges and practical concerns about sexual ethics.
The words — The term καλὸν (kalon) carries the literal sense of "[It is] good," while γυναικὸς (gunaikos) specifies "a woman," grounding the directive in concrete human relations rather than abstract asceticism.
The thread — The theme of voluntary singleness for practical or spiritual reasons runs through Paul’s own counsel to the unmarried and widows (1 Corinthians 7:8) and his assessment of the present crisis (1 Corinthians 7:26), while Jesus’ disciples echo the sentiment in Matthew 19:10.
Why it lands — The text commands readers to evaluate sexual conduct against the concrete reality of human relationships and the specific circumstances they face. It demands a practical assessment of whether abstaining serves the immediate moral and communal good.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman.
Cross-references
- 1 Corinthians 7:8 Now to the unmarried and widows I say this: It is good for them to remain unmarried, as I am.
- Matthew 19:10 His disciples said to Him, “If this is the case between a man and his wife, it is better not to marry.”
- 1 Corinthians 7:26 Because of the present crisis, I think it is good for a man to remain as he is.
- 1 Corinthians 7:37 But the man who is firmly established in his heart and under no constraint, with control over his will and resolve in his heart not to marry the virgin, he will do well.
- Genesis 20:6 Then God said to Abimelech in the dream, “Yes, I know that you did this with a clear conscience, and so I have kept you from sinning against Me. That is why I did not let you touch her.
- Proverbs 6:29 So is he who sleeps with another man’s wife; no one who touches her will go unpunished.
- Ruth 2:9 Let your eyes be on the field they are harvesting, and follow along after these girls. Indeed, I have ordered the young men not to touch you. And when you are thirsty, go and drink from the jars the young men have filled.”