Bible Strands
1 Corinthians 7:27
Are you committed to a wife? Do not seek to be released. Are you free of commitment? Do not look for a wife.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Paul addresses the Corinthian congregation during a present crisis, directing instructions to both married and unmarried believers regarding their marital status.
The words — δέδεσαι (dedesai) translates literally as "have you been bound" and λελύσαι (lelusai) as "have you been loosed," structuring the verse around two opposing marital conditions.
The thread — The directive to remain in one's current state runs through 1 Corinthians 7:20, which commands each person to stay in the situation he was in when called, and mirrors 1 Corinthians 7:12's instruction to maintain existing marriages.
Why it lands — The text commands married believers not to seek divorce and unmarried believers not to pursue marriage, prioritizing present stability over altering one's marital condition.
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
Art thou bound unto a wife? seek not to be loosed. Art thou loosed from a wife? seek not a wife.
Cross-references
- 1 Corinthians 7:12 To the rest I say this (I, not the Lord): If a brother has an unbelieving wife and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her.
- 1 Corinthians 7:20 Each one should remain in the situation he was in when he was called.