1 Corinthians 7:38 BSB

1 Corinthians 7:38

So then, he who marries the virgin does well, but he who does not marry her does even better.

BSB

Parallel translations (2) ▾

ASV

So then both he that giveth his own virgin daughter in marriage doeth well; and he that giveth her not in marriage shall do better.

KJV

So then he that giveth her in marriage doeth well; but he that giveth her not in marriage doeth better.

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Commentary

2 voices

Ambrose of Milan

Letters 41-50, Letter 42, 3 (397)

The one is bound by the chains of marriage, the other is free from chains; the one is under the Law, the other under Grace. Marriage is good, for thereby the means of continuing the human race has been devised, but virginity is better, for thereby the heritage of the heavenly kingdom is regained, and the mode of attaining to heavenly rewards discovered.

The record, by era

The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice

John Gill

1697–1771

Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748)

So then he that giveth her in marriage doth well,.... Does that which is in its own nature good; that which is agreeable to the will of God, is of his institution and appointment, and therefore must be good, and answer many good ends and purposes. Such an one that marries his daughter, he seeing a necessity for it, and a propriety in it, does a very good thing; secures her chastity, and his own credit; prevents fornication, and other evils that might follow; consults the good of mankind, and the honour of religion.

The Nineteenth Century1 voice

Albert Barnes

1798–1870

Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)

Doeth well - Does right; violates no law in it, and is not to be blamed for it. Doeth better - Does that which is on the whole to be preferred, if it can be done. He more certainly, in the present circumstances, consults her happiness by withholding her from the marriage connection than he could by allowing her to enter it.

Voices on this verse

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Original language & word study

15 tagged words

Original	Transliteration	Meaning	Word study
ὥστε	hōste	So then	G5620 →
καὶ	kai	also	G2532 →
ὁ	ho	the [one]	G3588 →
γαμίζων	gamizōn	giving in marriage	G1061 →
τὴν	tēn	<the>	G3588 →
ἑαυτοῦ	he'autou	his own	G1438 →
παρθένον	parthenon	virgin	G3933 →
καλῶς	kalōs	well	G2573 →
ποιεῖ,	poiei	does,	G4160 →
καὶ	kai	and	G2532 →
ὁ	ho	the [one]	G3588 →
μὴ	mē	not	G3361 →
γαμίζων	gamizōn	giving in marriage	G1061 →
κρεῖσσον	kreisson	better	G2908 →
ποιήσει.¶	poiēsei	will do.	G4160 →

Rare words are the text's own signal of a deliberate thread: the fewer the occurrences, the more the places it appears belong together.

The walk

The walk8

Where the connections lead

Follow this verse’s cross-references two steps out. Each card is a verse this one points to, and beneath it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several different paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it. Every stop shows its own words, and every stop is a page.

Through
Hebrews 13:4
Marriage should be honored by all and the marriage bed kept undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers.
leads to
- Genesis 2:24
  For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.
- Proverbs 5:15–23
  Drink water from your own cistern, and running water from your own well.
- 1 Corinthians 7:2–16
  But because there is so much sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman her own husband.
- Galatians 5:19
  The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery;
- Genesis 1:27–28
  So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
Through
1 Corinthians 7:8
Now to the unmarried and widows I say this: It is good for them to remain unmarried, as I am.
leads to
- 1 Corinthians 7:32
  I want you to be free from concern. The unmarried man is concerned about the work of the Lord, how he can please the Lord.
- 1 Corinthians 7:34–35
  and his interests are divided. The unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the work of the Lord, how she can be holy in both body and spirit. But the married woman is concerned…
- 1 Corinthians 7:7
  I wish that all men were as I am. But each man has his own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that.

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About 1 Corinthians

The Crucifixion — 'Christ crucified' (1 Cor 2:2) — Gustave Doré (engraving, public domain)

1 Corinthians: the study guide →Read chapter 7 →The featured study →

Continue: 1 Corinthians 7 →

01Commentary

The record, by era

Voices on this verse

02Original language & word study

03The walk

Where the connections lead

04Related verses

05Featured studies on this passage

06About 1 Corinthians

Where the connections lead

The record, by era

Commentary

Original language & word study

The walk

Related verses

Featured studies on this passage

About 1 Corinthians