1 Corinthians 7:8
in 1 Corinthians 7Now to the unmarried and widows I say this: It is good for them to remain unmarried, as I am.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
But I say to the unmarried and to widows, It is good for them if they abide even as I.
KJV
I say therefore to the unmarried and widows, It is good for them if they abide even as I.
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This verse in 1 Corinthians 7
Commentary
11 notes on this verseBut when things lawful are (only) granted by way of indulgence, who hope for things unlawful? "To the unmarried" also, "and widows," he says, "It is good, by his example, to persevere" (in their present state); "but if they were too weak, to marry; because it is preferable to marry than to bum." With what fires, I pray you, is it preferable to "burn"-(the fires) of concupiscence, or (the fires) of penalty? Nay, but if fornication is pardonable, it will not be an object of concupiscence.
This site's exposition
Now to the unmarried and widows I say this
on 1 Corinthians 7:8-9
Paul counsels the single to remain unmarried, as he is, yet it is better to marry than to burn with passion. The burning is unsatisfied desire, and marriage is the honourable answer to a real appetite.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers2 voices
We must not understand these words to mean that widows are not unmarried because they once embraced the married state. Widows are unmarried, but not all unmarried are widows. That is why Paul makes a distinction here.
For, withal, when he has laid down the definitive rule with reference to "the widowed and the unwedded," that they are to "marry if they cannot contain," because "better it is to marry than to burn," he turns round to the other class, and says: "But to the wedded I make official declaration-not indeed I, but the Lord.
The Medieval Church3 voices
A commentator
BonaventureDisputed Questions on Evangelical Perfection, Question 3 · Written in the 13th century.
proposed
That widowed continence according to the evangelical law ought to be vowed is shown by authority, as follows. 1 Corinthians 7: But I say to the unmarried and to widows: it is good for them, if they so remain: therefore according to the Apostle it …
Then when he says, to the unmarried, he explains what he had said obscurely. First, as to his statement, I wish all were as I myself, namely, because this is absolutely better. Hence he says, to the unmarried, that is, virgins, and the widows I …
Do you see the wisdom of Paul, how he both shows the superiority of virginity and at the same time does not compel abstinence from marriage for one who is unable to abstain, lest otherwise he suffer a more grievous fall? If, he says, you …
4 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
I say therefore to the unmarried and widows,....
He gives direction to those who are married to continue together, though they might have an unbelieving relative, unless the unbeliever would part, in which case a Christian would not be in bondage,
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
The unmarried and widows - It is supposed that the apostle speaks here of men who had been married, in the word αγαμοι, but were now widowers; as he does of women who had been married, in the word χηραι, but were now widows. And when he says ὡς καγω, even as I, he means that he himself was a widower; for several of the ancients rank Paul among the married apostles.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
It is good for them - It may be advisable, in the present circumstances of persecution and distress, not to be encumbered with the cares and anxieties of a family; see 1Co 7:26, 1Co 7:32-34. The word unmarried (ἀγάμοις agamois) may refer either to those who had never been married, or to widowers. It here means simply those who were at that time unmarried, and his reasoning applies to both classes. And to widows - The apostle specifies these, though he had not specified “widowers” particularly. The reason of this distinction seems to be, that he considers more particularly the case of those females who had never been married, in the close of the chapter, 1Co 7:25. That they abide - That they remain, in the present circumstances, unmarried; see 1Co 7:26.
The words behind it
13 Greek wordsEvery Greek word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Greek | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Λέγω | lego | I say | G3004 → | 1325 times |
| δὲ | de | now | G1161 → | 2765 times |
| τοῖς | tois | to the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| ἀγάμοις | agamois | unmarried | G22 → | 4 times |
| καὶ | kai | and | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| ταῖς | tais | to the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| χήραις, | cherais | widows, | G5503 → | |
| καλὸν | kalon | good | G2570 → | 101 times |
| αὐτοῖς | autois | for them | G846 → | 5565 times |
| ἐὰν | ean | if | G1437 → | 352 times |
| μείνωσιν | meinosin | they shall remain | G3306 → | 118 times |
| ὡς | hos | as | G5613 → | 500 times |
| κἀγώ. | kago | also I. myself | G1473 →G2532 → | 839 times |
ΛέγωI say
legoG3004 →1325 times
δὲnow
deG1161 →2765 times
τοῖςto the
toisG3588 →19766 times
ἀγάμοιςunmarried
agamoisG22 →4 times
καὶand
kaiG2532 →9120 times
ταῖςto the
taisG3588 →19766 times
χήραις,widows,
cheraisG5503 →
καλὸνgood
kalonG2570 →101 times
αὐτοῖςfor them
autoisG846 →5565 times
ἐὰνif
eanG1437 →352 times
μείνωσινthey shall remain
meinosinG3306 →118 times
ὡςas
hosG5613 →500 times
κἀγώ.also I. myself
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
1 Corinthians 7:32I want you to be free from concern. The unmarried man is concerned about the work of the Lord, how he can please the Lord.
it leads to
- Matthew 6:25–34
Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more…
- 1 Timothy 5:5
The widow who is truly in need and left all alone puts her hope in God and continues night and day in her petitions and prayers.
- Philippians 4:6
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
- Psalms 55:22
Cast your burden upon the LORD and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous be shaken.
- Matthew 6:25–34
Through
1 Corinthians 7:7I wish that all men were as I am. But each man has his own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that.
it leads to
- Matthew 19:11–12
“Not everyone can accept this word,” He replied, “but only those to whom it has been given.
- 1 Corinthians 9:5
Have we no right to take along a believing wife, as do the other apostles and the Lord’s brothers and Cephas?
- Romans 12:6
We have different gifts according to the grace given us. If one’s gift is prophecy, let him use it in proportion to his faith;
- Matthew 19:11–12
Through
1 Corinthians 7:1Now for the matters you wrote about: It is good to abstain from sexual relations.
it leads to
- Matthew 19:10–11
His disciples said to Him, “If this is the case between a man and his wife, it is better not to marry.”
- Matthew 19:10–11
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies10
On this verse
About 1 Corinthians
This page draws on 12 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the First Epistle to the Corinthians; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Augustine of Hippo, THE EXCELLENCE OF WIDOWHOOD 2; Bonaventure, Disputed Questions on Evangelical Perfection, Question 3; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Tertullian, On Modesty; Tertullian, On Exhortation to Chastity; Theophylact of Ohrid, Commentary on 1 Corinthians and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on 1 Corinthians.