1 Corinthians 7:13
in 1 Corinthians 7And if a woman has an unbelieving husband and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And the woman that hath an unbelieving husband, and he is content to dwell with her, let her not leave her husband.
KJV
And the woman which hath an husband that believeth not, and if he be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him.
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This verse in 1 Corinthians 7
Commentary
13 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
Let her not leave him - A change of phraseology from the last verse, to suit the circumstances. The wife did not have power to “put away” the husband, and expel him from his own home; but she might think it her duty to be separated from him. The apostle counsels her not to do this; and this advice should still be followed.
This site's exposition
To the rest I say this
on 1 Corinthians 7:12-14
Paul rules on a case the Lord's teaching did not cover, the marriage of a believer to an unbeliever willing to stay. The unbelieving husband is sanctified through his believing wife, against a Corinthian fear that a mixed marriage defiled.
This site's exposition
he is willing to live with her
Clarke and Severian take the case as a marriage made before the wife believed. The consent of the unbeliever decides the case.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers3 voices
Paul says this in the case of two Gentiles, one of whom has become a believer. Normally, a pagan detests Christianity, and a Christian does not want to be contaminated by paganism, which is why Paul says that if they are happy to stay together, …
For as when discoursing about separating from fornicators, he made the matter easy by the correction which he applied to his words, saying, "Howbeit, not altogether with the fornicators of this world;" so also in this case he provideth for the abundant easiness of the duty, saying, "If any wife have a husband, or husband a wife, that believeth not, let him not leave her." What sayest thou? "If he be an unbeliever, let him remain with the wife, but not if he be a fornicator? And yet fornication is a less sin than unbelief." I grant, fornication is a less sin: but God spares thine infirmities extremely. And this is What He doth about the sacrifice, saying, "Leave the sacrifice, and be reconciled to thy brother." This also in the case of the man who owed ten thousand talents. For him too He did not punish for owing him ten thousand talents, but for demanding back a hundred pence from his fellow-servant He took vengeance on him.
A commentator
Severian of GabalaPAULINE COMMENTARY FROM THE GREEK CHURCH · Written before 425.
proposed
Paul did not mean that a woman should marry an unbeliever, only that she should stay with him if she is already married.
The Medieval Church2 voices
What are you saying? If the husband is an unbeliever, then let him remain with his wife; but if he is a fornicator, he should not remain with her? But unbelief is worse than fornication? Indeed it is worse; but God exacts punishment more for …
Then when he says, If any woman, he speaks in particular to women, where he first of all supposes faith in someone; secondly, unbelief in this other when he says, has a husband who is an unbeliever; thirdly, the unbeliever is willing to live together, …
5 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
The Christian calling did not dissolve the marriage covenant, but bind it the faster, by bringing it back to the original institution, limiting it to two persons, and binding them together for life. The believer is not by faith in Christ loosed from matrimonial bonds to an unbeliever, but is at once bound and made apt to be a better relative.
And the woman which hath an husband that believeth,....
He shows them that becoming Christians does not change their external state; and therefore advises every one to continue, in the general, in that state in which he was called,
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
the woman--a believer. let her not leave him--"her husband," instead of "him," is the reading of the oldest manuscripts The Greek for "leave" is the same as in 1Co 7:12, "put away"; translate, "Let her not put away [that is, part with] her husband." The wife had the power of effecting a divorce by Greek and Roman law.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
And the woman - Converted from heathenism to the Christian faith; which hath a husband, who still abides in heathenism; if he be pleased to dwell with her, notwithstanding she has become a Christian since their marriage; let her not leave him because he still continues a heathen.
The words behind it
17 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| καὶ | kai | And | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| γυνὴ | gune | a woman | G1135 → | 211 times |
| εἴ | ei | if | G1487 → | 508 times |
| τις | tis | any | G5100 → | 528 times |
| ἔχει | echei | has | G2192 → | 707 times |
| ἄνδρα | andra | a husband | G435 → | 216 times |
| ἄπιστον | apiston | unbelieving | G571 → | 23 times |
| καὶ | kai | and | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| οὗτος | houtos | he | G3778 → | 1381 times |
| συνευδοκεῖ | suneudokei | consents | G4909 → | |
| οἰκεῖν | oikein | to dwell | G3611 → | 9 times |
| μετ᾽ | met᾽ | with | G3326 → | 461 times |
| αὐτῆς, | autes | her, | G846 → | 5565 times |
| μὴ | me | not | G3361 → | 1066 times |
| ἀφιέτω | aphieto | she should divorce | G863 → | 143 times |
| τὸν | ton | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| ἄνδρα. | andra | husband. | G435 → | 216 times |
καὶAnd
kaiG2532 →9120 times
γυνὴa woman
guneG1135 →211 times
εἴif
eiG1487 →508 times
τιςany
tisG5100 →528 times
ἔχειhas
echeiG2192 →707 times
ἄνδραa husband
andraG435 →216 times
ἄπιστονunbelieving
apistonG571 →23 times
καὶand
kaiG2532 →9120 times
οὗτοςhe
houtosG3778 →1381 times
συνευδοκεῖconsents
suneudokeiG4909 →
οἰκεῖνto dwell
oikeinG3611 →9 times
μετ᾽with
met᾽G3326 →461 times
αὐτῆς,her,
autesG846 →5565 times
μὴnot
meG3361 →1066 times
ἀφιέτωshe should divorce
aphietoG863 →143 times
τὸνthe
tonG3588 →19766 times
ἄνδρα.husband.
andraG435 →216 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies10
On this verse
About 1 Corinthians
This page draws on 11 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Ambrosiaster, COMMENTARY ON PAUL'S EPISTLES; Charles Hodge, An Exposition of the First Epistle to the Corinthians; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Chrysostom, Homily on 1 Corinthians 19; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Severian of Gabala, PAULINE COMMENTARY FROM THE GREEK CHURCH; Theophylact of Ohrid, Commentary on 1 Corinthians and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on 1 Corinthians.