Lessons #227 and 228
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+ 1. It is best to use this note after you have listened to the lessons because there are +
+ comments given in the actual delivery not in the note. +
+ 2. The Bible abbreviations are as follows: CEV =Contemporary English version, +
+ CEB = Common English Bible, ESV= English Standard Version, +
+ GW = God’s Word Translation, ISV = International Standard Version, +
+ NAB=New English Bible, NASB= New American Standard Bible, +
+ NEB= New English Bible, NET = New English Translation, +
+ NLT = New Living Translations NJB = New Jerusalem Bible, +
+ NJV = New Jewish Bible, TEV = Today’s English Version. +
+AMP = Amplified Bible, UBS = United Bible Society +
+ 3. Notes have not been edited for grammatical errors. +
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Concern about marital status (1 Cor 7:24-28)
. 24 Brothers, each man, as responsible to God, should remain in the situation God called him to.
25 Now about virgins: I have no command from the Lord, but I give a judgment as one who by the Lord’s mercy is trustworthy. 26 Because of the present crisis, I think that it is good for you to remain as you are. 27 Are you married? Do not seek a divorce. Are you unmarried? Do not look for a wife. 28 But if you do marry, you have not sinned; and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. But those who marry will face many troubles in this life, and I want to spare you this.
We ended our last study with the reason the Holy Spirit through Apostle Paul gave a situational advice to the Corinthians regarding marriage concerns of some in Corinth. This reason, as we started to consider in our last study, is given in the phrase of 1 Corinthians 7:26 Because of the present crisis. We indicated that the word “crisis” is translated from a Greek word (anagkē) that in our verse has a more general meaning of “distress” as a state of trouble or pressure. So, we asked the question: What is the present distress the apostle had in mind that was reason for the Holy Spirit to provide him the situational advice of the passage we are considering? We promised to answer this question in today’s study.
The answer is that we cannot be certain of what the apostle meant in the phrase present crisis or present distress. However, there are two general interpretations that commentators have offered regarding the phrase. A first interpretation is that it refers to an economic situation, specifically famine that led to acute grain shortages in Corinth and attendant social unrest. The problem of this interpretation is that we do not know the time of the famine that occurred in Corinth. We cannot rule this out since there was a famine predicted by Prophet Agabus for the entire Roman world of which Corinth would be a part of, as recorded in Acts 11:28:
One of them, named Agabus, stood up and through the Spirit predicted that a severe famine would spread over the entire Roman world. (This happened during the reign of Claudius.)
The famine Agabus predicted we are informed, occurred during the reign of Claudius who was murdered probably in October 13 of A.D. 54. It is possible that the famine could have extended a year or two after the emperor’s death so that the effects were still present when the apostle wrote his epistle to the Corinthians. Again, we cannot be certain. A second interpretation is to take the phrase present crisis or present distress as a reference to special difficulty that the church was facing due to persecution or general sufferings associated with being a Christian. Of course, some take the suffering to be associated with those that would precede the Second Coming of Christ because the apostle spoke of shortness of time in verse 29 of 1 Corinthians 7. Both interpretations make sense in the context, but I am inclined to believe that the apostle had a specific situation in mind that warrants the advice the Holy Spirit offered through him. It is difficult to conceive that the Holy Spirit through the apostle would, because of suffering that is general for believers, offer the advice we are about to consider. Thus, we believe that the apostle was thinking of a specific hardship that would present problems in marriage for newlyweds or those who divorce. Anyway, we believe that the Corinthians would have understood the specific situation that the apostle had in mind as he penned the situational advice that we have in the passage we are considering. It is not necessary for us to know the specific situation in view but that we understand the principle that there are situations that are not conducive for couples to get married or get divorced. We will say more about this after we have examined the situational advice of the Holy Spirit offered to virgins or to those who are single according to the passage we are studying.
In any case, before the apostle states the situational advice of the passage we are considering, he states what he believes concerning the advice that he was about to state that came from the Holy Spirit. His conviction about the advice is that it is sound in the sense of being desirable or beneficial. It is this conviction that is given in the sentence of 1 Corinthians 7:26 I think that it is good.
It may not be easy to perceive that the sentence I think that it is good conveys the apostle’s conviction regarding how desirable or advantageous the advice that is to be offered is. Therefore, let me show you that this is the case by considering the key words of this sentence. The first key word is “think” that is translated from a Greek word verb (nomizō) that although may mean “to suppose” or “to think” but we indicated, in our previous study of the Greek word in our passage of 1 Corinthians 7:26, that it is used in the sense of “to believe” something to be correct without entertaining any doubt about the correctness of what is stated. Therefore, we are correct to indicate that sentence conveys the apostle’s conviction on the soundness of his advice in the sense that it is desirable or beneficial.
Our use of the word “desirable” or “beneficial” is because of the second key word used in the sentence I think that it is good which is the word “good.” The word “good” is translated from a Greek adjective (kalos) that means “good” of moral quality. Thus, it could have the sense of “praiseworthy” as that is the sense the Lord used it to describe the woman that anointed His body with perfume prior to His death on the cross that the disciples were furious about, as we read in Matthew 26:10:
Aware of this, Jesus said to them, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me.
The phrase a beautiful thing may be understood as “praiseworthy deed” or “good deed.” The word may mean “right” as in the declaration of Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 8:21:
For we are taking pains to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord but also in the eyes of men.
The word may mean “better” in some context as in the assertion of the apostle in Romans 14:21:
It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother to fall.
The word may mean “desirable” or “advantageous” as that is the sense of the word translated “good” in what Peter said to the Lord during His transfiguration experience as recorded in Luke 9:33:
As the men were leaving Jesus, Peter said to him, “Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” (He did not know what he was saying.)
Although some commentators believe that the word “good” here has the sense of “wonderful” which, no doubt, would have been one of the feelings of Peter, but it is probably the meaning “desirable” or “advantageous” or “pleasant” that the word is used by Peter, as suggested in the standard Greek English lexicon of BDAG. The word may mean “excellent” as it is used in the instruction of the Holy Spirit through Apostle Paul to Titus that he should convey to his congregation in Titus 3:8:
This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 7:26, the word appears twice although the NIV translates it only once. In the first usage, the word means “desirable” or “advantageous” or “pleasant” In second usage, it has the sense of “better.” Anyway, it is in the sense of “advantageous” that the word is used in the sentence of 1 Corinthian 7:26 I think that it is good. Thus, we are correct in asserting that Apostle Paul was convinced that the situational advice he received from the Holy Spirit that he is about to state is sound in the sense of being desirable or beneficial. The apostle did not immediately convey in what sense it would be desirable or beneficial but what he stated later in the context enables the reader to recognize the benefit of the situational advice of the Holy Spirit delivered through the apostle.
By the way, the expression it is of the NIV is how the translators rendered a Greek verb (hyparchō) that may mean “to belong” as it is used to describe the estate of the chief official of the Island of Malta in Acts 28:7:
There was an estate nearby that belonged to Publius, the chief official of the island. He welcomed us to his home and for three days entertained us hospitably.
The word may mean “to be” in a state or circumstance as Apostle Paul used it to describe the state of Sarah regarding being unable to become pregnant in Romans 4:19:
Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead.
The word may mean “to possess” as it is used to describe the virtues that if believers have would keep them from being ineffective in their spiritual life as we read in 2 Peter 1:8:
For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 7:26, it is used in the sense of “to be or to exist in a state.” So, the apostle believes it to be beneficial for the Corinthians to adhere to the situational advice the Holy Spirit gave through him.
The situational advice the Holy Spirit offered to those concerned with marital status in Corinth is that they should maintain whatever their marital status was at the time of this epistle as in the clause of 1 Corinthians 7:26 for you to remain as you are. Literally, the Greek reads that good to a man so to be. The literal translation reveals that the Greek adjective translated “good” is used twice in verse 26. As we stated previously, in this second usage, the sense of the Greek adjective is that of “better.” The point of the word being that it is better or even beneficial for a person to maintain the individual’s marital status at the time of this epistle. You may wonder why we used the word “person” since the 1984 edition of the NIV does not use that word. Instead, we find the second person pronoun “you” used in it and in some other English versions such as the NET. However, we used the word “man” in our literal translation. The word is used in the translation of the NASB and in the 2011 edition of the NIV since its translators instead of the clause for you to remain as you are have the reading for a man to remain as he is. Even then, you may still wonder why we used the word “person” as it is also used in the ESV. The reason is because of the range of meanings of the Greek word translated “man” in our literal translation and in the 2011 edition of the NIV.
The word “man” is translated from a Greek word (anthrōpos) that means “a human being” without regard to gender, as Apostle Paul used it to describe the fate of evil doers in Romans 2:9:
There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile;
The word may mean “man” as male person as the apostle used it to describe Jesus Christ in His humanity in Romans 5:15:
But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!
The word may mean “self” as it is used in the instruction of Romans 6:6:
For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—
The phrase old self is literally old man. The word may mean “person” as that is the way the word is used when the concern is to be inclusive of men and women, as in the doctrine of justification by faith the apostle stated in Galatians 2:16:
know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no one will be justified.
Justification is for both men and women so that the phrase a man is to be understood as “a person,” hence the NRSV simply used the phrase a person. It is in this sense of “person” that the word is used in our passage of 1 Corinthians 7:26 since the marriage status that the apostle is dealing with is applicable to men and women in their marital status the apostle addressed. Of course, some argue that the word should be understood as “man” because the next verse addresses men. True, but verse 28 is addressed to men and women so it is best to use the meaning “person” as we have indicated to convey the apostle was thinking of both men and women in the situational advice.
Be that as it may, the situational advice of maintaining one’s marital state is given in the clause of 1 Corinthians 7:26 for you to remain as you are. Again, literally, the Greek reads that good to a man so to be. The word “remain” of the NIV is translated from a Greek verb (eimi) that basically means “to be” but with other nuances. For example, it may mean “to continue” as it is used to describe the preaching ministry of Paul and Barnabas as recorded in Acts 14:7:
where they continued to preach the good news.
The word may mean “to stay” as the word is used by Luke to narrate about Paul and his team being in Philippi for some time as recorded in Acts 16:12:
From there we traveled to Philippi, a Roman colony and the leading city of that district of Macedonia. And we stayed there several days.
The word may mean “to belong” as it is used to describe anyone that does not have the Holy Spirit as not being a Christian as that is the sense in which the word is used in Romans 8:9:
You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.
The sentence he does not belong to Christ is literally this one is not of him. The word may mean “to have” as Apostle Paul used it to describe his not being anxious about Epaphroditus’ state in Philippians 2:28:
Therefore I am all the more eager to send him, so that when you see him again you may be glad and I may have less anxiety.
The word may mean “to live” of life as the apostle used it in Titus 3:14:
Our people must learn to devote themselves to doing what is good, in order that they may provide for daily necessities and not live unproductive lives.
The expression not live unproductive lives is more literally not be unfruitful. The word may mean “to remain” as the Lord Jesus used it in His priestly prayer to indicate He was leaving this planet as we read in John 17:11:
I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name—the name you gave me—so that they may be one as we are one.
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 7:26, it is used in the sense of “to remain” or “to continue.”
In any case, the situational advice of the Holy Spirit through Apostle Paul to the Corinthians of the time he wrote this epistle is that it is beneficial for them to remain or continue in whatever marital status they were in when the apostle penned the advice in the clause I think that it is good for you to remain as you are we are considering. Literally, as we have indicated previously, the Greek reads that good to a man so to be. We have already noted that the word “man” used in the literal translation should not be limited to male specie of humankind but applies to men and women alike. Of course, the apostle probably used the word “man” because, as we have previously stated, of what he wrote in verse 27 implies he was addressing a man but we have to remember that in verse 25 he addressed virgins that primarily refers to females who have never had sexual relationship although in application it could also refer to a man who has not had sexual relationship and so a person who has never been married. Thus, we would expect the apostle to have said literally something like “good to a woman to be” to indicate that his situational advice applies only to women, but he did not. This is because he meant to convey that his situational advice is applicable to both men and women and so the use of the word “man” covers both male and female species of humankind. I know we are in a world that people are so conscious of the matter of gender, but we should not be overly concerned with such thing. This is because the word “man” is used in the Scripture often to refer to both men and women. This goes back to the first description of both male and female as “man” in Genesis 5:2:
He created them male and female and blessed them. And when they were created, he called them “man.”
Anyway, the point is that the situational advice of the Holy Spirit given through Apostle Paul regarding maintaining one’s marital status in 1 Corinthians 7:26 is applicable to both men and women that he instructed to remain in their marital status because of troubling times that we are not certain of but the original recipients must have understood the situation of things that warranted the apostle’s advice.
We should emphasize that the advice of the Holy Spirit regarding remaining in a person’s marital state in 1 Corinthians 7:26 is situational or temporary. In effect, as we have indicated, there was a specific situation the apostle had in mind as he wrote what the Holy Spirit directed him. This means that the advice here should not be used as an excuse not to marry. The Scripture cannot conflict itself. By this, we mean that it is God’s implied command for men and women to be married to each other as we may gather from the statement of 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.
Hence, no one should use the advice that is meant to apply to a specific situation to keep from being married since it is God’s plan for people in general to be married with few exceptions. By saying “few exceptions,” we know that there are those in God’s plan that should not be married. For example, on the one hand, if a man is born a eunuch that is an indication that such an individual should not marry. On the other hand, some may not marry because the Lord has called them to special ministry of the word and so they decide not to marry. These situations are what the Lord referenced in what is recorded in Matthew 19:11–12:
11 Jesus replied, “Not everyone can accept this word, but only those to whom it has been given. 12 For some are eunuchs because they were born that way; others were made that way by men; and others have renounced marriage because of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it.”
Those who are born natural eunuchs are children born with defective genitals and subsequently would fail to develop male secondary characteristics as they grow up. Such individuals by God’s design are not to marry while those who are made eunuchs are those who are castrated by others. It is interesting that the apostolic father Origen castrated himself probably based on this passage so that he did not marry and devoted his life in the ministry of the word. That aside, there are those who would willingly forgo marriage because they want to be devoted to special ministry of the word of God. Such individuals and eunuchs are part of what we mean that there are few exceptions to the implied requirement for people to get married.
Be that as it may, the situational advice of the Holy Spirit through Apostle Paul is one that we should carefully apply to believers at the present time. The advice implies a principle that decisions regarding matters relating to marriage should be carefully considered based on a person’s situation and the world in which the person leaves. Let me elaborate on the issue of marriage to suggest situations that may cause a believer to pause with marrying as much as it is desirable to be married. A first situation that should cause any believing man not to rush into marriage is economic situation of the person. Before a young man marries, he must be sure of his economic situation, meaning that he should be certain that he is financially able to take care of a wife. This is because, as we have considered in the past, taking care of a wife’s material needs is an important responsibility of a husband, as we may gather from a permissible reason for divorce stated in Exodus 21:10–11:
10 If he marries another woman, he must not deprive the first one of her food, clothing and marital rights. 11 If he does not provide her with these three things, she is to go free, without any payment of money.
Hence, a husband must be capable of supporting a wife. The implication of this responsibility is that in our modern times age should not be the most determining factor for a young man to be married but the capability of providing for a wife and children. We know that among the ancient Hebrews that boys could marry at the end of the thirteenth year and girls at the end of the twelfth year. The Talmud (the body of Jewish civil and ceremonial law and legend comprising the Mishnah and the Gemara) indicates that persons were expected to be married by age 18. If not married by age 20, some considered their singleness a sign that the wrath of God was upon them. Early marriage was, of course, seen as a protection against sexual immorality. However, we should understand that at that time people lived primarily under agricultural economy implying that at about the age of 14 a boy would have acquired the farming skill to provide for himself and a future wife. Not to mention that the boys would live near their parents so that although he and the wife were independent of their parents, still somehow are dependent on them. Bearing that in mind, today, a young man would not be ready to provide for a wife without having skill and a good paying job. For most people, this would imply college degree although there are some who do not go to college but are involved in skilled vocations that enable them to earn money to be in a position to support a wife. I agree with the Puritans of the past that encourage marriage at a young age to guard against sexual immorality but that must be tempered with this ability for a young man to provide for a wife and subsequent children. The point is that a young man should not seriously contemplate marriage until he is able to provide for a wife. That aside, it is equally important to recognize that a young man should not think that he must have saved a lot of money to be married. He only should have the ability of providing for a wife that may come through a stable employment. I am saying that a young man does not need to postpone marriage because he does not have certain amount in the bank and so expose himself to sexual immorality. He only needs to be employed with great prospect of advancing in his chosen career, to marry. Similar to the situational advice we have been considering, he should also ensure that when there is economic depression, he is not highly affected by it. If he is, then he should put marriage on hold. By the way, we have not referred to the age when a person should marry because that will vary depending on when a person meets the condition we stipulated. I know that someone may appeal to at least two examples we have in the Bible regarding the age a man married, to stipulate an age a man should marry. Isaac was forty years old when he got married, according to Genesis 25:20:
and Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah daughter of Bethuel the Aramean from Paddan Aram and sister of Laban the Aramean.
His son, Esau, married when he also was forty years, according to Genesis 26:34:
When Esau was forty years old, he married Judith daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and also Basemath daughter of Elon the Hittite.
These two examples should not be used as basis for advocating a young man should marry late in life. For one thing, we should remember that the lifespan at that time was different from what it is now. For example, Isaac married at the age of forty, but he lived to be 180 years. No one lives that long today; so, that he married at forty is probably like someone marrying in his teenage years today. But then we also have a record of someone who married at that age of sixty, as we can gather from1 Chronicles 2:21:
Later, Hezron lay with the daughter of Makir the father of Gilead (he had married her when he was sixty years old), and she bore him Segub.
Today a sixty-year-old man would be considered by some as too old to marry if he expects to raise a family. Thus, we are careful not to use age in the advice we gave regarding when a young man should marry. Again, the stipulation we have given based on the Scripture is that a young man should marry when he can take care of a wife. I realize that today, there are many things we do that are out of God’s order that we find in the Scripture such as some men remaining homes while their wives are the bread winners. While there may be few exceptions where that seem to work well but in general such arrangement makes it difficult for a man to exercise authority over the wife. Some may think that what I have said is archaic, but I find no example in the Scripture where it is implied that a woman is the one to take care of the husband in the way we have noted in the passage of Exodus 21 we cited. That aside, it is generally the case that a young man who wants to follow the order of the Scripture should ensure that he can take care of a wife and children before marrying.
Anyway, there is another situation, though rare, that may cause a young man to pause on the issue of marriage, it is if believers are facing great persecution. Whenever, believers are under great persecution, it may be prudent not to be involved in marriage until there is relief of some kind from it. This is because, it is easier for a believer who is single to face persecution or even death because of his faith when he has only himself to think about. A person who is married would be concerned about the wife and children, if he has them, to the point that his resolve to suffer for Christ might be affected. So, whenever there is an outbreak of persecution, it is advisable not to get married. You may say that this is unlikely in this country, but I am teaching God’s word that is applicable to all believers everywhere. You are not the only one that would hear this study. Besides, we cannot be sure that this would not happen in this country for we saw this during the Covid-19 when the local churches were shut down although many rationalized it as not being persecution but being careful. How many Christians could have foreseen this kind of thing happening in this country. So, you see how quickly things can change in this country to challenge Christians’ faith.
We have applied the situational advice regarding marriage to a general advice of when a young man should marry but this advice is also applicable to another aspect of marriage that has to do with having children. Clearly, the Scripture commands those who are married to have children, as we may gather from Genesis 1:28:
God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
The command here implies that when couples decide that they do not want children that would mean being disobedient to God’s word. It is, of course, a different thing if the couple tried but the Lord does not grant them a child for any of the several reasons that would be the case. Other than this situation, it is advisable that couples should recognize when it may not be wise to try to have children or to limit the number of children they have. A situation that might lead to a delay in having children or limiting the number of children couples have is economic depression. When the economic situation is bad, it may not be a good time to have children. This is because it requires substantial resources to care for children. Therefore, if couples recognize that they would not be able to care properly for a child then they should avoid having one under such condition. Even if there is no general economic depression, couples should still weigh their personal economic situation to guide them regarding number of children they should have. Another situation when couples should avoid having children is if there is persecution on believers. Such condition would be quite challenging to the Christian couples that to add a child to the mix would make things extremely difficult. It is extremely difficult to have children during a time of great suffering. It is this reality that the Lord conveyed in Mark 13:17:
How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers!
Anyway, although having children is commanded and a good thing but there may be a time to keep that off. This time, as we have indicated, is when there is great distress on the believing couples such as persecution or a national disaster that is prolonged. With this application of the situational advice of the Holy Spirit through Apostle Paul regarding marriage, we continue with the apostle’s explanation regarding the situational advice he wrote in the passage we are studying.
In any case, the situational advice of the Holy Spirit through the apostle is elaborated in the form of two questions and two commands that are concerned with not changing a person’s marital status, especially because of distressing period the Corinthians were facing. The two questions and two commands are given in verse 27. However, there is a problem of how to interpret the two questions and two commands of verse 27. The problem is not easy to recognize in our English versions because most of them translated the Greek of verse 27 similar to what we have in the 1984 edition of the NIV. The 1984 edition of the NIV reads Are you married? Do not seek a divorce. Are you unmarried? Do not look for a wife. But the 2011 edition of the NIV reads Are you pledged to a woman? Do not seek to be released. Are you free from such a commitment? Do not look for a wife. In comparing these two editions of the NIV, you would recognize that there is a problem because of the one addressed in the two questions. These two translations reveal that there are two different persons addressed in the questions. The 1984 edition of the NIV implies that in the first question a married person is addressed while the 2011 edition implies that a person who is betrothed to a woman is involved. In effect, the two translations reveal scholars are of divided opinion as to who is addressed, or the subject concerned. Is the apostle concerned with marriage or is he concerned with betrothal? To answer the question, we should consider the literal translation of the Greek of verse 27 that reads Have you been bound to a woman? Do not seek release. Have you been released from a woman? Do not seek a wife. The literal translation reveals that there are three words that are responsible for the interpretation difficulty which are “bound,” “woman,” and “release” (both as a noun and a verb). We need to examine the Greek words behind these three words to help us answer the question of how to interpret the one addressed in the two questions of the verse 27. We begin with the first word “bound.”
The word “bound” in the literal translation is translated from a Greek verb (deō) that may mean “to bind” with several nuances. It could mean to tie someone up with chains as it is used to describe the person that demons possessed that the Lord Jesus healed as stated in Mark 5:3:
This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him any more, not even with a chain.
The meaning “to bind” may have the sense of “to prohibit” or “to forbid” as it is used to indicate that what the church prohibits or forbids would be approved by God in Matthew 18:18:
“I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.
To bind may mean “to cause illness” or “to cause physical hardship” as it is used to describe the condition of the woman the Lord Jesus healed in Luke 13:16:
Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?”
The meaning “to bind” may mean “to wrap” as it is used for wrapping of the body of Jesus for burial, as recorded in John 19:40:
Taking Jesus’ body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs.
To bind may mean “to compel” as it is used in describing that Paul was being sent to Jerusalem by the Holy Spirit in Acts 20:22:
“And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there.
The meaning “to bind” when used in relationship of a wife to her husband may mean “to restrict” or “to put under the authority” or simply “to be obligated” as in Romans 7:2:
For example, by law a married woman is bound to her husband as long as he is alive, but if her husband dies, she is released from the law of marriage.
It is in the sense of being obligated to a husband that the word is used in 1 Corinthians 7:39:
A woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, but he must belong to the Lord.
Our concern with our Greek word is in what sense the apostle used it in our context. The apostle used the word five times in his epistles. Twice, he used it in the sense of “to be chained” in connection with imprisonment. So, writing to the Colossians he used the word in Colossians 4:3:
And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains.
The sentence I am in chains is literally I have been bound. Likewise, he used the word to convey that the word of God is not impeded in 2 Timothy 2:9:
for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God’s word is not chained.
The sentence God’s word is not chained is literally the word of God has not been bound. Two other times that the apostle used it, as we have already cited, concerned marriage context. As we indicated, the usage of the word by the apostle in Romans 7:2 and 1 Corinthians 7:39 is in the sense of being obligated. It is probably because of its usage in these two passages that some have taken the word to have the meaning of “to be bound in marriage” as we find in the REB. The most we can say is that in our passage of 1 Corinthians 7:27 it has the meaning of “to be obligated” without defining what the obligation or commitment is related. On the one hand, if the apostle meant for the word to be understood specifically as a reference to marriage, it seems that he would have used a Greek word (gameō) that means “to marry” that he used nine times in this seventh chapter of 1 Corinthians, as for example, in 1 Corinthians 7:9:
But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion.
We say this because the apostle used a perfect tense in the Greek that would imply a state resulting from an action that took place in the past. On the other hand, if the apostle was concerned only with betrothal, we would expect him to use similar idiom as he used in 1 Corinthians 7:36:
If anyone thinks he is acting improperly toward the virgin he is engaged to, and if she is getting along in years and he feels he ought to marry, he should do as he wants. He is not sinning. They should get married.
The sentence the virgin he is engaged to is literally his virgin. Thus, the apostle could have said “bound to your virgin” to indicate he had in mind betrothal although there is a Greek word (mnēsteuō) that means “to betroth” that the apostle never used in his epistle, but it is used in Luke 2:5:
He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.
In any event, it is our interpretation that the Greek word we have considered is used in our passage of 1 Corinthians 7:27 with the meaning “to be obligate.” Consequently, it could apply to marriage or to betrothal that is stronger than our modern-day engagement. This meaning, of course, does not in and of itself answer the question of whether the apostle meant marriage or betrothal in the first question of 1 Corinthians 7:27. Therefore, we will proceed to consider the other key words in our passage but we are out of time and so we will continue our study next week.
06/05/20