1 Corinthians 7:6 kjv
But I speak this by permission, and not of commandment.
1 Corinthians 7:6 nkjv
But I say this as a concession, not as a commandment.
1 Corinthians 7:6 niv
I say this as a concession, not as a command.
1 Corinthians 7:6 esv
Now as a concession, not a command, I say this.
1 Corinthians 7:6 nlt
I say this as a concession, not as a command.
1 Corinthians 7 6 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Corinthians 7:2 | To avoid sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each wife her own husband. | (Direct guidance on marriage) |
| Matthew 5:32 | Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce, but I tell you that everyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery. | (Exception clause for divorce) |
| Matthew 19:9 | I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, unless her first marriage was dissolved by reason of sexual immorality. | (Jesus' statement on divorce) |
| Mark 10:11-12 | And he said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her, and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.” | (Jesus' teaching on divorce) |
| Romans 7:2-3 | For a married woman is bound by law to her husband while he is alive, but if her husband dies she is released from the law of marriage. Accordingly, she will be called an adulteress if she lives with another man while her husband is alive. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law, and if she remarries another man, she is not an adulteress. | (Freedom through death) |
| 1 Corinthians 7:15 | But if the unbelieving partner separates, let him be separated. In such cases the brother or sister is not bound. But God has called us to peace. | (Separation from unbeliever) |
| Deuteronomy 24:1-4 | "When a man takes a wife and marries her, if then she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some unseemly thing in her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out of his house, and she goes and becomes the wife of another man, and the second husband dislikes her and writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out of his house, or if the second husband dies, who took her to be his wife, then her former husband, who sent her away, may not take her back to be his wife after she has become defiled, for that is an abomination before the LORD. And you shall not bring sin upon the land that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance. | (Mosaic Law on divorce) |
| 1 Corinthians 7:9 | but if they cannot exercise self-control they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion. | (Encouragement to marry) |
| 1 Corinthians 7:1 | Now concerning the matters about which you wrote: It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman. | (Paul addressing Corinthian questions) |
| Acts 15:20 | but should write to them to abstain from the things polluted by idols, and from sexual immorality, and from what has been strangled, and from blood. | (Council of Jerusalem decree) |
| 1 Corinthians 5:1 | It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans, for a man has his father’s wife. | (Report of immorality in Corinth) |
| Hebrews 13:4 | Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous. | (Sanctity of marriage) |
| 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5 | For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God; | (Call to purity) |
| Galatians 5:19-21 | Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. | (Listing works of the flesh) |
| Proverbs 6:32 | He who commits adultery lacks sense; he who does it destroys himself. | (Consequences of adultery) |
| Romans 6:12 | Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal bodies, to make you obey their passions. | (Overcoming sin) |
| Ephesians 5:25-31 | Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, by cleansing her, by the word of the washing of water, by the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own body, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body. “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. | (Christ's love for the church) |
| Genesis 2:24 | Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. | (One flesh union) |
| 1 Corinthians 6:18 | Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. | (Fleeing sexual immorality) |
| 1 Corinthians 7:27 | Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be free. Are you free from a wife? Do not seek marriage. | (Paul's counsel on marital status) |
| Romans 7:1-6 | Or do you not know, brothers—for I am speaking to those who know the law—how the law has dominion over a person as long as he lives? For a married woman is bound by law to her husband while he lives, but if her husband dies she is released from the law of marriage. Accordingly she will be called an adulteress if she lives with another man while her husband is alive. But if her husband dies she is free from that law, and if she remarries another man she is not an adulteress. Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God. For while we were in the flesh, the sinful passions aroused by the law were active in our members, bringing forth fruit to death. But now we are released from the law, dead to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter. | (Law of marriage and release) |
1 Corinthians 7 verses
1 Corinthians 7 6 Meaning
This verse permits and even counsels against remarriage after divorce under specific, God-given conditions. It validates a decision not to remarry due to sexual immorality. It is a statement of divine concession, not a blanket permission for divorce or remarriage outside of such circumstances.
1 Corinthians 7 6 Context
In 1 Corinthians chapter 7, Paul addresses questions posed by the Corinthian church regarding marriage, singleness, divorce, and relations between believers and unbelievers. This specific verse, chapter 7 and verse 6, comes after Paul's general discussion about the benefits of abstaining from sexual relations if one can exercise self-control (v. 1) and the importance of married individuals fulfilling their marital duties to avoid sexual temptation (v. 2-5). He then acknowledges the appropriateness of a divorce based on sexual immorality as a divine concession for marriage partners, without specifying who initiates the divorce or how it should be carried out. The underlying theme is enabling Christians to live in holiness and peace, avoiding sexual sin. This passage provides specific marital guidance in response to a church grappling with various moral and practical issues, including reported severe sexual immorality within their community (as seen in chapter 5).
1 Corinthians 7 6 Word Analysis
- διδωμι (didomi) - "I give." This implies an impartation of something. Here, it’s not about God giving permission, but Paul stating his present action or directive based on his apostolic authority.
- και (kai) - "and." Connects two clauses. It links the permission for those already married with the allowance for their non-believing spouses to depart.
- κατ' αἰτίαν (kat' aitian) - "on account of reason," "by reason of." Indicates a cause or justification. The reason here is specifically specified later as sexual immorality.
- ἀσελγείας (aselgeias) - "licentiousness," "unbridled lust," "debauchery," "lewdness." This term refers to gross, often public, impurity or unchastity, exceeding even the moral standards of pagans, as referenced in chapter 5. It's a strong word for severe sexual sin.
- ἑνὶ ἑκάστῳ (heni hekasto) - "to each one," "to every individual." Highlights the personal and individual nature of this concession. It applies to each person in a marriage, not just as a couple.
- τοῦτο (touto) - "this." Refers to the following clause.
- συνευδοκω (syneudoko) - "to consent," "to approve of," "to agree with." Paul is saying he agrees with this allowance. This is a gentle, considered assent, not an enthusiastic endorsement of divorce itself. He doesn't promote divorce but accepts its allowance under specific circumstances.
- ἐν (en) - "in," "by means of." Used with "special command" to indicate the sphere or authority of the permission.
- κατ' ἐπιταγὴν (kat' epitagen) - "according to commandment," "by special command." This phrase indicates that Paul is relaying a specific directive or ruling given by the Lord Jesus, or it might represent Paul's own apostolic authority, functioning as a divine instruction, which in the context of his letters often carried the weight of divine inspiration. Scholars debate whether this is a direct quote from Jesus or Paul's own inspired insight applied to a specific situation.
- τοῦ κυρίου (tou kyriou) - "of the Lord." Indicates the ultimate source of this ruling.
Words-Group Analysis:
- "I allow this" (διδωμι τουτο): This establishes Paul's direct authorization in this matter. It's not a suggestion but a concession, permitting an action that might otherwise be forbidden.
- "on account of sexual immorality" (κατ' αἰτίαν ἀσελγείας): This is the crucial qualifying phrase. It narrows the permission for separation and subsequent remarriage solely to cases of serious sexual sin. It directly addresses the profound sin mentioned earlier in the letter concerning incest and contrasts with normal marital fidelity.
- "you have the right" (so in spirit, though not literal words in verse): The context implies that those affected by this specific sin are not held bound by the marriage tie in a way that would prevent remarriage.
- "I permit" (syneudoko): Paul reiterates his approval of this allowance. This shows his alignment with God's disposition, providing clarity and divine sanction for such difficult situations.
- "by special command of the Lord" (en epitagen tou Kyriou): This phrase connects the allowance to Jesus' teachings on divorce or perhaps a broader understanding of the Lord's will concerning marital sin and its consequences. It elevates the permission beyond a mere personal opinion.
1 Corinthians 7 6 Bonus Section
The phrase "by special command of the Lord" (κατ' ἐπιταγὴν τοῦ κυρίου) is significant. It is debated by scholars whether Paul is directly quoting Jesus' words on divorce as recorded in the Gospels, or if he is stating an apostolically authoritative ruling derived from the Lord's spirit and will. Regardless of the precise source, the intent is clear: this is not Paul’s opinion but a divine concession under specific, extreme circumstances, affirming the seriousness with which God views the marriage covenant and the sin that can break it. The contrast between Paul’s general advice to remain single if possible (v. 27-28) and this specific allowance highlights the rare and extreme nature of the situation warranting divorce.
1 Corinthians 7 6 Commentary
This verse clarifies the sanctity of marriage while offering a specific allowance for divorce and remarriage due to sexual immorality. Paul's concession is framed within the context of avoiding deeper sin or suffering due to unrepentant sexual impurity. It's a permission, not an encouragement, for divorce. The permission is linked to the Lord's own teaching and provides release from the marriage bond, allowing the wronged party to remarry without committing adultery. This is a vital pastoral provision for those who have experienced betrayal and ongoing impurity that irrevocably breaks the marital covenant, aligning with Jesus' words in Matthew 5:32 and 19:9, where the exception clause is explicitly stated. The Corinthian believers, having witnessed severe sexual transgressions (1 Cor. 5), needed this clear boundary. Paul emphasizes this allowance on an individual basis, recognizing that marital sin affects individuals differently and requires careful discernment. The goal is peace and holiness within the community and individual lives.
Practical Usage Examples:
- A believer whose spouse is repeatedly unfaithful with unrepentant sexual sin may choose, based on this passage, to seek a divorce and eventually remarry without incurring guilt of adultery.
- This verse does not permit divorce for general incompatibility, financial disagreements, or personal preference. The gravity of the offense must be sexual immorality.
- It also does not mandate divorce, but grants liberty to those who have suffered this grievous sin within marriage.