Romans 7 3

Romans 7:3 kjv

So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man.

Romans 7:3 nkjv

So then if, while her husband lives, she marries another man, she will be called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from that law, so that she is no adulteress, though she has married another man.

Romans 7:3 niv

So then, if she has sexual relations with another man while her husband is still alive, she is called an adulteress. But if her husband dies, she is released from that law and is not an adulteress if she marries another man.

Romans 7:3 esv

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 marries another man she is not an adulteress.

Romans 7:3 nlt

So while her husband is alive, she would be committing adultery if she married another man. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law and does not commit adultery when she remarries.

Romans 7 verses

Romans 7 3 Meaning

Paul utilizes a fundamental principle of marriage law as an analogy to elucidate the transformed relationship believers have with God. This verse states a widely accepted legal and social fact: a woman is lawfully bound to her husband as long as he lives. If she marries another man during her first husband's lifetime, she is legally deemed an adulteress. Conversely, should her husband die, she is entirely freed from the binding statute of that specific marriage law. Consequently, she can remarry another man without incurring the charge of adultery. This factual premise meticulously establishes the groundwork for Paul’s subsequent spiritual argument, illustrating how a spiritual "death" to the Law liberates believers to enter into a new, life-giving union with Christ.

Romans 7 3 Context

Romans chapter 7 functions as a detailed explanation of the believer's liberation from the Mosaic Law, building on the preceding argument for justification by faith in Christ. Paul recognized the strong reverence Jewish believers held for the Law and needed to articulate how a Christian could be "under grace and not under law" (Rom 6:14) without suggesting antinomianism or disrespect for God’s commands. He introduces an analogy of marriage in Romans 7:1-2 to clarify this intricate relationship. Romans 7:2 sets the stage by stating that a married woman is legally bound to her husband as long as he lives. Then, Romans 7:3 precisely defines the terms of this bond: while the husband lives, she is bound and commits adultery if she remarries. Upon his death, however, the bond is dissolved, granting her freedom to remarry without fault. This legal example was readily understood by both Jewish and Roman audiences, whose respective laws held death as the indisputable dissolver of a marriage. This established and unambiguous legal truth regarding marital covenants allows Paul to pivot seamlessly to his spiritual application in Romans 7:4: believers, through identification with Christ's death, have "died" to the Law and are now free to be united with Him, bearing spiritual fruit.

Romans 7 3 Word analysis

• So then, (ἄρα οὖν - ara oun): This is a strong inferential particle, signaling a conclusion derived directly from the previously stated points in Romans 7:1-2. It effectively translates to "therefore, in light of these facts."
• if (ἐάν - ean): Introduces a conditional statement that describes a hypothetical yet legally significant scenario.
• while her husband lives (ζῶντος τοῦ ἀνδρὸς αὐτῆς - zontos tou andros autēs): Literally, "living of the man, of her." This phrase is crucial, as it underscores the husband's living state as the precise condition and duration of the wife's legal obligation to him.
• she marries another man (γένηται ἀνδρὶ ἑτέρῳ - genētai andri heterō): Translates literally as "should become to another man." The verb "to become" (γένηται) indicates entering a new marital state. Heterō signifies "another of a different kind" or "a distinct other," emphasizing that this new man is not her first husband.
• she will be called an adulteress; (μοιχαλὶς χρἠματίσει - moichalis chrēmatisai): Moichalis specifically denotes a female who commits adultery. Chrēmatisai means "she will be officially called," "publicly designated," or "legally declared." This emphasizes the legal consequence and the social shame associated with breaking the marital law.
• but if (ἐὰν δέ - ean de): Introduces a sharp contrast to the previous condition, setting up an alternative scenario.
• her husband dies, (ἀποθάνῃ ὁ ἀνήρ - apothanē ho anēr): This marks the definitive end of the marital covenant. Death, in both Jewish and Roman law, was the irrefutable dissolver of a legal marriage bond.
• she is free (ἐλευθέρα ἐστίν - eleuthera estin): "She is at liberty," signifying legal emancipation and being unbound from previous obligations.
• from that law, (ἀπὸ τοῦ νόμου - apo tou nomou): Specifies freedom "from the law"—referring to the particular marital statute that governed her bond to her former husband. It highlights the specific, legal nature of the release.
• so that (ὥστε - hōste): Introduces the direct consequence of her newfound freedom.
• she is no adulteress (οὐκ ἔστιν μοιχαλίς - ouk estin moichalis): A clear, emphatic negation. Her legal and moral status has completely changed; the previous designation no longer applies.
• though she marries another man. (γενομένη ἀνδρὶ ἑτέρῳ - genomenē andri heterō): This participial clause reaffirms that her act of "becoming to another man" is now perfectly legitimate and unblemished, thanks to the dissolution of the prior bond by death.

Romans 7 3 Bonus section

The Roman legal system had a profound impact on Paul's precise language concerning marriage. While Jewish law permitted divorce for men, the Roman perspective, though having different forms of divorce, broadly maintained the principle of permanence until death. By explicitly stating that death alone unambiguously releases a wife, Paul appeals to a universally accepted and uncontroversial legal premise. This ensured that his subsequent theological analogy, based on this strong foundation, could not be easily refuted or misconstrued. The meticulous detail in defining the state of adultery versus freedom highlights the absolute distinction Paul wants to make: just as a woman is either wholly bound or completely free, believers are either entirely under the Law's dominion or absolutely liberated by their spiritual death with Christ. This analogy provides a firm legal scaffolding for understanding the theological freedom found in the new covenant.

Romans 7 3 Commentary

Romans 7:3 is a meticulously constructed legal illustration, crucial for Paul's exposition on the Christian's relationship with the Law. It articulates the unwavering nature of a marital bond: absolute until death, and entirely dissolved by it. The verse is not an isolated teaching on marriage and divorce; rather, it functions as an indisputable legal premise to illuminate a spiritual truth. Paul strategically uses this commonly understood covenant (marriage) to show that a binding agreement (like the Law's authority over an individual) remains fully operative only as long as both parties—or the circumstances governing the bond—are "alive" to it. Once death occurs (in the analogy, the husband's death; in the application, the believer's spiritual death to the Law in Christ), the previous obligation is completely nullified, enabling a new, legitimate union. This clarifies how believers are freed from the Law's dominion without nullifying the Law itself, setting the stage for being joined to Christ and bearing fruit for God.