Because of the present crisis, I think it is good for a man to remain as he is.
Parallel translations
- WEB I think that it is good therefore, because of the distress that is on us, that it is good for a man to be as he is.
- KJV I suppose therefore that this is good for the present distress, I say, that it is good for a man so to be.
- NKJV I suppose therefore that this is good because of the present distress—that it is good for a man to remain as he is:
- NASB I think, then, that this is good in view of the present distress, that it is good for a man to remain as he is.
- NLT Because of the present crisis, I think it is best to remain as you are.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Because of the present "distress" pressing on believers, Paul judges it good for a person to remain as they are. The hardships of the age make singleness a wise, freeing option.
Overview
The "present distress" likely refers to the pressures and persecutions of the church's situation, perhaps with an eye to the shortness of the age (v. 29). Paul does not forbid marriage but counsels that, under such conditions, staying single can be advantageous for undistracted service. His advice is pastoral and situational, not a universal devaluation of marriage, which he elsewhere honors highly.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- 1 Cor 7:8Now to the unmarried and widows I say this: It is good for them to remain unmarried, as I am.
- 1 Cor 7:1Now for the matters you wrote about: It is good to abstain from sexual relations.
- 1 Pet 4:17For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who disobey the gospel of God?
- Luke 23:28–29But Jesus turned to them and said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.
- 1 Cor 7:28But if you do marry, you have not sinned. And if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. But those who marry will face troubles in this life, and I want to spare you this.
- 1 Cor 7:35–38I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but in order to promote proper decorum and undivided devotion to the Lord.
- Jer 16:2–4“You must not marry or have sons or daughters in this place.”
- Luke 21:23How miserable those days will be for pregnant and nursing mothers! For there will be great distress upon the land and wrath against this people.
- Matt 24:19How miserable those days will be for pregnant and nursing mothers!
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Christ at the center
Christ crucified is the wisdom and power of God; he is our Passover sacrificed for us, the firstfruits of resurrection, the foundation on which everything is built.
How 1 Corinthians 7:26 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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