So then he that giveth her in marriage doeth well; but he that giveth her not in marriage doeth better.
Parallel translations
- WEB So then both he who gives his own virgin in marriage does well, and he who doesn’t give her in marriage does better.
- BSB So then, he who marries the virgin does well, but he who does not marry her does even better.
- NKJV So then he who gives her in marriage does well, but he who does not give her in marriage does better.
- NASB So then, both the one who gives his own virgin in marriage does well, and the one who does not give her in marriage will do better.
- NLT So the person who marries his fiancée does well, and the person who doesn’t marry does even better.
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
So the one who gives in marriage does well, and the one who refrains does even better—given the present circumstances. Both choices are good; Paul mildly prefers singleness for its freedom.
Overview
Paul sums up the immediate discussion: proceeding with marriage is good, and choosing not to is, in his situational judgment, better—because of the present distress and the freedom singleness affords for the Lord. This is comparative counsel, not a claim that marriage is morally inferior. The "better" is measured by undistracted devotion under the pressures of the age, not by intrinsic holiness.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- Heb 13:4Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.
- 1 Cor 7:1–2Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman.
- 1 Cor 7:32–34But I would have you without carefulness. He that is unmarried careth for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may please the Lord:
- 1 Cor 7:37Nevertheless he that standeth stedfast in his heart, having no necessity, but hath power over his own will, and hath so decreed in his heart that he will keep his virgin, doeth well.
- 1 Cor 7:8I say therefore to the unmarried and widows, It is good for them if they abide even as I.
- 1 Cor 7:26I suppose therefore that this is good for the present distress, I say, that it is good for a man so to be.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 7:38 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
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.