Now to the unmarried and widows I say this: It is good for them to remain unmarried, as I am.
Parallel translations
- WEB But I say to the unmarried and to widows, it is good for them if they remain even as I am.
- KJV I say therefore to the unmarried and widows, It is good for them if they abide even as I.
- NKJV But I say to the unmarried and to the widows: It is good for them if they remain even as I am;
- NASB But I say to the unmarried and to widows that it is good for them if they remain even as I.
- NLT So I say to those who aren’t married and to widows—it’s better to stay unmarried, just as I am.
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
To the unmarried and widows Paul says it is good to remain single as he is. It matters because singleness is a genuinely good and honorable state for serving Christ.
Overview
Paul commends remaining unmarried to those currently single or widowed, holding up his own celibate life as an example of a good path. In a context awaiting Christ and given to gospel service, singleness offers freedom. The counsel is permissive and esteeming, not a denigration of marriage, as the next verse shows.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- 1 Cor 7:32I want you to be free from concern. The unmarried man is concerned about the work of the Lord, how he can please the Lord.
- 1 Cor 7:34–35and his interests are divided. The unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the work of the Lord, how she can be holy in both body and spirit. But the married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world, how she can please her husband.
- 1 Cor 7:7I wish that all men were as I am. But each man has his own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that.
- 1 Cor 7:26–27Because of the present crisis, I think it is good for a man to remain as he is.
- 1 Cor 7:1Now for the matters you wrote about: It is good to abstain from sexual relations.
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 7:8 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.