1 Corinthians 7:40

But she is happier if she so abide, after my judgment: and I think also that I have the Spirit of God.

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Word by word — the Greek

Word	Greek	Strong’s	Meaning
But	δέ de	G1161	but · conjunction
is	ἐστί estí	G2076	he (she or it) is
happier	μακαριωτέρα makariōtera	G3107	supremely blest · adjective — nominative singular feminine, comparative
if	ἐὰν ean	G1437	a conditional particle · conditional particle
she	μείνῃ, meinē	G3306	to stay (in a given place · verb — aorist active subjunctive, 3rd person singular
so	οὕτως houtōs	G3779	in this way (referring to what precedes or follows) · adverb
abide	μένω ménō	G3306	to stay (in a given place
after	κατὰ kata	G2596	(prepositionally) down (in place or time) · preposition
my	ἐμός emós	G1699	my
judgment	γνώμην· gnōmēn	G1106	cognition · noun — accusative singular feminine
and	δὲ de	G1161	but · conjunction
I	κἀγώ kagṓ	G2504	so also the dative case
think	δοκῶ dokō	G1380	compare the base of G1166 (δεικνύω)) of the same meaning · verb — present active indicative, 1st person singular
also	κἀγώ kagṓ	G2504	so also the dative case
have	ἔχειν.¶ echein	G2192	to hold (used in very various applications · verb — present active infinitive
Spirit	πνεῦμα pneuma	G4151	a current of air · noun — accusative singular neuter
God	θεοῦ theou	G2316	figuratively · noun — genitive singular masculine, a title

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

1 Corinthians 7:1 Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman.
1 Corinthians 7:8 I say therefore to the unmarried and widows, It is good for them if they abide even as I.
1 Corinthians 7:25-26 Now concerning virgins I have no commandment of the Lord: yet I give my judgment, as one that hath obtained mercy of the Lord to be faithful…
1 Corinthians 7:6 But I speak this by permission, and not of commandment.
1 Corinthians 7:35 And this I speak for your own profit; not that I may cast a snare upon you, but for that which is comely, and that ye may attend upon the Lo…
1 Corinthians 9:1-3 Am I not an apostle? am I not free? have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? are not ye my work in the Lord?
1 Corinthians 14:36-37 What? came the word of God out from you? or came it unto you only?
2 Corinthians 10:8-10 For though I should boast somewhat more of our authority, which the Lord hath given us for edification, and not for your destruction, I shou…

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 1 Corinthians 7:39–end

The whole is here closed up with advice to widows: As long as the husband liveth the wife is bound by the law, confined to one husband, and bound to continue and cohabit with him. Note, The marriage - contract is for life; death only can annul the bond. But, the husband being dead, she is at liberty to marry whom she will. There is no limitation by God's law to be married only for such a number of times. It is certain, from this passage, that second marriages are not unlawful; for then the widow could not be at liberty to marry whom she pleased, nor to marry a second time at all. But the apostle asserts she has such a liberty, when her husband is dead, only with a limitation that she marry i…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 Corinthians 7:40

happier-- (Co1 7:1, Co1 7:28, Co1 7:34-35). I think also--"I also think"; just as you Corinthians and your teachers think much of your opinions, so I also give my opinion by inspiration; so in Co1 7:25, "my judgment" or opinion. Think does not imply doubt, but often a matter of well-grounded assurance (Joh 5:39). Next: 1 Corinthians Chapter 8

Adam Clarke on 1 Corinthians 7:40

But she is happier if she so abide - If she continue in her widowhood because of the present distress; for this must always be taken in, that consistency in the apostle's reasoning may be preserved. If this were not understood, how could St. Paul tell the widow that it would be more happy for her to continue in her widowhood than to remarry? She who had tried both the state of celibacy and the state of marriage could certainly best tell which was most for her comfort; and he could not tell any thing but by an express revelation from heaven, relative to the future state of any widow: it is certain that he can never be understood as speaking in general, as there are multitudes of persons abund…

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John Gill on 1 Corinthians 7:40

The Church Fathers

Paul adds that he has the Spirit of God in order to show that his advice is reliable.
— Ambrosiaster, COMMENTARY ON PAUL'S EPISTLES

Note that Paul does not say that a woman who contracts a second marriage will be unhappy. Rather he says that she will be happier if she remains single. It is all a matter of degree.
— Theodoret of Cyrus, COMMENTARY ON THE FIRST EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS 212

What Paul means is that she is blessed if she marries and has a husband to protect her, but she is more blessed if, for the sake of piety, she refuses marriage and devotes herself entirely to God.
— Severian of Gabala, PAULINE COMMENTARY FROM THE GREEK CHURCH

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Revelation of Christ — The second advent of Christ. Three different Greek words are used by the apostles to express this, (1) apokalupsis (1 Cor. 1;7; 2 Thess. 1:7; 1 Pet. 1:7, 13); (2) parousia (Matt. 24:3, 27; 1 Thess.…
Celibacy · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Stoicism · .Celibacy — .Celibacy
Wife · UNCLASSIFIED SCRIPTURES RELATING TO — UNCLASSIFIED SCRIPTURES RELATING TO

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

1 Corinthians 7:40

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 1 Corinthians 7:39–end

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 Corinthians 7:40

Adam Clarke on 1 Corinthians 7:40

John Gill on 1 Corinthians 7:40

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

1 Corinthians 7:40

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 1 Corinthians 7:39–end

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 Corinthians 7:40

Adam Clarke on 1 Corinthians 7:40

John Gill on 1 Corinthians 7:40

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

John Calvin on 1 Corinthians 7:39–end

Tyndale Open Study Notes on 1 Corinthians 7:39