1 Corinthians 7:16

16 For how knowest thou o woman whether thou shalt save that man or no? Other how knowest thou o man whether thou shalt save that woman or no?

1 Corinthians 7:16 Meaning and Commentary

1 Corinthians 7:16

For what knowest thou, O wife
These words may be understood, as containing a reason either why the believing party should be easy at the departure of the unbeliever, after all proper methods have been used in vain to retain him or her; taken from the uncertainty and improbability of being of any use to them, to bring them to the knowledge of Christ, and salvation by him; "for what knowest thou, O wife"; thou dost not know, thou canst not know, thou canst not be sure,

whether thou shall save thy husband?
be the means of bringing of him under the means of grace, and so of his conversion and salvation; there is no likelihood of it, since he is such an implacable enemy to Christ, and so bitterly averse to the Gospel, and the ordinances of it; and therefore since he is determined to separate, even let him go: or else, as rendering a reason why the believer should seek for peace and reconciliation, and by all means, if possible, continue to dwell with the unbeliever; taken from hopes of being serviceable under a divine influence and blessing, for their spiritual and eternal good, the wife for the good of the husband; by whose conversation he may be won over, and prevailed upon to entertain a better opinion of the Christian religion; to take a liking to the Gospel, and to attend upon the ministry of the word, which may be made the power of God unto salvation to him:

or how knowest thou, O man, whether thou shall save thy wife;
this may possibly be done, in the same manner as now suggested: persons in such a relation have often great influence upon one another, and are by divine Providence often great blessings to each other, in things spiritual as well as temporal. This puts me in mind of a case related by the Jewish doctors ^F1:

``it happened to a holy man that he married a holy woman, and they had no children; say they, we are of no manner of profit to the blessed God; they stood up and divorced one another; he went and married a wicked woman, and she made him wicked; she went and married a wicked man, (qydu wtwa htvew) "and she made him righteous";''

or, to use the apostle's phrase, "saved him".

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FOOTNOTES:

F1 Bereshit Rabba, sect. 17. fol. 14. 4.

1 Corinthians 7:16 In-Context

14 For ye vnbelevynge husbande is sanctified by the wyfe: and the vnbelevynge wyfe is sanctified by the husbande. Or els were youre chyldren vnclene: but now are they pure.

15 But and yf the vnbelevynge departe let him departe. A brother or a sister is not in subiection to soche. God hath called vs in peace.

16 For how knowest thou o woman whether thou shalt save that man or no? Other how knowest thou o man whether thou shalt save that woman or no?

17 but even as God hath distributed to every man. As the lorde hath called every person so let him walke: and so orden I in all congregacios.

18 Yf eny man be called beynge circumcised let him adde nothinge therto. Yf eny be called vncircumcised: let him not be circucised.