1 Corinthians 7:10 – A God of faithfulness

Now to the married I am charging, not I, but the Lord: A wife is not to be separated from her husband.

In verses 8 and 9 Paul addressed the unmarried and widows. Now he addresses those who are married. He also does not speak now (as in verse 7) form his own experience and form the gift he had received from GOD. Paul appeals to the Lord, regardless of what he had revealed to him.

A woman would not be separated from her husband. Indeed, the Lord had taught this on earth a few decades earlier (Mat. 19:5,6). Jesus thereby appealed to what is stated in Genesis 2:24. With the conclusion: “What God then yokes together, let not man be separating”. The marriage lasts as long as both partners live (see also 1 Cor. 7:39).

In most translations, the final phrase in 1 Cor. 7:10 reads as an assignment to women. But from the original, the reading is: a woman would is not to be separated from her husband. So regardless of who takes the initiative, husband or wife. Marriage is not based on feelings but on loyalty. As the reflection of the GOD of faithfulness. ‘Am I unfaithful, He always remains the same!’

Delen: