1 Corinthians 7:10 Commentary and Bible Study

It appears from the contrast in verse 12, that here Paul is dealing with the case of two believers. This is a great principle. In contrast to the permission given before, this is now definitely a command. Let not the wife depart from her husband or the husband from the wife, except under certain circumstances. One such circumstance is covered by the Lord Jesus Christ who allows divorce on the grounds of adultery. The apostle Paul in this passage is going to mention another: desertion, and it is generally held that there are certain things that are so bad, like violence, that they are a form of desertion, in which a person is not pleased to dwell with his spouse as a spouse, but is violent and destructive, and the situation is intolerable. Certain other things are as bad which will be mentioned in due course.