1 Corinthians 7:36 Commentary - Dr Peter Masters

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1 Corinthians 7:36

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This brings us to an entirely different set of ideas. The father in those days controlled everything. Nowadays the father’s permission for marriage to go ahead is considered a formality. Taking it any further than that raises eyebrows, and seems far removed from freedom. But in those days he controlled the destiny of his children. The situation in Paul’s mind is of a father who has decided that it is better if his daughter does not marry, but he has now begun to think that he is being unreasonable. She is past the flower of her age, the prime of youth. This does not necessarily mean she is getting too old to marry, but she is past the point of being eligible for marriage, that is, she reached maturity. Let the father do what he will, says Paul, and of course, any father in those days must take his daughter’s wishes into account. This is not a matter of sin; it is a matter of judgment, and fairness, and kindness, and understanding of the situation. ‘Let them marry’: let the daughter and her prospective husband marry, and le the father give his permission.

Application

Questions

Some translate this verse as if this is about a man who has betrothed a wife, but has then decided it was better to stop at that point and not go ahead with marriage. He is somehow committed to her, but he thinks that it is better not to go ahead with the marriage and leaves her suspended in a state of betrothal, but unmarried. There is no indication that any such practice existed in the churches, nor that it was approved of, and Paul is certainly giving his approval to whatever is spoken of here, regardless of which way the parties involved choose to go. The word ‘giveth’ in verse 38 is the clue that this is about fathers, not about those are considering whether to go ahead with marriage themselves. It is the assumption of Christ and of the Bible that fathers had the right to decide whether their daughters should marry or not (Matthew 22:30; 24:38; Luke 20:34). Scripture assumes that fathers in the past had the authority to decide whether their daughters married or not (Genesis 29:18; 34:16; Deuteronomy 7:3; Joshua 15:16; Judges 21:1; 1 Samuel 17:25; etc.)

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1 Corinthians 7:36 Commentary and Bible Study