1 Corinthians 7:38 Commentary and Bible Study

Why does Paul say it is better not to give her in marriage? This is in line with what he has already said in the chapter: that the unmarried state has advantages over the married state in terms of serving the Lord, but that this state should only be followed if God has given the necessary gift. This gift applies to the woman just as much as to the man. Some decisions are hard to take. It is relatively easy to make the decision to let your daughter marry; most fathers want their daughters to marry. But to protect her it may be necessary to do something which is considered more negative, to make a harder decision and to say no. The father may be opposed to the marriage because his daughter is in some danger, or lacks the maturity to make the decision. Even the civil law sets a minimum age for marriage. This is going to be harder and maybe nobler because people will try to change his mind and he must hold out. Of course he can be wrong, but Paul is talking to Christian fathers who, we must assume, are doing their best to seek the good of all, especially their own daughters.