Expositor's Greek Testament (Nicoll)

1 Corinthians 7:35

A third time P. declares that he is consulting for the welfare of his readers (cf. 28 b, 32 a), not insisting on his own preference nor laying down an absolute rule: “looking to (πρός) your advantage I say (it)”. τὸ σύμφορον is the abstract of συμφέρει (1 Corinthians 6:12; 1 Corinthians 10:23). The βρόχος is the noose or lasso by which a wild creature is snared: P. does not wish by what he says to deprive the Cor [1200] of any liberty, to capture his readers and shut them up to celibacy “not that I may throw a snare over you”. He aims at what is socially εὔσχημον, “of honourable guise,” as belonging to the Christian decorum of life (see parls.); and at what is religiously εὐπάρεδρον τῷ Κυρίῳ, “promotive-of-fit-waiting on the Lord”. ἀπερισπάστως recalls the περιεσπᾶτο used of Martha in Luke 10:38-42, and suggests that the Ap. had this story in his mind, esp. as μεριμνάω, his leading expression in this Section, is the word of reproof used by Jesus there. Epictetus' dissuasive from marriage, in his Dissertt., III., xxii., 67 ff., curiously resembles Paul's: τοιαύτης οὔσης καταστάσεως οἵα νῦν ἐστιν, ὡς ἐν παρατάξει, μή ποτʼ ἀπερίσπαστον εἶναι δεῖ τ. Κυνικὸν ὅλον πρὸς τῇ διακονίᾳ τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἐπιφοιτᾶν ἀνθρώποις δυνάμενον, οὐ προσδεδεμένον καθήκουσιν ἰδιωτικοῖς οὐδʼ ἐμπεπλεγμένον (cf. 2 Timothy 2:4) σχέσεσιν, ἃς παραβαίνων οὐκέτι σώσει τὸ τοῦ καλοῦ καὶ ἀγαθοῦ πρόσωπον, τηρῶν δʼ ἀπολεῖ τὸν ἄγγελον κ. κατάσκοπον κ. κήρυκα τῶν θεῶν; (69).

[1200] Corinth, Corinthian or Corinthians.

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Expositor's Greek Testament (Nicoll)

1 Corinthians 7:35

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