Philip Schaff's Popular Commentary (4 vols)

Romans 7:2

Romans 7:2. For the married woman. This is an example of the principle of Romans 7:1. ‘Married' is more fully explained as ‘subject to a husband.'

Is bound by the law. The permanent binding is indicated by the form of the original. The Mosaic law made no provision for her releasing herself from the marriage tie, though the husband might put away his wife (Deuteronomy 24:1-2).

To the living husband. The paraphrase of the E. V. is correct, but unnecessary.

If the husband have died, or, simply ‘die'; a single event is spoken of. The language is plain, out the application has occasioned difficulty. In Romans 7:1 it is not the ruling law, but the man who dies; here it is the ruling man who dies. Allegorical explanations have been suggested, but seem forced. It is better to understand it thus: Death is common to both parties; when the husband dies, the wife dies so far as that legal relation is concerned. The husband is represented as the party who dies, because the figure of a second marriage is to be introduced, with its application to believers (Romans 7:4). ‘As the woman is not dead, but is killed in respect to her marriage relation, or is situated as dead, by the natural death of her husband, so believers have not died a natural death, but are made dead to the law, since they are crucified to the law with Christ. The idea, dead in a marriage relation, is therefore the middle term of comparison' (Lange).

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Philip Schaff's Popular Commentary (4 vols)

Romans 7:2

Old Testament

New Testament