Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary 1 Corinthians 7:34

"and is divided. [So] also the woman that is unmarried and the virgin is careful for the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit: but she that is married is careful for the things of the world, how she may please her husband." — 1 Corinthians 7:34 (ASV)

Paul goes on to argue that if they want marriage, they must realize that it brings extra cares, and he wants them to be free from concern. Married persons, whether men or women, have their attentions centered on the desires and needs of their spouses (vv.33–34). In saying that the unmarried woman or virgin is concerned with how she may please the Lord (v.34), Paul implies that the married person is apt to neglect this Christian duty. Since the apostle upholds the right and privilege of marriage even for himself (9:3–5), he must here be advising against marriage because of particular abuses and tensions at Corinth. He is giving this advice for their own benefit, not to restrain them or put them in a noose. Rather, he wants them to live properly in complete and undivided devotion to the Lord.