John Gill Commentary 1 Corinthians 7

Now concerning the things whereof you wrote to me
Though the false apostles had greatly influenced the members of this church, yet there were many among them that had a very great respect for the apostle, and kept up a correspondence with him, though at a distance from him, by writing; in which way they informed him of their doubts and difficulties, that arose in their minds about certain things, and desired his judgment in them, to which they paid a very great deference. The things they wrote to him about, here referred to, may be collected from the contents of this chapter, and some others following; as whether a Christian man ought not to abstain from the use of women; whether a believer ought to live with an unbelieving yoke fellow; whether such as had been circumcised should not make use of some methods to draw on the foreskin of their flesh; whether apprentices, who were called by the grace of God, ought to serve out their time with their masters; and concerning celibacy or virginity, the eating of things offered to idols, and the maintenance of ministers: and he begins with the first; to which he answers,

it is good for a man not to touch a woman ;
which is to be understood, not of merely touching a woman, which can neither be criminal, nor in all cases inexpedient, or be attended with any ill, or dangerous consequences; nor of the matrimonial contract, which is lawful and honourable; but of the act of carnal copulation with a woman:

In this sense the Jews use the phrase, ``there are three (they say ^F18) that fled from transgression, and the blessed God joined his name with them; and they are these, Joseph, and Joel, and Phalti. Joseph, as appears from what is said, (Psalms 81:5) "a testimony in Joseph is his name"; what is the meaning of the phrase "in Joseph?" this testifies concerning him, (rpyjwp tvab egn alv) , "that he did not touch Potiphar's wife" (i.e. he did not lie with her); Jael, as is clear from what is said, (Judges 4:18) "and Jael went forth to meet Sisera, and she covered him with a mantle"; what is the meaning of the phrase, (hkymvb) ? (which is rendered, "with a mantle"; ) our Rabbins here (in Babylon) say with a linen cloth; but our Rabbins there (in the land of Israel) say with bed clothes; says Resh Lekish, if we run over the whole Scripture, we shall not find any household goods so called; wherefore what is it? it is all one as (hk ymv) , "my name is thus": and the meaning is, my name witnesses concerning her, (evr wtwa hb egn alv) , "that that wicked one (Sisera) did not touch her" ^F19 ; (i.e. had not carnal knowledge of her; ) Phalti, as is evident from hence, one Scripture says, "and Saul gave Michal his daughter to Phalti", (1 Samuel 25:44) and another Scripture says Phaltiel; sometimes he is called Phalti, and sometimes he is called Phaltiel; who takes Phalti? and who gives Phaltiel? but I testify concerning him; (dwd tvab egn alv) , "that he did not touch David's wife"; (i.e. did not lie with her; )'' see (Genesis 20:6) . And in this sense also is the word "touch" used, both by Greek and Latin authors.

The apostle's meaning is not that it is unlawful to marry, or that it is sinful to lie with a woman in lawful wedlock; but that it is much better, and more expedient on several accounts, to abstain from the use of women, when persons have the gift of continency.

FOOTNOTES:

• F18: Vajikra Rabba, sect. 23. fol. 164. 4. & 165. 1. Vid Shemot Rabba, sect. 1. fol. 91. 4.
• F19: Vid. Kimchi in Jud. iv. 18.

Nevertheless, to avoid fornication
Or "fornications"; meaning either the frequent commission of that sin; or all sorts of uncleanness and pollution, which may be avoided by wedlock, and the proper use of the marriage bed, where the gift of continency is not bestowed: wherefore to prevent unlawful copulations, as of single persons with one another, or of a married person with a single one, the apostle advises, as being what is right and proper,

let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own
husband ;
that is, let every man that has a wife enjoy her, and make use of her, and let every woman that has an husband, receive him into her embraces; for these words are not to be understood of unmarried persons entering into a marriage state, for the words suppose them in such a state, but of the proper use of the marriage bed; and teach us that marriage, and the use of it, are proper remedies against fornication; and that carnal copulation of a man with a woman ought only to be of husband and wife, or of persons in a married state; and that all other copulations are sinful; and that polygamy is unlawful; and that one man is to have but one wife, and to keep to her; and that one woman is to have but one husband, and to keep to him.

Let the husband render to the wife due benevolence ,
&c.] The Syriac version renders it, (byxttmd abwx) , "due love"; and so the Arabic; and may include all the offices of love, tenderness, humanity, care, provision, and protection, which are to be performed by the husband to his wife; though it seems chiefly, if not solely, here to respect what is called, (htne) , (Exodus 21:10) "her marriage duty", as distinct from food and raiment to be allowed her; and what is meant by it the Jewish doctors will tell us: one says ^F20 , it is (hjmh vymvt) , "the use of the marriage bed"; and, says another ^F21 , (hyle abl) , "it is to lie with her", according to the way of all the earth.

And so the phrase here, "due benevolence", is an euphemism, and designs the act of coition; which as it is an act of love and affection, a sign of mutual benevolence, so of justice; it is a due debt from divine ordination, and the matrimonial contract. The Jewish doctors has fixed and settled various canons ^F23 concerning the performance, of this conjugal debt: and the apostle may not be altogether without some view to the rules and customs which obtained in his own nation.

And, likewise also the wife to the husband ;
she is not to refuse the use of the bed when required, unless there is some just impediment, otherwise she comes under the name of (tdrwm) , a "rebellious wife"; concerning whom, and her punishment, the Jews

a woman that restrains her husband from the use of the bed, is called rebellious; and when they ask her why she rebels, if she says, because it is loathsome to me, and I cannot lie with him; then they oblige him to put her away directly, without her dowry; and she may not take any thing of her husband's, not even her shoe strings, nor her hair lace; but what her husband did not give her she may take, and go away:

and if she rebels against her husband, on purpose to afflict him, and she does to him so or so, and despises him, they send to her from the sanhedrim, and say to her, know you, that if you continue in your rebellion, you shall not prosper? and after that they publish her in the synagogues and schools four weeks, one after another, and say, such an one has rebelled against her husband; and after the publication, they send and say to her, if you continue in your rebellion, you will lose your dowry;

and they appoint her twelve months, and she has no sustenance from her husband all that time; and she goes out at the end of twelve months without her dowry, and returns everything that is her husband's.

This account, with a little variation, is also given by Maimonides ^F25 .

FOOTNOTES:

• F20: Mosis Kotsensis Mitzvot Tora, praecept. neg. 81. Sol. Jarchi in Exod. xxi. 10.
• F21: Maimon. Hilch. Isbot, c. 12. sect. 2. Vid. Aben Ezra in Exod. xxi. 10.
• F23: Vid. Misn. Cetubot, c. 5. sect. 6. & Mikvaot, c. 8. sect. 3.
• F25: Hilch. Ishot, c. 14. sect. 8, 9, 10. Vid. Misn. Cetubot, c. 5. sect. 7. & Maimon. & Bartenora in ib.

The wife has not power of her own body
To refrain the use of it from her husband; or to prostitute it to another man:

but the husband ;
he has the sole power over it, and may require when he pleases the use of it:

and likewise also the husband has not power over his own body :
to withhold due benevolence, or the conjugal debt from his wife; or abuse it by self-pollution, fornication, adultery, sodomy, or any acts of uncleanness: but the wife; she only has a power over it, a right to it, and may claim the use of it:

this power over each other's bodies is not such, as that they may, by consent, either the husband allow the wife, or the wife the husband, to lie with another.

Defraud you not one another By withholding due benevolence, denying the use of the marriage bed, refusing to pay the conjugal debt, and which is called a "diminishing of her marriage duty", (Exodus 21:10) where the Septuagint use the same word "defraud", as the apostle does here; it is what both have a right to, and therefore, if either party is denied, it is a piece of injustice, it is properly a defrauding; though with proper conditions, such as follow, it may be lawful for married persons to lie apart, and abstain from the use of the bed, but then it should never be done, except it be with consent : because they have a mutual power over each other's bodies, and therefore the abstinence must be voluntary on each side; otherwise injury is done to the person that does not consent, who is deprived against will of just right; but if there is agreement, then there is no defrauding, because each give up their right; and such a voluntary abstinence is commended by the Jews ^F26 ; `everyone that lessens the use of the bed, lo, he, is praiseworthy; and he who does not make void, or, cause to cease the due benevolence, but (wtva tedm) , "by consent of his wife";' ^F1 i.e. he also is praiseworthy.

another condition of this abstinence is that it be only for a time; which shall be agreed unto, and fixed by both parties; not for ever which would be contrary to the will of God; the institution and end of marriage, and of dangerous consequence to either party. The Jews allow of a vow of continency for a while; and which they limit to different persons; thus , `if a man by a vow excludes, wife from the use of the bed, the school of Shammai say it is for the space of two weeks, the school of Hillell say one week; scholars go out to learn the law, without leave of their wives, thirty days, workmen one week;' which vow, for such a limited time, they seem to allow of, without mutual consent; and herein they disagree with the rule the apostle gives; and who further observes, the end to be had in view by such a voluntary separation for a time,

that you may give yourselves to fasting and prayer ; not that this was necessary for the ordinary discharge of such service, as for private acts of devotion among themselves, and constant family prayer; but either when times of fasting and prayer on some emergent occasions were appointed by themselves, or by the church, or by the civil government on account of some extraordinary and momentous affairs; and this seems to be observed by the apostle, in agreement with the customs and rules of the Jewish nation, which forbid the use of the bed, as on their great and annual fast, the day of atonement ^F2 , so on their fasts appointed by the sanhedrim for obtaining of rain ^F3 {c}: the word "fasting" is omitted in the Vulgate Latin and Ethiopic versions, and so it is in the Alexandrian copy, two of Stephens's; and others:

The apostle adds, and come together again ; to the same bed, and the use of it, and that for this reason, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinence ; for not having the gift of continency, should they pretend to keep apart long: Satan, who knows the temperament and disposition of men and women, may tempt them not only to hatred of, and quarrels with one another, but to impure lusts and desires, to fornication, adultery, and all uncleanness; a very good reason why, though abstinence from the marriage bed for a short time, by the consent of both parties, for religious purposes, may be lawful, yet ought not to be continued; since Satan may hereby get an advantage over them, and draw them into the commission of scandalous enormities.

The Jews have a notion of Satan's being a tempter, and of his tempting men to various sins, which they should guard against, as idolatry So say they ^F4 , `thou mayest not look after idolatry, according to (Deuteronomy 4:19) and again, thou must take heed lest this be a cause of it to thee, (Ktwa tyoy Njvw) , "and Satan tempt thee" to look after them, and do as they do:' and again ^F5 , frequently should a man think upon the unity of the blessed God, lest there should be anything above or below, before him or behind him, or by him, and so, (wtyom Njvh) , "Satan tempt him", and he come into heresy.'

FOOTNOTES:

• F26: Maimon. Hilch. Ishot, c. 21. sect. 11.
• F1: Misn. Cetubot, c. 5. sect. 6.
• F2: Misn. Yoma, c. 8. sect. 1.
• F3: Misn. Taanith, c. 1. sect. 6.
• F4: Mosis Kotsensis Mitzvot Tora, pr. neg. 14.
• F5: Mosis Kotsensis Mitzvot Tora, pr. neg. 15.