EasyEnglish Bible 2018
Romans 7:3
3While her husband is alive, the law has authority over her. If she goes to live with another man, the law says that she has done something wrong. People will call her an adulteress. But if her husband dies, she becomes free from that law. If she then marries another man, she will not be doing anything wrong.
Romans 7:3 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man.
- New International Version (NIV)So then, if she has sexual relations with another man while her husband is still alive, she is called an adulteress. But if her husband dies, she is released from that law and is not an adulteress if she marries another man.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Accordingly, she will be called an adulteress if she lives with another man while her husband is alive. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law, and if she marries another man she is not an adulteress.
- New King James Version (NKJV)So then if, while her husband lives, she marries another man, she will be called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from that law, so that she is no adulteress, though she has married another man.
Context of Romans 7:3
1My Christian friends, you know about laws. You know that we have to obey them. The laws have authority over someone while they are still alive. 2So think about this. A woman who has a husband must stay with him as long as he still lives. That is what the law says. But if her husband dies, she becomes free from that law about her marriage. While her husband is alive, the law has authority over her. If she goes to live with another man, the law says that she has done something wrong. People will call her an adulteress. But if her husband dies, she becomes free from that law. If she then marries another man, she will not be doing anything wrong. 4My friends, it is like that for you too. When Christ's body died on the cross, it is as if you also died with him. Because of that, you are no longer under the authority the law. Now you are free to belong to someone else. You belong to Christ, whom God raised up after his death. As a result, we can live in a good way that will please God. 5In our old lives, we did the bad things that we wanted to do. God's laws brought bad thoughts into our minds. As a result, our bodies did many wrong things. In the end, those bad things lead to death.
Read all of Romans 7Romans 7:3 word by word
ἄρα οὖν ζῶντος τοῦ ἀνδρὸς μοιχαλὶς χρηματίσει, ἐὰν γένηται ἀνδρὶ ἑτέρῳ· ἐὰν δὲ ἀποθάνῃ ὁ ἀνήρ, ἐλευθέρα ἐστὶν ἀπὸ τοῦ νόμου τοῦ μὴ εἶναι αὐτὴν μοιχαλίδα γενομένην ἀνδρὶ ἑτέρῳ.¶Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Soἄραara · thereforeG686
- thenοὖνoun · therefore/thenG3767
- ifἐάνean · ifG1437
- whileζάωzaō · to liveG2198
- husbandὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- husbandἀνήρanēr · man: husbandG435
- she be marriedγίνομαιginomai · to beG1096
- toἀνήρanēr · man: husbandG435
- anotherἕτεροςheteros · otherG2087
- she shall be calledχρηματίζωchrēmatizō · to announceG5537
- an adulteressμοιχαλίςmoichalis · adulterousG3428
- butδέde · thenG1161
- be deadἀποθνήσκωapothnēskō · to dieG599
- she isεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
- freeἐλεύθεροςeleutheros · free/freedomG1658
- fromἀπόapo · away fromG575
- that lawνόμοςnomos · lawG3551
- sheαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
- noμήmē · notG3361
Cross-references for Romans 7:3
- Exodus 20:14You must not have sex with another person's husband or wife.
- Leviticus 20:10If a man has sex with another man's wife you must kill him and the woman.
- Numbers 5:13She might have had sex with another man. The husband might not know about this. His wife might have kept it secret. Nobody came in while it was happening. So there is nobody to say that it happened.
- Deuteronomy 22:22You may discover a man who is having sex with another man's wife. If so, you must punish both the man and the woman with death. In this way, you will remove such evil acts from Israel.
- Matthew 5:32But what I tell you is this: A man must not send his wife away except for one reason. He may only send her away if she has had sex with another man. If he sends her away for any other reason, he has done a wrong thing. It is like he has caused her to have sex with another man. Also, if a woman has left her husband, another man must not marry her. That is the same as if he had sex with another man's wife.’
- Mark 10:6But at the start, when God made the world, he made people male and female.
- John 8:3The Pharisees and the teachers of God's Law brought a woman to him. They had found her with another man. She was having sex with a man who was not her husband. They made her stand in front of all the people there.
- Ruth 2:13Ruth said, ‘Thank you, sir. You are being very kind to me. Your words cause me to feel happy and strong. I am not even as important as one of your servant girls, but you have been kind to me.’
- 1 Samuel 25:39David heard the news that Nabal had died. He said, ‘I praise the Lord. He has shown that I was right. Nabal insulted me but the Lord has punished him for that. The Lord stopped me from doing an evil thing. Now he has punished Nabal for the evil thing that he did.’ Then David sent a message to Abigail to ask her to marry him.
- 1 Timothy 5:11But do not put the names of younger widows on the list. They may decide to marry again, because they strongly want to have sex. Then they will no longer choose to serve Christ.
Commentaries on Romans 7:3
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3So then, if, while her husband liveth - The object of the apostle's similitude is to show that each party is equally bound to the other; but that the death of either dissolves the engagement. So - she is no adulteress, though she be married to another - And do not imagine that this change would argue any disloyalty in you to your Maker; for, as he has determined that this law of ordinances shall cease, you are no more bound to it than a woman is to a…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3So then if - compare Matthew 5:32. She shall be called - She will be. The word used here ́ chrēmatiseiis often used to denote being called by an oracle or by divine revelation. But it is here employed in the simple sense of being commonly called, or of being so regarded.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 2-3These verses are not an allegory, in which every part of the story has a separate theological meaning. Paul uses a simple illustration to make two main points: Death can free a person from the law. Ending one relationship can allow a person to start a new one. Paul applies this example in 7:4.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2-32-3. if her husband be dead--"die." So Ro 7:3.Read the comment
Topics related to Romans 7:3
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Romans 7
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Illustrated New Testament
- Burkitt’s Expository Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Family Bible Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- The People’s New Testament
- Robertson’s Word Pictures
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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