1 Corinthians 7:29

1 Corinthians 7:29 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)But this I say, brethren, the time is short: it remaineth, that both they that have wives be as though they had none;
• New International Version (NIV)What I mean, brothers and sisters, is that the time is short. From now on those who have wives should live as if they do not;
• English Standard Version (ESV)This is what I mean, brothers: the appointed time has grown very short. From now on, let those who have wives live as though they had none,
• New King James Version (NKJV)But this I say, brethren, the time is short, so that from now on even those who have wives should be as though they had none,

Context of 1 Corinthians 7:29

27If you have a wife, do not seek to end the marriage. If you do not have a wife, do not seek to get married. 28But if you do get married, it is not a sin. And if a young woman gets married, it is not a sin. However, those who get married at this time will have troubles, and I am trying to spare you those problems. But let me say this, dear brothers and sisters: The time that remains is very short. So from now on, those with wives should not focus only on their marriage. 30Those who weep or who rejoice or who buy things should not be absorbed by their weeping or their joy or their possessions. 31Those who use the things of the world should not become attached to them. For this world as we know it will soon pass away.

1 Corinthians 7:29 word by word

Τοῦτο δέ φημι, ἀδελφοί, ὁ καιρὸς συνεσταλμένος ἐστίν· τὸ λοιπόν ἵνα καὶ οἱ ἔχοντες γυναῖκας ὡς μὴ ἔχοντες ὦσιν,Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Butδέde · thenG1161
• thisοὗτοςhoutos houtoi hautē hautai · this/he/she/itG3778
• I sayφημίphēmi · to assertG5346
• brethrenἀδελφόςadelphos · brotherG80
• the timeὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• the timeκαιρόςkairos · time/right timeG2540
• shortσυστέλλωsustellō · to wrap upG4958
• it remainethεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
• ·λοιπόνloipon · henceforthG3063
• thatἵναhina · in order that/toG2443
• bothκαίkai · andG2532
• haveἔχωechō · to have/beG2192
• wivesγυνήgunē · woman: wifeG1135
• as thoughὡςhōs · as/whenG5613
• noneμήmē · notG3361

Cross-references for 1 Corinthians 7:29

• Job 14:1“How frail is humanity! How short is life, how full of trouble!
• Psalms 39:4“Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered— how fleeting my life is.
• Psalms 90:5You sweep people away like dreams that disappear. They are like grass that springs up in the morning.
• Psalms 103:15Our days on earth are like grass; like wildflowers, we bloom and die.
• Ecclesiastes 6:12In the few days of our meaningless lives, who knows how our days can best be spent? Our lives are like a shadow. Who can tell what will happen on this earth after we are gone?
• Ecclesiastes 9:10Whatever you do, do well. For when you go to the grave, there will be no work or planning or knowledge or wisdom.
• Romans 13:11This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.
• Hebrews 13:13So let us go out to him, outside the camp, and bear the disgrace he bore.
• 1 Peter 4:7The end of the world is coming soon. Therefore, be earnest and disciplined in your prayers.
• 2 Peter 3:8But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day.
• 1 John 2:17And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.
• Ecclesiastes 12:7For then the dust will return to the earth, and the spirit will return to God who gave it.
• Isaiah 24:1Look! The Lord is about to destroy the earth and make it a vast wasteland. He devastates the surface of the earth and scatters the people.
• Isaiah 40:6A voice said, “Shout!” I asked, “What should I shout?” “Shout that people are like the grass. Their beauty fades as quickly as the flowers in a field.
• James 4:13Look here, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit.”
• 1 Peter 1:24As the Scriptures say, “People are like grass; their beauty is like a flower in the field. The grass withers and the flower fades.

Commentaries on 1 Corinthians 7:29

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 29The time is short - These persecutions and distresses are at the door, and life itself will soon be run out. Even then Nero was plotting those grievous persecutions with which he not only afflicted, but devastated the Church of Christ. They that have wives - Let none begin to think of any comfortable settlement for his family, let him sit loose to all earthly concerns, and stand ready prepared to escape for his life, or meet death, as the providence of…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 29But this I say - Whether you are married or not, or in whatever condition of life you may be, I would remind you that life hastens to a close, and that its grand business is to be prepared to die. It matters little in what condition or rank of life we are, if we are ready to depart to another and a better world. The time is short - The time is “contracted,” “drawn into a narrow space” ( ́ sunestalmenos). The word which is used here is commonly applied to…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 25-35Verses 25-35 Considering the distress of those times, the unmarried state was best. Notwithstanding, the apostle does not condemn marriage. How opposite are those to the apostle Paul who forbid many to marry, and entangle them with vows to remain single, whether they ought to do so or not! He exhorts all Christians to holy indifference toward the world. As to relations; they must not set their hearts on the comforts of the state. As to afflictions; they…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 25-35Paul provides three reasons why it is often better for single people to stay unmarried. First, single people face fewer daily problems than married people. Second, since the end is near, Christians should not let marriage and worldly matters be their main focus. Their main focus should be Christ and eternity. Third, marriage involves earthly responsibilities and divided interests, so those who stay single can dedicate their lives more fully to serving…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2929. this I say--A summing up of the whole, wherein he draws the practical inference from what precedes (1Co 15:50). the time--the season (so the Greek) of this present dispensation up to the coming of the Lord (Ro 13:11). He uses the Greek expression which the Lord used in Lu 21:8; Mr 13:33. short--literally, "contracted." it remaineth--The oldest manuscripts read, "The time (season) is shortened as to what remains, in order that both they," &c.; that is…Read the comment

Topics related to 1 Corinthians 7:29

• Continence
• Marriage
• Spirituality
• Watchfulness
• Wife
• Worldliness
• Zeal, Religious

In the dictionaries

• Abuse
• Attend
• Consent
• Contain
• Distraction
• Loose
• Mercy
• Revelation of Christ
• Snare
• Sorrow

Commentaries on 1 Corinthians 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
• 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