Passage

1 Corinthians 7.21

Book: 1 Corinthians · ASV / WEB / KJV / YLT

Immediate context (±2 verses)

ASV

19. Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing; but the keeping of the commandments of God. 20. Let each man abide in that calling wherein he was called.

21. Wast thou called being a bondservant? Care not for it: nay, even if thou canst become free, use it rather.

For he that was called in the Lord being a bondservant, is the Lord's freedman: likewise he that was called being free, is Christ's bondservant. 23. Ye were bought with a price; become not bondservants of men. (1 Corinthians 7:19-23, ASV)

WEB

19. Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God. 20. Let each man stay in that calling in which he was called.

21. Were you called being a bondservant? Don’t let that bother you, but if you get an opportunity to become free, use it.

For he who was called in the Lord being a bondservant is the Lord’s free man. Likewise he who was called being free is Christ’s bondservant. 23. You were bought with a price. Don’t become bondservants of men. (1 Corinthians 7:19-23, WEB)

KJV

19. Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God. 20. Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called.

21. Art thou called being a servant? care not for it: but if thou mayest be made free, use it rather.

For he that is called in the Lord, being a servant, is the Lord's freeman: likewise also he that is called, being free, is Christ's servant. ^{freeman: Gr. made free} 23. Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men. (1 Corinthians 7:19-23, KJV)

YLT

19. the circumcision is nothing, and the uncircumcision is nothing, but a keeping of the commands of God. 20. Each in the calling in which he was called, in this let him remain;

21. a servant, wast thou called? be not anxious; but if also thou art able to become free, use [it] rather;

for he who [is] in the Lord, having been called a servant, is the Lord's freedman: in like manner also he the freeman, having been called, is servant of Christ: 23. with a price ye were bought, become not servants of men; (1 Corinthians 7:19-23, YLT)

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Setting

Speaker: Paul the Apostle, with Sosthenes named as co-sender
Audience: the church at Corinth, a divided congregation in a wealthy Roman colony
Location: written from Ephesus during the third missionary journey
Time period: c. AD 53-55

Theological reading

Were you called as a bondservant? Do not be concerned about it. But if you can gain your freedom, avail yourself of the opportunity.

One of the most disputed sentences in Paul, and the dispute is grammatical. The Greek of the second clause is elliptical, literally "rather use," and the object must be supplied: either use freedom, or use your condition as a slave.

The translations divide, and both readings have serious defenders. The freedom reading takes Paul to counsel manumission where available; the other takes him to counsel remaining, consistent with the chapter's repeated instruction to stay in the state in which one was called.

What is not in dispute is the surrounding argument. The chapter's principle is that external status does not determine standing before God, stated at verse 22 in the paradox that the called bondservant is the Lord's freedman and the free man is Christ's slave.

Honest use of the verse states the ambiguity. See Israelite Slavery Possession-vs-Ownership Defeater for the wider treatment.

Key words

Theologically-loaded Greek or Hebrew words in this verse may have entries in the lexicon. Curated to roughly 100 contested terms across the corpus, not every word; see Lexicon Roadmap.

G1401 - doulos, doulos, Strong's G1401
G1096 - ginomai, ginomai, Strong's G1096

Quoted in

Arguments and defeaters:

Concepts:

Lexicon:

G1401 - doulos

Passages:

Philemon 16

Why these four translations

ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the most literal English translations available (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the public domain in the United States, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.

The four:

ASV (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
WEB (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
KJV (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
YLT (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.

See Bibles for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.