Passage

1 Corinthians 7.25

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

Immediate context (±2 verses)

ASV (ASV)

"23. Ye were bought with a price; become not bondservants of men. 24. Brethren, let each man, wherein he was called, therein abide with God."

"25. Now concerning virgins I have no commandment of the Lord: but I give my judgment, as one that hath obtained mercy of the Lord to be trustworthy."

"26. I think therefore that this is good by reason of the distress that is upon us, namely, that it is good for a man to be as he is. 27. Art thou bound unto a wife? Seek not to be loosed. Art thou loosed from a wife? Seek not a wife." (1 Corinthians 7:23-27, ASV)

WEB (WEB)

"23. You were bought with a price. Don’t become bondservants of men. 24. Brothers, let each man, in whatever condition he was called, stay in that condition with God."

"25. Now concerning virgins, I have no commandment from the Lord, but I give my judgment as one who has obtained mercy from the Lord to be trustworthy."

"26. I think that it is good therefore, because of the distress that is on us, that it is good for a man to be as he is. 27. Are you bound to a wife? Don’t seek to be freed. Are you free from a wife? Don’t seek a wife." (1 Corinthians 7:23-27, WEB)

KJV (KJV)

"23. Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men. 24. Brethren, let every man, wherein he is called, therein abide with God."

"25. Now concerning virgins I have no commandment of the Lord: yet I give my judgment, as one that hath obtained mercy of the Lord to be faithful."

"26. I suppose therefore that this is good for the present distress, I say, that it is good for a man so to be. ^{distress: or, necessity} 27. Art thou bound unto a wife? seek not to be loosed. Art thou loosed from a wife? seek not a wife." (1 Corinthians 7:23-27, KJV)

YLT (YLT)

"23. with a price ye were bought, become not servants of men; 24. each, in that in which he was called, brethren, in this let him remain with God."

"25. And concerning the virgins, a command of the Lord I have not; and I give judgment as having obtained kindness from the Lord to be faithful:"

"26. I suppose, therefore, this to be good because of the present necessity, that [it is] good for a man that the matter be thus:, 27. Hast thou been bound to a wife? seek not to be loosed; hast thou been loosed from a wife? seek not a wife." (1 Corinthians 7:23-27, YLT)

Setting

Speaker: Paul the Apostle
Audience: Christian believers in Corinth
Location: composed in Ephesus; addressed to Corinth
Time period: composed c. AD 55-56

Theological reading

Key words

G2962 - kyrios, kyrios (Strong's G2962). Also appears in: Matthew 1.20, Matthew 1, Matthew 6.24.
G3933 - parthenos, parthenos (Strong's G3933). Also appears in: Matthew 1.23, Acts 21.9.

Quoted in

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.