1 Corinthians 7:39 teaches that a wife is bound to her husband for as long as he lives, but once he dies she is free to marry again, provided the new marriage is “in the Lord,” meaning among believers and in keeping with God’s will. Paul wrote this to the church in Corinth, answering practical questions the members had sent him about marriage, singleness, and life in a divided and uncertain world.
A wife is bound by law for as long as her husband lives; but if the husband is dead, she is free to be married to whomever she desires, only in the Lord.
1 Corinthians 7:39 (WEB)
What 1 Corinthians 7:39 Means
The verse begins with a statement about the marriage bond. A wife belongs to her husband in a covenant that lasts as long as he is alive, and Paul treats that bond as serious. Marriage is not something to be entered and dropped on a whim. The phrase “bound by law” reflects the ordinary Roman and Jewish understanding of marriage as a binding commitment with real obligations, not a private arrangement that can be ended at will.
The second half describes what changes at death. When the husband dies, the bond ends, and the widow is free to marry again. Paul does not make her remarriage a sin or a lesser state. He simply acknowledges that she is no longer under the same obligation. The verse is permission and clarity, not a command to remarry.
The final qualification, “only in the Lord,” sets a boundary on that freedom. Paul is not saying she must marry a Christian in every technical sense of the word, but that her choice should honor the Lord, reflecting faith, shared devotion to Christ, and obedience to God’s ways. The verse does not promise that any particular marriage will be happy or wise. It sets out a principle that the believer’s choices belong under God’s authority.
The Context of 1 Corinthians 7:39
First Corinthians is a letter written by the apostle Paul, traditionally dated to around the mid-50s AD, to a young church in the Greek port city of Corinth. The congregation was made up of people from varied backgrounds, and they had written to Paul with questions about sexual ethics, marriage, divorce, and whether single people should marry at all. Chapter 7 is Paul’s answer to those questions, and he writes with a mix of practical counsel and personal opinion, sometimes explicitly distinguishing his own judgment from a direct command of the Lord.
The verses just before this one, 7:36 to 38, deal with engaged couples and the choices a father or guardian might make about a young woman’s marriage. Verse 40, which comes right after, says that Paul thinks a widow is happier if she stays unmarried, though he is not forbidding remarriage. Read in that sandwich, verse 39 is not a ruling that widows must remarry or must stay single. It is a clear statement of freedom wrapped in a reminder that the freedom carries responsibility before God. Paul gives the widow the choice and then gently offers his own view about what would be best.
Key Phrases in 1 Corinthians 7:39
Matthew 19:6
So that they are no more two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, don’t let man tear apart.”
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Jesus here speaks of marriage as a union that God joins, and he calls people not to separate what God has joined. This connects with 1 Corinthians 7:39 by reminding readers that the marriage bond is sacred, and that its ending by death is a real change, not a casual event to be treated lightly.
Romans 7:2
For the woman that has a husband is bound by law to the husband while he lives, but if the husband dies, she is discharged from the law of the husband.
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Paul uses a similar picture of marriage in Romans, explaining that a woman is bound to her husband while he lives, and is released from that law when he dies. The parallel shows that the principle of release through death is a settled part of Paul’s teaching about marriage, and it helps readers see 1 Corinthians 7:39 in a wider frame.
A Short Prayer From 1 Corinthians 7:39
Lord, you know the seasons of our lives, including the loss of a spouse and the uncertainty of what comes next. Thank you that you give freedom with wisdom and that you care about the choices we make. Where we are grieving, comfort us, and where we are considering new commitments, guide our hearts so that every decision honors you. Keep us rooted in faith and humble in our desires, trusting that you lead us in every step. Amen.
