First Corinthians 7:39 says that a wife is bound to her husband for as long as he lives, and that when he dies she is free to marry again, but only to a believer. Paul wrote this to the church in Corinth, answering questions the congregation had sent him about marriage, singleness and faithful living. It is his direct teaching on remarriage after a spouse’s death.
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 plain statement of the marriage bond: while a husband lives, his wife belongs to that marriage, and the bond holds. Paul calls this a matter of law, meaning the ordinary binding commitment that marriage creates. Death is the event that ends it, and once the marriage has ended, the woman is no longer under that obligation.
The verse then gives her freedom. She may marry again, and the choice is hers. Paul does not tell her whom to pick or pressure her toward remarriage. He leaves the decision with her conscience and her circumstances.
The final phrase, “only in the Lord,” sets a boundary. Paul is asking that a Christian widow choose a husband who also belongs to Christ. The verse does not promise a happy second marriage, and it does not say that remarriage is required or even better than staying single. It gives freedom and a limit, and the rest is left to wise judgment.
The Context of 1 Corinthians 7:39
Paul wrote First Corinthians in the middle of the first century, and the letter addresses a church full of practical problems, including divisions, lawsuits, and confusion about sexuality and marriage. Chapter 7 is where he answers their written questions about marriage, singleness, and whether believers should stay in their current status. The Corinthian believers lived in a city with a loose moral culture, and Paul wanted them to honor marriage while also understanding the value of undivided devotion to the Lord.
The verses just before this one (7:36 to 38) speak about engaged couples and the choices a father or fiancé may make, and verse 40 follows with Paul’s personal judgment that a widow is happier if she stays as she is. Read in that frame, verse 39 is not a command to remarry. It is one part of a careful discussion in which Paul gives freedom, offers his own preference for singleness, and balances both with the requirement that a Christian marry within the faith.
Key Phrases in 1 Corinthians 7:39
2 Corinthians 6:14
Don’t be unequally yoked with unbelievers, for what fellowship have righteousness and iniquity? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?
(WEB)
Paul warns believers not to be mismatched with unbelievers in close partnerships. The verse supports the principle behind “only in the Lord,” showing that shared faith matters in deep commitments like marriage.
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.
(WEB)
Paul uses the same picture of a married woman bound to her husband while he lives and free after his death. Reading it alongside 1 Corinthians 7:39 shows that this understanding of marriage was part of his teaching across his letters.
A Short Prayer From 1 Corinthians 7:39
Lord, thank you for the gift of marriage and for the freedom you give when a marriage ends in death. Some of us carry grief that makes every decision feel heavy, and some of us wonder what the future holds. Help us to hear your word clearly and to choose wisely, trusting you with our hearts. If you lead us toward marriage again, give us a partner who loves you above all, so that we can walk together in your truth. Keep us faithful in whatever season you have given us. Amen.
