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OET (OET-LV) For/Because has_been_sanctified the husband the unbelieving by the wife, and has_been_sanctified the wife the unbelieving by the brother, otherwise consequently the children of_you_all unclean is, but now holy it_is.
OET (OET-RV) You see, the unbelieving husband is exposed to faith through his wife, and the unbelieving wife is exposed to faith through the believing husband, otherwise your children would be ‘defiled’, but now they are declared innocent.
In an earlier letter to Paul, the Corinthians had mentioned some problems and asked him some questions. There are no longer any copies of this letter, so we can only guess what they wrote by reading Paul’s answers. Apparently some of the questions the Corinthians had asked were about marriage and sex. In this section Paul discussed these topics. He wrote about sexual intercourse, divorce, marrying again after a person’s husband or wife dies, and never marrying.
From the way Paul talked, it appears that the Corinthians were thinking that if believers want to be holy, they should abstain from sexual relations. The Corinthians were wondering if married people should sleep together, if Christians who were married to non-Christians should divorce them, and if Christians should get married. Paul gave them some wise teaching on each of these topics. In 7:1–16 he addressed Christians who were married. In 7:17–24 he wrote about his general rule for Christians: Remain as you are. In 7:25–38 he taught Christians who were not married. In 7:39–40 he addressed women whose husbands had died.
Other possible section headings include:
Paul gave/wrote instructions about Christian marriage
Paul’s teaching on marriage
Paul now discussed the case of believers married to unbelievers. Paul had first preached the gospel in Corinth only three or four years before he wrote this letter. So most believers in Corinth had only been believers for a few years. Some men had become believers but their wives had not. And some women had become believers but their husbands had not. Apparently some people in Corinth were wondering whether Christians should remain married to unbelievers. Paul’s answer was that the believer is not to ask for a divorce. But if the unbelieving husband or wife chooses to leave, the believer need not think he or she has to stay married to that person.
For the unbelieving husband is sanctified through his believing wife,
For the husband belongs to the Lord because of his Christian wife.
The husband who is not a believer is made holy through his believing wife. (NCV)
For: The Greek conjunction that the BSB translates as For here introduces a reason why believers should not leave their husbands or wives who were not believers.
the unbelieving husband is sanctified through his believing wife: The Greek word that the BSB translates as is sanctified means to be made holy or set apart to belong to God. See the notes on 1:2b and 1:2c. Paul was saying that the husband of the believer was set apart by his marriage and in some way made holy or acceptable to God.In 1 Timothy 4:5, Paul said that food “is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.” The Greek word that Paul used for “sanctified” is the same Greek word that is translated “sanctified” in 1 Corinthians 7:14. In 1 Timothy 4:5 Paul meant that the food is not unclean, and therefore it is fit/proper for us to eat. In Romans 11:16 Paul said, “If the root is holy, so are the branches.” By this he meant that if the ancestors of the Jewish people (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob) belonged to God, all the Jewish people belong to God. But yet not all Jewish people are saved. These two verses show us that someone can be said to be “sanctified” or “holy” in one sense and yet not be saved. Therefore the marriage was not impure, and the believing wife was not to separate from him. Other ways to translate this include:
the unbelieving husband is made acceptable to God by being united to his wife (GNT)
The husband who is not a believer is made holy through his believing wife. (NCV)
Paul did not mean that the unbeliever was saved or that his or her sins are forgiven because he or she was married to a believer. But he did mean that the Lord sees the unbelieving partner and the marriage as acceptable or holy.
and the unbelieving wife is sanctified through her believing husband.
And the wife belongs to the Lord because of you, her Christian husband.
And the wife who is not a believer is made holy through her believing husband. (NCV)
and the unbelieving wife is sanctified through her believing husband: The text that the BSB has translated as her believing husband is literally “the brother.” This refers to a believing man, a Christian. The man was not his wife’s brother in either a literal or a spiritual sense. Most English versions do not use the word “brother” here. Here is another way to translate this:
the unbelieving wife is made acceptable to God by being united to her Christian husband (GNT)
In some languages it may be natural to combine rather than repeat the information in these 7:14a-b. For example:
Your husband or wife who isn’t a follower is made holy by having you as a mate. (CEV)
Otherwise your children would be unclean, but now they are holy: These verse parts explain Paul’s reason for saying that the unbeliever was sanctified by his or her believing spouse. If it were not true, the children of the marriage would be unclean. But Paul and his readers assumed that the children were not unclean. So, he argued, it must be true that in some way the unbelieving partner was made holy through his or her believing spouse and, because of that, the children are considered holy.
Otherwise your children would be unclean,
If it were not so, then your children would not belong to God.
If that were not true, then their children would be like the children of parents who are not Christians.
Otherwise: The Greek phrase that the BSB translates as Otherwise here means “If this were not so” (GNT); that is, if the unbelieving spouse were not in some way made holy.
your children: The phrase your children refers to the children born from the marriage between the believer and the unbeliever. In some languages it may be natural to use a third-person pronoun to match the previous verse, after the model of the GNT:
their children (GNT)
Paul was saying that if one parent is a believer, the children in some way belong to God. Paul wanted the Corinthians to see that as an important reason for remaining married to their unbelieving husbands and wives.
unclean: The Greek word that the BSB translates as unclean is a word used for people or things that were, for various reasons, ceremonially impure. They were not acceptable to God and could not be used for serving him. This word does not imply sinfulness, but it does imply something that is not sacred; in this context, outside the community of God’s believing people. Other ways to translate this include:
like pagan children (GNT)
they would not belong to God
but now they are holy.
But because both you and your unbelieving husband or wife belong to God, your children belong to God too.
But because one parent belongs to God, God cares for the children as belonging to himself also.
but now: The Greek phrase that the BSB translates as but now here introduces the actual state of affairs.
they are holy: The Greek word that the BSB translates as holy in this context is the opposite of the word “unclean” in the previous verse part. The word holy comes from the same root word as “sanctify” (see the note on 1:2c). Someone who is holy is someone who belongs to God. So Paul was saying that the children of mixed marriages belong to God. They can be considered part of the community of God’s people and under God’s special care. Other ways to translate this include:
they are acceptable to God (GNT)
they are actually consecrated to God (JBP)
they belong to God
Note 1 topic: grammar-connect-logic-result
γὰρ
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: ἡγίασται Γάρ ὁ ἀνήρ ὁ ἄπιστος ἐν τῇ γυναικί καί ἡγίασται ἡ γυνή ἡ ἄπιστος ἐν τῷ ἀδελφῷ ἐπεί ἄρα τά τέκνα ὑμῶν ἀκάθαρτα ἐστίν νῦν δέ ἅγια ἐστίν)
Here, For introduces the reason or basis for Paul’s commands in [7:12–13](../07/12.md). When one spouse is not a believer, Paul wants them to stay together, and the reason is that the unbelieving spouse is sanctified. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express For with a word or phrase that introduces the basis for a command. Alternate translation: [You should do this because]
Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / genericnoun
ὁ ἀνὴρ ὁ ἄπιστος ἐν τῇ γυναικί & ἡ γυνὴ ἡ ἄπιστος ἐν τῷ ἀδελφῷ
the ¬the (Some words not found in SR-GNT: ἡγίασται Γάρ ὁ ἀνήρ ὁ ἄπιστος ἐν τῇ γυναικί καί ἡγίασται ἡ γυνή ἡ ἄπιστος ἐν τῷ ἀδελφῷ ἐπεί ἄρα τά τέκνα ὑμῶν ἀκάθαρτα ἐστίν νῦν δέ ἅγια ἐστίν)
Here Paul is speaking of wives and husbands in general, not just of one wife and husband. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express wife and husband with a comparable way to refer generically to wives and husbands. Alternate translation: [any unbelieving husband … through his wife … any unbelieving wife … through her husband]
Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive
ἡγίασται & ὁ ἀνὴρ ὁ ἄπιστος ἐν τῇ γυναικί; καὶ ἡγίασται ἡ γυνὴ ἡ ἄπιστος ἐν τῷ ἀδελφῷ
˓has_been˒_sanctified & the ˓has_been˒_sanctified & (Some words not found in SR-GNT: ἡγίασται Γάρ ὁ ἀνήρ ὁ ἄπιστος ἐν τῇ γυναικί καί ἡγίασται ἡ γυνή ἡ ἄπιστος ἐν τῷ ἀδελφῷ ἐπεί ἄρα τά τέκνα ὑμῶν ἀκάθαρτα ἐστίν νῦν δέ ἅγια ἐστίν)
If your language does not use the passive form in this way, you can express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Paul uses the passive form here to focus on those who are sanctified rather than the person doing the “sanctifying.” If you must state who does the action, Paul implies that “God” does it. Alternate translation: [God sanctifies the unbelieving husband through the wife, and God sanctifies the unbelieving wife through the brother]
Note 4 topic: translate-unknown
(Occurrence -1) ἡγίασται
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: ἡγίασται Γάρ ὁ ἀνήρ ὁ ἄπιστος ἐν τῇ γυναικί καί ἡγίασται ἡ γυνή ἡ ἄπιστος ἐν τῷ ἀδελφῷ ἐπεί ἄρα τά τέκνα ὑμῶν ἀκάθαρτα ἐστίν νῦν δέ ἅγια ἐστίν)
Here, sanctified is a reference to purity. It does not mean that the unbelieving husband or unbelieving wife is considered to be a believer. Rather, Paul’s point is that the believing spouse is not made unclean by the unbelieving spouse. Just the opposite: the marriage is clean and pure because of the believing spouse. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express sanctified with a word or phrase that identifies an acceptable or pure marriage partner. Alternate translation: [is made clean … is made clean] or [is considered an acceptable spouse … is considered an acceptable spouse]
Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit
τῷ ἀδελφῷ
the brother
Here, the brother refers to a believing man, in this case the believing husband. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the brother by clarifying that the brother is the unbelieving wife’s spouse. Alternate translation: [the husband]
Note 6 topic: grammar-connect-condition-contrary
ἐπεὶ ἄρα τὰ τέκνα ὑμῶν ἀκάθαρτά ἐστιν
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: ἡγίασται Γάρ ὁ ἀνήρ ὁ ἄπιστος ἐν τῇ γυναικί καί ἡγίασται ἡ γυνή ἡ ἄπιστος ἐν τῷ ἀδελφῷ ἐπεί ἄρα τά τέκνα ὑμῶν ἀκάθαρτα ἐστίν νῦν δέ ἅγια ἐστίν)
Here, Otherwise refers to what the situation would be like if what Paul has just said were not true. Paul does not actually think that your children are unclean, but that would be true if he was wrong about the unbelieving spouse being sanctified. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express Otherwise with a form that refers to a situation that the author thinks is not true. Alternate translation: [If that were not so, your children would be unclean]
Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / 123person
ὑμῶν
˱of˲_you_all
Here, your refers to anyone among the Corinthians who has an unbelieving spouse. Thus, it refers back to the wife and the brother. If your language would not use your in this situation, you could use their instead. Alternate translation: [their]
Note 8 topic: grammar-connect-logic-contrast
νῦν δὲ ἅγιά ἐστιν
now (Some words not found in SR-GNT: ἡγίασται Γάρ ὁ ἀνήρ ὁ ἄπιστος ἐν τῇ γυναικί καί ἡγίασται ἡ γυνή ἡ ἄπιστος ἐν τῷ ἀδελφῷ ἐπεί ἄρα τά τέκνα ὑμῶν ἀκάθαρτα ἐστίν νῦν δέ ἅγια ἐστίν)
Here, but now provides the contrast with Otherwise your children are unclean. The word now does not refer to time but rather identifies that what Paul has said about the unbelieving spouse being sanctified really is true. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express now with a word or phrase that identifies that what Paul has said is true. Alternate translation: [but since the unbelieving spouse is sanctified, they are holy]
Note 9 topic: translate-unknown
ἀκάθαρτά & ἅγιά
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: ἡγίασται Γάρ ὁ ἀνήρ ὁ ἄπιστος ἐν τῇ γυναικί καί ἡγίασται ἡ γυνή ἡ ἄπιστος ἐν τῷ ἀδελφῷ ἐπεί ἄρα τά τέκνα ὑμῶν ἀκάθαρτα ἐστίν νῦν δέ ἅγια ἐστίν)
Here, holy is a reference to purity, and unclean is a reference to impurity. The word holy does not mean that the children are considered to be believers. Rather, Paul’s point is that the children are not made unclean by having an unbelieving parent. Just the opposite: the children are clean and pure because of the believing parent. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express unclean and holy with words or phrases that identify the children as those born in a “clean” or “honorable” way. Alternate translation: [not pure … pure] or [dishonored … honorable]
OET (OET-LV) For/Because has_been_sanctified the husband the unbelieving by the wife, and has_been_sanctified the wife the unbelieving by the brother, otherwise consequently the children of_you_all unclean is, but now holy it_is.
OET (OET-RV) You see, the unbelieving husband is exposed to faith through his wife, and the unbelieving wife is exposed to faith through the believing husband, otherwise your children would be ‘defiled’, but now they are declared innocent.
Note: The OET-RV is still only a first draft, and so far only a few words have been (mostly automatically) matched to the Hebrew or Greek words that they’re translated from.
Acknowledgements: The SR Greek text, lemmas, morphology, and VLT gloss are all thanks to the CNTR.