Verse Lens · Expanded explanation
1 Corinthians 7:25 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 25. 25Now 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.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
This verse introduces counsel about virgins while admitting no direct command.
In a tight time, undivided attention is a real good, not a ranking.
This verse is one part of that explanation in 1 Corinthians 7:25–35. The complete section carries the connected meaning and how it should shape life.
Read It With
- 1 Corinthians 7:25–35
Read 1 Corinthians 7:25 with 7:25–35. This verse introduces counsel about virgins while admitting no direct command. The complete unit establishes: Without claiming a direct Jesus command, Paul offers a faithful judgment under present distress: remaining as one is can spare trouble and permit undistracted devotion, yet marrying is explicitly not sin and his counsel aims at benefit rather than a snare.
Why This Verse Appears Here
The calling principle is applied to unmarried life under pressure, with explicit limits on Paul's authority and an anti-control purpose. At 7:25, this verse introduces counsel about virgins while admitting no direct command.
Follow the Context
- Paul distinguishes judgment from a received command.
- Present distress favors remaining as one is.
- Marriage remains sinless though it brings embodied trouble.
- Eschatological compression relativizes every worldly condition.
- Unmarried life may permit focused devotion while marriage carries real mutual care.
- Paul seeks benefit, good order, and undistracted service, not a snare.
Phrase-by-Phrase Explanation
“Now concerning virgins I have no commandment of the Lord: yet I”
In plain language: This verse introduces counsel about virgins while admitting no direct command.
It contributes specifically to Present Distress Makes Undistracted Singleness a Real Good inside 1 Corinthians 7:25–35.
Why it matters: The verse carries enough interpretive or pastoral weight to require the full unit and its explicit limits.
How certain? probableWhat This Verse Is Not Saying
1 Corinthians 7:25 does not turn the fact that it introduces counsel about virgins while admitting no direct command into a standalone universal rule. The counsel does not demean marriage, sexuality, parenting, grief, joy, work, or ordinary stewardship.
What Remains True
This verse introduces counsel about virgins while admitting no direct command. This supports the unit's enduring conclusion: Singleness is a genuine, honorable form of devoted life, and crisis counsel must not become a trap.
Teach It Back
Explain 1 Corinthians 7:25's contribution to 1 Corinthians 7:25–35. Include the surrounding argument, the named interpretive uncertainty, and one use the verse does not authorize.
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Continue in Context
Read the complete section for the connected explanation and how it should shape life. This verse is a doorway into that passage, not a saying that stands alone.
Read 1 Corinthians 7:25–35 — Present Distress Makes Undistracted Singleness a Real GoodSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? probable
Where care is needed
The nature of the distress, Paul's eschatological timing, and how universally the counsel applies remain disputed. His own no-sin and no-snare qualifications are explicit.
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact reader-facing Scripture wording, paragraph markers, supplied-word markup, and complete verse coverage.
Exact location: 1 Corinthians 7:25–35, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM corpus
Open source ↗Greek textual evidence
The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition
Michael W. Holmes, editor; Society of Biblical Literature and Logos
Society of Biblical Literature and Logos Bible Software, 2010
Supports: Greek wording, clause relationships, repeated terms, and original-language discussion.
Exact location: SBLGNT official text file 1Cor.txt, 7:25–35
Open the 1 Corinthians Greek text file ↗Translation and textual notes
NET Bible - 1 Corinthians with translators' and textual notes
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, 2005-2026 online edition
Supports: Verse-level syntax, KJV-era wording, textual variants, and interpretive alternatives.
Exact location: NET Bible 1 Corinthians 7:25–35 print view with translator, study, and textual notes
Open the official NET 1 Corinthians PDFLexical and grammatical evidence
STEP Bible Data
Tyndale House Cambridge
Tyndale House Cambridge, repository snapshot verified 2026
Supports: Independent morphology and lexical-range cross-check for material Greek claims.
Exact location: STEP Bible Data repository morphology and lexical records for 1 Corinthians 7:25–35
Open source ↗modern open commentary
1 Corinthians
Eric C. Redmond
The Gospel Coalition Bible Commentary, 2023
Supports: Whole-letter movement, Corinthian setting, bibliography, major alternatives, and verse-level interpretation.
Exact location: Redmond, The Gospel Coalition Bible Commentary: 1 Corinthians, introduction and section on 7:25–35
Open source ↗