1 Corinthians 7:10

The married. That is, Christians already married.

The Lord. Paul reinforces his inspired command by referring to the plain teaching given by Christ Himself. Inasmuch as Jesus had spoken specifically on this subject the apostle could make such a reference. When there was no specific instruction from Jesus, the apostle gave fresh, inspired counsel (see on v. 12). The Saviour, declared that the marriage bond was sacred and unchangeable (see Matt. 5:31,32; Mark 10:2-12; Luke 16:18). The command of Jesus leaves no room for the many excuses for legal separation that are accepted by the civil courts today, such as incompatibility, mental cruelty, and others of a more trivial nature. The Greek and Roman laws allowed separation of husband and wife for trifling reasons. The same was true also among the Jews (see on Matt. 5:32). This condition of society no doubt influenced the Christians to raise the question of the propriety of separation among believers. The answer is clearly stated; divorce is not in God’s perfect plan for humanity. The only reason for which divorce is permitted is adultery (see on Matt. 19:9).

Wife depart. The prominence here given to the wife may be accounted for on the basis that there was a greater inclination for the wife to obtain a divorce. Being the weaker party, she was more liable to suffer oppression at the hands of an unbelieving companion. Or, perhaps, the letter of inquiry (see on v. 1) dealt with a particular case in which the woman was contemplating leaving her husband.