1 Corinthians 7:34

There is difference. Textual evidence is considerably divided (cf. p. 10) at this point. Punctuation is also uncertain. There are two principal readings: (1) that represented by the KJV, and (2) that represented by the RSV. The RSV connects the first clause of v. 34 with v. 33 thus: “But the married man is anxious about worldly affairs, how to please his wife, and his interests are divided. And the unmarried woman or girl is anxious about the affairs of the Lord, how to be holy in body and spirit.” No matter which reading is adopted, the general teaching remains the same, namely, that the unmarried condition, whether of man or woman, has the advantage of being less likely to be influenced by “present distress” (v. 26).

The unmarried woman. That which is true concerning the superiority of the single state in times of crisis is as applicable to the unmarried woman as it is to the single man.

Holy. It must not be inferred that married women, by virtue of their marriage, are less holy than those who are single (see on v. 32). It is not in purity and spirituality that the unmarried woman is said to have the advantage over the wife, but in freedom from the distracting responsibilities of married life.

Body. See on Rom. 12:1.

Married. Compare v. 33.