John Bengel Commentary - 1 Corinthians 7:14 - 7:14

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John Bengel Commentary - 1 Corinthians 7:14 - 7:14


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1Co 7:14. Ἡγίασται) has been sanctified, so that the believing party may hold intercourse with the other in the exercise of holiness, and ought not to put him or her away: comp. 1Ti 4:5. A very significant word is here used, because Scripture wishes to guarantee to us conscience being left everywhere unencumbered.-ἐν τῇ γυναικὶ) [by the wife] in respect to the wife, with whom he willingly remains; so ἐν, 1Co 14:11.-πιστῇ, the believing, is not added to γυναικὶ, in accommodation to human modes of thought [κατʼ ἄνθρωπον]: for an unbelieving husband does not know what faith is.-ἐπεὶ ἄρα, otherwise) For [otherwise] the children would follow the condition of the unbelieving parent. The marriage is Christian, and so also are the offspring.-τέκνα, children) who are born of a believing and an unbelieving parent.-ἀκάθαρτα, unclean) as those who are born of parents, who are both unbelievers, although they be not bastards.-ἅγιά ἐστιν, they are holy) ἡγίασται differs from this expression as, to become holy, from to be holy; but the holiness itself of the children and of the unbelieving parent is the same. He is speaking of a purity, which not only makes the children legitimate, not bastards, such as those also have, who are born from the marriage of two unbelievers; but which also imports a degree of nearer relationship with the Church, and a more open door to faith itself, just as if both parents were Christians. Comp. Rom 11:16. Timothy is an example, Act 16:1, who was the bearer of this epistle, and there might have been many such among the children at Corinth. [A husband is in other respects preferred; but the faith of the wife has more influence than the unbelief of the husband.-V. g.]