Devine Scripture

1 Corinthians 7:32

What does 1 Corinthians 7:32 mean?

A plain-English look at 1 Corinthians 7:32 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.

What 1 Corinthians 7:32 means

Paul expresses his desire for believers to be free from cares. The unmarried person can more easily focus on the things of the Lord—how to please Him—because he or she is not responsible for a spouse’s needs. This is not a blanket statement about maturity but an observation about capacity. Singleness can offer a unique opportunity for undivided service, prayer, and availability. Paul values this freedom for the sake of the kingdom. He is not shaming the married; he is highlighting a gift entrusted to the unmarried. The point is devotion, not superiority. Where God grants singleness, it can be embraced as a calling to heightened attentiveness to the Lord.

Parallel translations

WEB

World English Bible · 2000

But I would have you to be free from cares. He that is unmarried is careful for the things of the Lord, how he may please the Lord:

KJV

King James Version · 1611

But I would have you without carefulness. He that is unmarried careth for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may please the Lord:

ASV

American Standard Version · 1901

But I would have you to be free from cares. He that is unmarried is careful for the things of the Lord, how he may please the Lord:

BBE

Bible in Basic English · 1949

But it is my desire for you to be free from cares. The unmarried man gives his mind to the things of the Lord, how he may give pleasure to the Lord:

YLT

Young's Literal Translation · 1862

And I wish you to be without anxiety; the unmarried is anxious for the things of the Lord, how he shall please the Lord;

DRA

Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752

But I would have you to be without solicitude. He that is without a wife is solicitous for the things that belong to the Lord: how he may please God.

DBY

Darby Bible · 1890

But I wish you to be without care. The unmarried cares for the things of the Lord, how he shall please the Lord;

Context

After framing life in light of the world’s passing form (verses 29–31), Paul now states plainly his pastoral aim in verses 32–35: undistracted devotion to the Lord. Verse 32 begins with the unmarried man’s relative freedom from worldly anxieties. Verse 33 will contrast this with the married man’s necessary concerns. Verse 34 will extend the comparison to women. This section crystallizes the rationale behind earlier counsel: situational simplicity can serve spiritual focus, though marriage remains honorable.

v.31and those that use the world, as not using it to the full: for the fashion of this world passeth away.

v.32This passage

v.33but he that is married is careful for the things of the world, how he may please his wife,

Cross references

Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.

  • Matthew 13:22

    And he that was sown among the thorns, this is he that heareth the word; and the care of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.

  • Psalms 55:22

    Cast thy burden upon Jehovah, and he will sustain thee: He will never suffer the righteous to be moved.

  • Matthew 6:25

    Therefore I say unto you, Be not anxious for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than the food, and the body than the raiment?

  • Philippians 4:6

    In nothing be anxious; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

  • 1 Timothy 5:5

    Now she that is a widow indeed, and desolate, hath her hope set on God, and continueth in supplications and prayers night and day.

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