“I think
That in view
Of the present distress,
It is well
For a person
To remain
As he is.”
Νομίζω οὖν τοῦτο καλὸν ὑπάρχειν διὰ τὴν ἐνεστῶσαν ἀνάγκην, ὅτι καλὸν ἀνθρώπῳ τὸ οὕτως εἶναι.
Paul said that he thinks (Νομίζω) that in view of the present distress (διὰ τὴν ἐνεστῶσαν ἀνάγκην), it is well (οὖν τοῦτο καλὸν ὑπάρχειν) for a man or person to remain as he is (ὅτι καλὸν ἀνθρώπῳ τὸ οὕτως εἶναι). Only the Pauline letters used this word ἐνεστῶσαν, that means to place in, to be at hand, to be present. Paul thought as he had said earlier that every person should retain the same status that they had prior to their call to follow Jesus Christ. However, his reason for this is a little ambiguous. He talked about the present distress or danger. Did he mean the end times, the second coming of Jesus Christ? Was this something in general or a specific problem in Corinth? Was he just talking about the daily pressures of married life? Or was something going on in the Greek pagan Corinthian environment that would cause problems for the Christians there? It is not clear, but it was a current problem of some kind. Do you think that you will remain as you are?
