“I say this
For your own benefit,
Not to lay any restraint
Upon you,
But to promote
Good order
And to secure
Your undivided devotion
To the Lord.”
τοῦτο δὲ πρὸς τὸ ὑμῶν αὐτῶν σύμφορον λέγω, οὐχ ἵνα βρόχον ὑμῖν ἐπιβάλω, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὸ εὔσχημον καὶ εὐπάρεδρον τῷ Κυρίῳ ἀπερισπάστως.
Paul said (λέγω) this for their own benefit (τοῦτο δὲ πρὸς τὸ ὑμῶν αὐτῶν σύμφορον), not to lay (ἐπιβάλω) any restraint upon them (οὐχ ἵνα βρόχον ὑμῖν), but to promote good order (ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὸ εὔσχημον) and to secure their undivided (ἀπερισπάστως) devotion (καὶ εὐπάρεδρον) to the Lord (τῷ Κυρίῳ). Only the Pauline letters used this word βρόχον, that means a noose, halter, snare, or cord, the word εὐπάρεδρον, that means attend to or devoted to, and the word ἀπερισπάστως, that means without distraction or being distracted. Paul was not trying to make things harder for these Christian Corinthians with some extra burdens or restraints. He was talking to them for their own benefit. He wanted to promote good order with their undistracted attention to be on devotion to our Lord, Jesus Christ. The practical difficulties of marriage made this hard for married people, both men and women. Thus, there was his preference for the unmarried lifestyle. Is marriage a help or hindrance from following Jesus Christ?
