1 Corinthians7:26
Next VerseTranslation
Therefore, I deem this to already exist
Go to footnote number[as something] good
Go to footnote numberbecause of the present necessity,
Go to footnote numberthat it is good for a man to be the same.
Paraphrase
Therefore, I consider it worthwhile for this principle to exist as one of the key points I make sure to share with everyone,
due to the present hardship, i.e. that it is honorable for a man to remain in the same situation he currently finds himself in.
Footnotes
1: “to already exist”
This is not the normal verb of being, but rather a verb that means “to become, or come into existence, to exist, to already be in existence.” Paul is saying that it was proper for this charge to exist as one of the things he made sure to share with all the churches he planted or visited.
2
The word “good” usually means something that is “beautiful, noble or worthy.” In this context the idea of beauty does not fit as well as that of being worthy, or worthwhile.
3
“necessity” is the basic idea, but can be expressed with various English words, all of which are fairly close in meaning: “calamity, crisis, distress, hardship, in straits, in constraints, in need.”
WHAT DID PAUL MEAN BY “THE PRESENT NECESSITY”?
I am convinced that when Paul said “the present necessity” he was referring to various forms of persecution which followers of Jesus were facing everywhere he went. The reality of persecution caused him to share these words of advice regarding relationships, as I will explain below.