1 Corinthians7:35

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Translation

I say this for the profit of you yourselves, not to put a restraint upon you, but for what is desirable

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does well, and the one who does not give her in marriage will do better.

Paraphrase

The same goes for a father; if he gives his daughter to a young man in marriage, he has fulfilled his responsibilities well, but during difficult times like these, if he refrains from giving her to a young man in marriage he has done something even better.

Footnotes

1

“desirable”: The basic idea is “well-formed”: This word pertains to outward beauty and as such focuses on what can be seen by others. In this case it is one’s visible witness to the world.

WHO WILL TAKE ON THE HEARTACHE?

The reason it is better for a godly father to not give his godly daughter away in marriage is that he has spared her from the heartache of seeing her godly husband tortured and killed, or her being killed in front of him. In this case the father is willing to take that heartache upon himself rather than pass it on to someone else.