Verse 11
If separation (divorce) occurs, they should either remain unmarried (i.e., stay as they are) or reconcile with their mate. Paul said this was to be the wife’s course of action because if she left her husband she would be the mate who had to decide what to do. However the same procedure would be appropriate for the husband. In Greco-Roman culture wives could divorce their husbands, but among the Jews they could not. [Note: Bruce, 1 and 2 Corinthians, p. 69.] Only the husband could initiate a divorce (Deuteronomy 24:1).
I believe Paul did not deal with the exception that Jesus Christ allowed on the grounds of fornication (Gr. porneia; Matthew 5:32; Matthew 19:9) because it is an exception. Paul wanted to reinforce the main teaching of Christ on this subject, namely, that couples should not dissolve their marriages.
Some of the Corinthian Christians appear to have been separating for ascetic reasons: to get away from sexual activity. In many modern cultures the reason is often the opposite; people often divorce to marry someone else. Regardless of the reason for the temptation, Paul commanded Christian husbands and wives to stay together and to share their bodies as well as their lives with each other. It is impossible for a Christian husband and wife to provide a model of reconciliation to the world if they cannot reconcile with each other.
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