1 Corinthians 7:18

Contextual Overview

¹⁷ Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him. This is my rule in all the churches. ¹⁷ But as God hath distributed to euery man, as the Lorde hath called euery one, so let him walke: and so ordaine I, in all Churches. ¹⁷Let each one live his life in the situation the Lord assigned when God called him. This is what I command in all the churches. ¹⁷ Only, as the Lord has distributed to each man, as God has called each, so let him walk. So I command in all the assemblies. ¹⁷ However, as the Lord has divided to each, as God has called each, so let him walk; and thus I ordain in all the assemblies. ¹⁷ But each one of you should continue to live the way the Lord God has given you to live—the way you were when God chose you. I tell people in all the churches to follow this rule. ¹⁷Only, let each one live the life which the Lord has assigned him, and to which God has called him [for each person is unique and is accountable for his choices and conduct, let him walk in this way]. This is the rule I make in all the churches. ¹⁷ Only, as the Lord hath distributed to each man, as God hath called each, so let him walk. And so ordain I in all the churches. ¹⁷Regardless, each one should lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him and to which God has called him. This is what I prescribe in all the churches. ¹⁷ In every church I tell the people to stay as they were when the Lord Jesus chose them and God called them to be his own. Now I say the same thing to you.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

being: Acts 15:1, Acts 15:5, Acts 15:19, Acts 15:24, Acts 15:28, Galatians 5:1-3, Colossians 3:11

Reciprocal: Genesis 17:10 - Every Genesis 17:23 - circumcised Acts 15:9 - put Romans 2:26 - General Romans 4:10 - not in circumcision 1 Corinthians 7:17 - as the

Cross-References

Exodus 14:28
So the water returned & couered the charets and the horsemen, euen all the hoste of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them: there remained not one of them.

Exodus 14:28
And the waters returned, and covered the chariots and the horsemen and all the host of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them; there remained not a single one of them.

Exodus 14:28
The waters returned, and covered the chariots and the horsemen, even all Par`oh's army that went in after them into the sea. There remained not so much as one of them.

Exodus 14:28
The water returned to its normal level and covered the chariots and horse soldiers. Pharaoh's army had been chasing the Israelites, but that army was destroyed. None of them survived!

Exodus 14:28
The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen; of all the host of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea, not one of them remained.

Exodus 14:28
And the waters returned, and covered the chariots, and the horsemen, even all the host of Pharaoh that went in after them into the sea; there remained not so much as one of them.

Exodus 14:28
And the waters came back, covering the war-carriages and the horsemen and all the army of Pharaoh which went after them into the middle of the sea; not one of them was to be seen.

Exodus 14:28
The water came and covered the chariots, the cavalry, and the whole Egyptian army that had followed the Israelites into the sea. Not one of them was left alive.

Exodus 14:28
The water came back and covered all the chariots and cavalry of Pharaoh's army who had followed them into the sea — not even one of them was left.

Exodus 14:28
And the waters returned, and covered the chariots and the horsemen of all the host of Pharaoh that had come into the sea after them; there remained not even one of them.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Is any man called being circumcised?.... That is, if any man that is a Jew, who has been circumcised in his infancy, is called by the grace of God, as there were many in those days, and many of them in the church at Corinth:

let him not become uncircumcised; or "draw on" the foreskin; as some did in the times of Antiochus, for fear of him, and to curry favour with him, who, it is said, 1 Maccab. 1:15, "made themselves uncircumcised", and forsook the holy covenant; and so did Menelaus, and the sons of Tobias, as Josephus reports b; and there were many, in the days of Ben Cozba, who became uncircumcised by force,

משוכין, they had their foreskins drawn on by the Gentiles against their wills, and when he came to reign were circumcised again c; for, according to the Jews, circumcision must be repeated, and not only four or five times d, but a hundred times, if a man becomes so often uncircumcised e They make mention of several particular persons who voluntarily became uncircumcised, or, to use their phrase, and which exactly answers to the word used by the apostle,

מושך בערלתו "that drew over his foreskin"; as Jehoiachin f, Achan g, yea even the first Adam h; one guilty of this, they say, makes void the covenant i; it was accounted a very great sin, so great that he that committed it was reckoned k among them that shall have no part in the world to come, but shall be cut off and perish; physicians say, this may be done by the use of an instrument they call spaster, which has its name from the word used in the text. The apostle's sense is, that such as had been circumcised, and had now embraced the faith of Christ, had no reason to be uneasy, or take any methods to remove this mark from their flesh, because it was abolished by Christ, and now of no significance; since as it did them no good, it did them no hurt:

is any called in uncircumcision? let him not become circumcised?; that is, if a Gentile who was never circumcised is called by grace, let him not submit to circumcision, which is now abrogated, and is altogether unnecessary and unprofitable in the business of salvation; yea, hurtful and pernicious if done on that account, since it makes men debtors to do the whole law, and Christ of none effect unto them.

b Antiqu. l. 12. c. 5. sect. 1. c Hieros. Yebamot, fol. 9. 1. & Sabbat, fol. 17. 1. T. Bab. Yebamot, fol. 72. 1. & Gloss. in ib. d Bereshit Rabba, sect. 46. fol. 41. 4. e T. Bab. Yebamot, fol. 72. 1. f Vajikra Rabba, sect. 19. fol. 161. 1. g T. Bab. Sanhedrin, fol. 44. 1. h Ib. fol. 38. 2. Zohar in Gen. fol. 27. 1. & 40. 4. i Hieros, Peah, fol. 16. 2. & Sanhedrin, fol. 27. 3. Bereshit Rabba, fol. 41. 4. k Maimon. Hilch. Teshuba, c. 3. sect. 6. & Milah, c. 3. sect. 8.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Is any man called? - Does anyone become a Christian? See the note at 1 Corinthians 1:26.

Being circumcised - Being a native-born Jew, or having become a Jewish proselyte, and having submitted to the initiatory rite of the Jewish religion.

Let him not become uncircumcised - This could not be literally done. But the apostle refers here to certain efforts which were made to remove the marks of circumcision which were often attempted by those who were ashamed of having been circumcised. The practice is often alluded to by Jewish writers, and is described by them; compare 1 Mac. 1 Corinthians 1:15. It is not decorous or proper here to show how this was done. The process is described in Cels. de Med. 7:25; see Grotuns and Bloomfield.

Is any called in uncircumcision? - A Gentile, or one who had not been circumcised.

Let him not be circumcised - The Jewish rites are not binding, and are not to be enjoined on those who have been converted from the Gentiles; see the notes at Rom 2:27-30.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 18. Is any man called being circumcised? — Is any man who was formerly a Jew converted to Christianity?

Let him not become circumcised. — Let him not endeavour to abolish the sign of the old covenant, which he bears in his flesh. The Greek words μη επισπασθω, let him not draw over, are evidently an elliptical expression: the word την ακροβυστιαν, the fore-skin, being understood; which, indeed, is added by the Armenian and the Itala, and several of the Latin fathers. It is a fact that it was possible by the assistance of art to do this; and Celsus himself prescribes the mode, De Medic. vii. 25. By frequent stretching, the circumcised skin could be again so drawn over, as to prevent the ancient sign of circumcision from appearing. Some in their zeal against Judaism endeavoured to abolish this sign of it in their flesh: it is most evidently against this that the apostle speaks. Many false Jews made use of this practice, that they might pass through heathen countries unobserved; otherwise, in frequenting the baths they would have been detected.

Let him not be circumcised. — Let no man who, being a Gentile, has been converted to the Christian faith, submit to circumcision as something necessary to his salvation.