1 Corinthians 7:1
 
1 Corinthians 7:1
(KJV) Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman.
(1611 KJV)  Now cocerning the things wherof ye wrote vnto me, It is good for a man not to touch a woman.
(1526 Tyndale) As concerninge the thinges wherof ye wrote vnto me: it is good for a ma not to touche a woman.
(1382 Wycliffe)  But of thilke thingis that ye han write to me, it is good to a man to touche not a womman.
 
Counterfeit Versions
(CSB) Now in response to the matters you wrote about: “It is good for a man not to use a woman for sex.”
(NIV) Now for the matters you wrote about: It is good for a man not to marry.
(NCV) Now I will discuss the things you wrote me about. It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.
(NLT) Now about the questions you asked in your letter. Yes, it is good to live a celibate life.
(ESV) Now concerning the matters about which you wrote: "It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman."
(CEV) Now I will answer the questions that you asked in your letter. You asked, "Is it best for people not to marry?"
(NLV) You asked me some questions in your letter. This is my answer. It is good if a man does not get married.
(HCSB) About the things you wrote: "It is good for a man not to have relations with a woman."
(GOOD NEWS) Now, to deal with the matters you wrote about. A man does well not to marry.
 
Textus Receptus - Traditional Text
peri de wn egrayate moi kalon anqrwpw gunaikoV mh aptesqai
 
Hort-Westcott - Critical Text
peri de wn egrayate kalon anqrwpw gunaikoV mh aptesqai
 
Affected Teaching
If you notice the word in the Greek is the same in both the Textus Receptus and the Hort-Westcott text. The word in the Greek is derived from “hapto” and is a verb. The word means “touch, cling to, adhere to, and light.” The word is used in the New Testament 43 times and is never used in an allusion to marriage or sexual relations. Here are some of the usages:
 
(Mat 8:3 KJV) And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.
 
(Mark 5:27-28 KJV) When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment. {28} For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.
 
(Luke 7:14 KJV) And he came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise.
 
(Luke 11:33 KJV) No man, when he hath lighted a candle, putteth it in a secret place, neither under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that they which come in may see the light.
 
(2 Cor 6:17 KJV) Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
 
As you can plainly see in these six verses, there is absolutely no allusion to marriage or sexual relations. What has happened to this verse in the modern versions is that the translators were interpolating rather than translating. They are taking license with the text and they should not be doing this because in both cases, they have completely corrupted the meaning of this verse. The verse is simply teaching that touching can lead to fornication and that is why simply touching can ignite the fires of passion and this is why we are being warned.
 
The second mutilation of this verse comes when some of the modern versions state that it is not good to have sexual relations with a woman. If I was a sodomite, I would definitely buy that version to prove that even God is against men having sex with women. If men do not have sexual relations with women, then please tell me, where does the next generation come from? This verse is not implying total abstention from sexual relations in marriage.
 
The third mutilation of this verse comes when some of the modern versions state that it is good for a man not to get married. This, of course, would fit perfectly into Roman Catholic theology concerning the priesthood. The Bible in 1 Timothy 4:3 lumps the idea of “forbidding to marry” with doctrines of demons. The NLT uses the term “celibate.” This verse does not speak of marriage but is mentioned in the next verse. To prevent fornication, the Bible is stating that marriage should take place. Some of the modern versions state that it is good if a man does not marry but in the next verse it states they should be married. It sets up a confusing scenario.
 
NIV
{1} Now for the matters you wrote about: It is good for a man not to marry. {2} But since there is so much immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman her own husband.
 
NLV
{1} You asked me some questions in your letter. This is my answer. It is good if a man does not get married. {2} But because of being tempted to sex sins, each man should get married and have his own wife. Each woman should get married and have her own husband.
What we have in 1 Corinthians 7:1 is a three-fold mutilation of the meaning of this verse. When people use several of these modern versions to so-call “supplement their studies” they will receive different messages and meanings from different versions. How can anyone come to truth using many modern versions when they have different meanings for the same verse and many times contradict each other. Once again the King James gives us a stable, simple teaching without contradiction. The modern version translators have simply added their own ideas by changing the meaning of a word without any grammatical reason for it.

Back