Romans 7:3

"For the woman that has a husband is bound by law to the husband while he lives, but if the husband dies, she is discharged from the law of the husband."

Key Reflection

In first-century Jewish culture, a woman was legally bound to her husband according to the Mosaic law (Exodus 21:10-11), which restricted remarriage after a man's death. Romans 7:3 reflects this legal and cultural reality, explaining that upon a husband’s passing, his widow is free from the binding obligations of the marital laws, allowing her potential freedom to remarry. This passage illustrates how the law changes with the circumstances of life, particularly in matters of marriage and family.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

Verse 3. So then if, etc. Comp. Mt 5:32. She shall be called. She will be. The word used here (crhmatisei) is often used to denote being called by an oracle, or by Divine revelation. But it is here employed in the simple sense of being commonly called, or of being so regarded. {i} "while her husband" Mt 5:32 __________________________________________________________________

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