1st Corinthians Chapter 7 verse 6 Holy Bible
But this I say by way of concession, not of commandment.
read chapter 7 in ASV
But this I say as my opinion, and not as an order of the Lord.
read chapter 7 in BBE
But this I say, as consenting [to], not as commanding [it].
read chapter 7 in DARBY
But I speak this by permission, and not of commandment.
read chapter 7 in KJV
read chapter 7 in WBT
But this I say by way of concession, not of commandment.
read chapter 7 in WEB
and this I say by way of concurrence -- not of command,
read chapter 7 in YLT
Pulpit Commentary
Pulpit CommentaryVerse 6. - I speak this. The "this" applies to his advice in general, but especially to the last verse. By permission. This phrase is generally misunderstood. It does not mean that St. Paul was permitted though not commanded to give this advice, but that his gentle advice was given "by way of permission" to Christians, not "by way of injunction." He means to say that he leaves the details of their lives, whether celibate or married, to their individual consciences, though with large hearted wisdom and charity he would emancipate them from human and unauthorized restrictions. The clause is not, therefore, a parallel to the restrictions on the authority of his utterances, such as we find in vers. 12, 29, 40, and in 2 Corinthians 8:10; 2 Corinthians 11:17.
Ellicott's Commentary
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(6) But I speak this by permission.--Better, Now I say this as a permission, and not as a command. As the passage is given in our English version, it might seem as if the Apostle implied that he had no actual command, but only a permission to write this, which is not at all his meaning. What he does say is, that the foregoing instructions are not to be considered as absolute commands from him, but as general permissive instruction, to be applied by each individual according to circumstances.It has been much discussed as to what part of the previous passage the word "this" refers. It is perhaps best to take it as referring to the leading thought of the whole passage, which is that marriage is allowable, expressed especially in 1Corinthians 7:2.
