[B-Greek] 1 Corinthians 7:27 *LELUSAI* APO GUNAIKOS?

Carl Conrad cwconrad2 at mac.com
Fri Jul 18 09:47:42 EDT 2008


On Jul 18, 2008, at 7:55 AM, Jonathan Robie wrote:

> I'm trying to understand the meaning of λέλυσαι ἀπὸ  
> γυναικός; (LELUSAI
> APO GUNAIKOS) in 1 Corinthians 7:27. Does the phrase λέλυσαι  
> ἀπὸ
> γυναικός (LELUSAI APO GUNAIKOS) mean "released from a  
> woman", as in
> divorced, or just "free of a woman"? Translations go both ways. In  
> other
> words, is a previous state of marriage presumed?

Compare the usage of LUW and DEW with regard to ecclesiasatical  
decisions regarding membership in (Mt 5:19f, 16:18-19, 18:18. The  
simplest way of putting these distinctions, I think, is "dissolve an  
association" and "make an association binding." What is presumed, I  
think, is not a "state of marriage" in terms of some sanction by state  
or religion as, more simply, a deliberate association. LELUSAI APO  
GUNAIKOS; MH ZHTEI GUNAIKA -- "you've got quit from a woman? Don't go  
looking for a woman." And remember, of course, that Greek makes no  
distinction between GUNH as "woman" and "wife." A woman in a  
"deliberate association" is a wife.

>
>
> Here's the context:
>
> 1 Corinthians 7:26
> Νομίζω οὖν τοῦτο καλὸν ὑπάρχειν  
> διὰ τὴν ἐνεστῶσαν ἀνάγκην,
> ὅτι καλὸν ἀνθρώπῳ τὸ οὕτως εἶναι.
> 27 δέδεσαι γυναικί;
> μὴ ζήτει λύσιν
> λέλυσαι ἀπὸ γυναικός;
> μὴ ζήτει γυναῖκα.
> 28 ἐὰν δὲ καὶ γαμήσῃς,
> οὐχ ἥμαρτες
> καὶ ἐὰν γήμῃ ἡ παρθένος,
> οὐχ ἥμαρτεν.
> θλῖψιν δὲ τῇ σαρκὶ ἕξουσιν οἱ  
> τοιοῦτοι,
> ἐγὼ δὲ ὑμῶν φείδομα
>
> 1 Corinthians 7:26
> NOMIZW OUN TOUTO KALON hUPARCEIN DIA THN ENESTWSAN ANAGKHN,
> hOTI KALON ANQRWPWi TO hOUTWS EINAI.
> 27 dEDESAI GUNAIKI;
> MH ZHTEI LUSIN
> LELUSAI APO GUNAIKOS;
> MH ZHTEI GUNAIKA.
> 28 EAN DE KAI GAMHSHiS,
> OUC hHMARTES
> KAI EAN GHMHi hH PARQENOS,
> OUC hHMARTEN.
> QLIYIN DE THi SARKI hEXOUSIN hOI TOIOUTOI,
> EGW DE hUMWN FEIDOMAI.
>
>
> BDAG has a note in the entry for LUW for 1 Corinthians 7:27.  
> Honestly, I
> don't completely grasp it:
>> a previous state of being 'bound' need not be assumed, cp Chion, Ep.
>> 7,3 LHLUMENWS=[speak] in an unrestrained manner.See also Simplicius  
>> in
>> Epict. p. 129, 3: 'one who does not found a family is EULUTOS', i.e.
>> free). The pf. pass. ptc. 1Mg12:1 is the negation of DEDEMAI, i.e.
>> unbound. On 1Sm 6:2 s. comm. by WBauer. EK instead of APO.: L. TINA  
>> EK
>> TWN hAMARTWN free someone from sins.
>
> I think that LELUSAI is perfect, and that Danker is saying this  
> perfect
> form may reflect the current state without reference to a definite  
> past
> state of having been bound, giving examples of perfects that can be
> taken this way. Did I get his point? So it sounds like Danker, at  
> least,
> would not see this as a clear reference to people who have been  
> married,
> but no longer are?
>
> Jonathan
> ---
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Carl W. Conrad
Department of Classics, Washington University (Retired)






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