divide her attention ; the other is free from such distraction. The reading adopted by Lachmann and Riickert modifies the sense of this passage, and relieves some of its difficulties. They connect /xc/xcpwrrat with the preceding sentence, ' He that is married careth for the things of the world, how he may please his wife, and is divided, i. e. distracted between the service of the Lord and his social duties.' In the following clause they read * 17 yvvrj rj aya/Aos kol 17 irapS^evos rf aya/xos, the unmarried woman and the virgin care for the things of the Lord.' Jerome ^ pronounces in favour of this reading, which he says he found "^ in his Greek MSS., and it is also adopted by Calvin. The common text, however, is generally preferred. The virgin cares for the things of the Lord, that she may he holy both in body and in spirit. That is, that she be consecrated as to body and spirit. The word holy has the sense here that it has in V. 14, and so often elsewhere. It is not in purity and spirituality that the virgin is said to have the advantage of the — wife ; but in freedom from distracting cares. In v. 14, even the unbelieving husband or wife is said to be sanctified or made holy. And it is in the same general sense of consecration, that holiness is here predicated of virgins as distinguished from wives. It would be to impugn a divine ordinance, and to con- tradict aU experience, to say that married women, because married, are less holy than the unmarried. Paul advances no such idea.
35. And this I speak for your own profit ; not that I may cast a snare upon you, but for that which is comely, and that ye may attend upon the Lord without distraction.
The object of the apostle was their advantage. In urging them to remain single, he had no intention " to cast a snare upon them," i. e. to restrain their liberty. Or the meaning of the figure is, ' I do not wish to raise scruples, to make you afraid to move lest you fall into a snare.' The former explana- tion, however, is preferable. An animal ensnared was con- fined ; it had no hberty of action. Paul did not wish to bring his readers into that state. They were perfectly free to do as they pleased. There was no moral obligation upon them to remain single ; no superior holiness in celibacy. He was only sayjpg what in his judgment would be most to their advan-