“But this I say, brethren, the time is short: it remaineth , that both they that have wives be as though they had none;”
My Notes
What Does 1 Corinthians 7:29 Mean?
1 Corinthians 7:29 introduces an urgency that reshapes everything: "But this I say, brethren, the time is short: it remaineth, that both they that have wives be as though they had none." The statement is startling, and Paul continues with a string of similar reversals — mourn as if not mourning, rejoice as if not rejoicing, buy as if not possessing. Everything is held loosely because the time is compressed.
The phrase "the time is short" — ho kairos synestalmenos — literally means "the season has been contracted" or "compressed." Paul isn't giving a calendar prediction. He's describing the quality of the time between Christ's ascension and His return. It's urgent time. Loaded time. Time that demands a different relationship with everything temporal.
"They that have wives be as though they had none" doesn't mean neglect your marriage. It means don't let your marriage — or any earthly attachment — become your ultimate thing. Hold everything with the awareness that it's temporary. Not because earthly relationships don't matter, but because they aren't final. The person who understands that the time is short doesn't abandon responsibilities. They reprioritize them. Nothing temporal gets the loyalty that only the eternal deserves. This verse isn't about detachment from life. It's about living with the awareness that every earthly good has an expiration date — and ordering your heart accordingly.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What are you gripping most tightly right now — and what would it look like to hold it with open hands?
- 2.How does the awareness that 'the time is short' change your priorities in a practical way this week?
- 3.Is there a good thing in your life that has become an ultimate thing — something you've given the loyalty that belongs only to God?
- 4.What's the difference between detachment and holding things loosely — and which is Paul actually calling for?
Devotional
The time is short. Paul says it flatly, and then tells you what that means for everything you hold dear: hold it as if you don't hold it. Marriages, grief, joy, possessions — all of it, held with open hands. Not because it doesn't matter. Because it isn't ultimate.
This verse isn't asking you to disengage from life. It's asking you to stop treating temporary things as permanent ones. The marriage is real — love your spouse deeply. But don't make it your god. The grief is real — feel it fully. But don't let it define you forever. The joy is real — receive it gratefully. But don't build your identity on it. Everything earthly is passing through. And the person who understands that lives differently — not with less intensity, but with less attachment.
The hardest part of this verse is that it applies to the good things, not just the bad. It's easy to hold suffering loosely — you want it to be temporary. But holding joy loosely? Holding love loosely? That feels like a betrayal. But Paul isn't saying don't enjoy what you have. He's saying don't grip it. Don't make it the foundation. The time is short, and everything resting on a temporary foundation will eventually shift. Build on what lasts. Hold everything else with gratitude and open hands.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
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Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture