But to the rest I—not the Lord—say, if any brother has an unbelieving wife, and she is content to live with him, let him not leave her.
World English Bible
1 Corinthians 7:12
This verse is examined in more than one Scripture Analysis section. Each lens is shown on its own terms, in the section's own words; GEBible reaches no verdict of its own.
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WEB World English Bible Public Domain ✓ - Modern English
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- TCENT Text-Critical English New Testament A modern reasoned-eclectic New Testament (2022) · CC BY 4.0
- F35 Family 35 New Testament Wilbur Pickering's Byzantine-priority New Testament, with text-critical commentary notes · CC BY-SA 4.0
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Examined in Scripture Analysis
Contradictions (2)
Questions where the Bible appears to say two different things, with the passages on each side set together.
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Is all Scripture inspired by God?
2 Timothy 3:16 claims all scripture is God-breathed. But Paul himself in 1 Corinthians 7:12 distinguishes his teaching from the Lord's ("to the rest speak I, not the Lord") and in 7:25 admits he has no commandment from the Lord on virgins, only his own judgment.
Critical scholarship: Leans toward a genuine contradiction.
Theology
More on this question
The proposed answers and sources for each reading are on the question page.
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Is it OK to marry unbelievers?
1 Corinthians 7:12-14 has Paul instruct believers not to leave unbelieving spouses, and even says the unbelieving partner is sanctified by the believer. 2 Corinthians 6:14-17 forbids being unequally yoked with unbelievers and demands separation.
Critical scholarship: Genuinely disputed among scholars.
Law & ethics
More on this question
The proposed answers and sources for each reading are on the question page.
Each section sets the viewpoints side by side; you weigh the evidence. Here, "critical scholarship" means academic study, not a value judgment. How this is built →
Other verses examined for the same kind of question or claim
Within each section, grouped by shared field or question type — not a cross-section comparison.
Cite this page
This citation refers to this GEBible page — the verse and the analysis gathered here. To cite the underlying scholarship, cite those sources directly.
"1 Corinthians 7:12 — Scripture Analysis" GEBible, https://gebible.app/analysis/verse/1-corinthians/7/12?version=WEB (retrieved 27 August 2026).