Released from the Law

Or do you not know, brothers[a]—for I am speaking to those who know the law—that the law is binding on a person only as long as he lives? For (A)a married woman is bound by law to her husband while he lives, but if her husband dies she is released from the law of marriage.[b] Accordingly, (B)she will be called an adulteress if she lives with another man while her husband is alive. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law, and if she marries another man she is not an adulteress.

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Footnotes

  1. Romans 7:1 Or brothers and sisters; also verse 4
  2. Romans 7:2 Greek law concerning the husband

An Illustration from Marriage

Since I am speaking to those who know the law, brothers and sisters,(A) don’t you know that the law rules over someone as long as he lives? For example, a married woman is legally bound to her husband while he lives.(B) But if her husband dies, she is released from the law regarding the husband. So then, if she is married to another man while her husband is living, she will be called an adulteress. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law. Then, if she is married to another man, she is not an adulteress.

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