Romans 7:3

KJV

So then if, while [her] husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man.

KJV (with Strong's)

So then {G686}{G3767} if {G1437}, while her husband {G435} liveth {G2198}, she be married {G1096} to another {G2087} man {G435}, she shall be called {G5537} an adulteress {G3428}: but {G1161} if {G1437} her husband {G435} be dead {G599}, she is {G2076} free {G1658} from {G575} that law {G3551}; so that she {G846} is {G1511} no {G3361} adulteress {G3428}, though she be married {G1096} to another {G2087} man {G435}.

Complete Jewish Bible

Therefore, while the husband is alive, she will be called an adulteress if she marries another man; but if the husband dies, she is free from that part of the Torah; so that if she marries another man, she is not an adulteress.

Berean Standard Bible

So then, if she is joined to another man while her husband is still alive, she is called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from that law and is not an adulteress, even if she marries another man.

American Standard Version

So then if, while the husband liveth, she be joined to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if the husband die, she is free from the law, so that she is no adulteress, though she be joined to another man.

Commentary

### SUMMARY
Romans 7:3 continues Paul's intricate analogy of marriage to elucidate the believer's liberation from the Law's dominion. Through this legal illustration, Paul explains that just as a woman is bound to her husband only for the duration of his life, becoming an adulteress if she marries another while he lives, so too is she freed from that specific marital law upon his death, enabling her to lawfully marry another without incurring the charge of adultery. This principle sets the groundwork for understanding how believers, through their identification with Christ's death, are similarly freed from the Law's condemning power to enter into a new, life-giving union with Christ.

### CONTEXT
* **Literary Context:** Romans 7:3 is an integral part of Paul's extended argument in [Romans 7](/romans/7 "Romans 7 - Freedom from the Law, Life in the Spirit"), which addresses believers who are familiar with the Mosaic Law. Paul begins in [Romans 7:1](/romans/7-1 "Romans 7:1 - The Law's Dominion") by stating that the Law has authority over a person only as long as they live. He immediately follows this with the marriage analogy in [Romans 7:2](/romans/7-2 "Romans 7:2 - The Marriage Analogy Begins"), where he posits the legal bond of a wife to her living husband. Verse 3 then completes this initial premise by detailing the consequence of violating this bond (adultery) and, crucially, the condition under which the bond is dissolved (the husband's death). This entire illustration serves as a foundational premise for Paul's profound theological conclusion in [Romans 7:4](/romans/7-4 "Romans 7:4 - Married to Christ"), where he applies the analogy directly to the believer's death to the Law through Christ's body. The immediate context is thus a carefully constructed legal and theological argument designed to explain the believer's new status.

* **Historical & Cultural Context:** Paul's audience, particularly those "knowing the law" ([Romans 7:1](/romans/7-1 "Romans 7:1 - The Law's Dominion")), would have been intimately familiar with the legal and social norms surrounding marriage in both Jewish and Roman societies. Under both legal systems, marriage was a binding covenant, and adultery was a serious offense, particularly for the woman, often carrying severe penalties. The principle that death dissolves a marriage bond was universally recognized and understood. Paul leverages this established legal reality—that a woman is bound to her husband until his death, after which she is free to remarry without being an adulteress—as a readily comprehensible illustration. He is not primarily discussing the ethics of divorce or remarriage, but rather using a clear, undisputed legal principle to illuminate a spiritual truth about the Law's authority and its termination through a metaphorical "death."

* **Key Themes:** This verse contributes significantly to several major themes in Romans and Paul's broader theology. The primary theme is the **Law's Dominion and Release**. Paul establishes that the Law's authority is limited by death, setting the stage for the believer's freedom. This ties into the theme of **Justification by Faith**, as it underscores that righteousness is not achieved through adherence to the Law, which can only condemn. The **Analogy of Marriage and Death** is a central literary device, vividly illustrating the legal termination of a bond. Most importantly, it foreshadows the theme of **Union with Christ**. While not explicitly stated in this verse, the entire analogy builds towards the idea that believers have "died" with Christ to the Law, allowing for a new, spiritual marriage to the resurrected Christ, as detailed in [Romans 7:4](/romans/7-4 "Romans 7:4 - Married to Christ"). This new union leads to the ultimate theme of **Bearing Fruit for God**, contrasting with the Law's inability to produce righteousness, as explored throughout [Romans 7](/romans/7 "Romans 7 - The Struggle with Sin and the Spirit's Deliverance").

### EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS

#### Key Word Analysis
* **adulteress (Greek, _moichalís'_):** This term refers to a woman who commits adultery, specifically by engaging in sexual relations with a man other than her lawful husband. In this verse, it is used in its literal sense within the marriage analogy, highlighting the legal and moral consequence of violating the marital covenant while the first husband is still alive. Paul uses this strong term to emphasize the legal guilt incurred if the bond of the Law were to be violated without a prior "death."
* **dead (Greek, _apothnḗskō'_):** Meaning "to die off," this verb is crucial as it signifies the dissolution of the legal bond. In the context of the analogy, the husband's death is the sole condition under which the wife is legally freed from her marital obligation. The theological application hinges on this concept of "death" as the means by which the believer is released from the Law's authority, not through personal demise, but through identification with Christ's death.
* **law (Greek, _nómos'_):** This word refers to a principle or regulation, specifically the Mosaic Law in this context. Paul uses it to denote the binding authority that governs the marriage, and by extension, the authority that governed humanity before Christ. The verse clarifies that death terminates the authority of this "law" over the individual, paving the way for a new relationship governed by a different principle.

#### Verse Breakdown
* **"So then if, while [her] husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress:":** This clause establishes the legal and moral consequence of violating the marriage covenant. As long as the husband is alive, the wife is legally bound to him. To "be married to another man" during this time constitutes a breach of the covenant, rendering her an "adulteress" in the eyes of the law and society. This sets up the problem that the subsequent part of the verse, and indeed Paul's larger argument, will resolve.
* **"but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law;":** This pivotal clause introduces the condition that dissolves the marital bond. The death of the husband legally liberates the wife from her obligation to him under the "law" of marriage. This freedom is absolute and legally recognized, removing any prior constraints. This is the key point for Paul's analogy: death is the mechanism for release.
* **"so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man.":** This concluding phrase confirms the legal innocence of the woman who remarries after her husband's death. Because the prior legal bond has been dissolved by death, her subsequent marriage is legitimate and does not carry the stigma or legal guilt of adultery. This emphasizes the completeness of the liberation and the legitimacy of the new union, directly paralleling the believer's freedom from the Law and new union with Christ.

#### Literary Devices
Paul employs a powerful **Analogy** in Romans 7:3, using the universally understood legal principle of marriage and death to explain a complex theological truth. The marriage bond serves as a **Metaphor** for the believer's relationship to the Law, and the husband's death is a **Symbol** for the believer's identification with Christ's death. The precise **Legal Language** ("adulteress," "free from that law") lends authority and clarity to his argument, grounding the spiritual reality in a tangible, relatable human experience. The structure of the verse, presenting a conditional statement ("if...then") followed by a contrasting condition ("but if...then"), highlights the stark difference between being under the Law's condemnation and being freed from it.

### THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Romans 7:3 is foundational for understanding the believer's freedom from the Law's condemning power. It underscores the theological truth that the Law, while holy and good, was never intended to provide righteousness or life; rather, it exposed sin and brought condemnation. Through Christ's death, believers are metaphorically "dead" to the Law, just as the wife is freed from her husband's law by his death. This liberation is not an invitation to lawlessness, but a divine provision for a new, life-giving union with the resurrected Christ, enabling genuine righteousness and fruit-bearing that the Law could never produce. It shifts the basis of our relationship with God from legalistic obligation to a covenant of grace, empowered by the Spirit.

* [Galatians 2:19-20](/galatians/2-19-20 "Galatians 2:19-20 - Crucified with Christ")
* [Romans 6:1-11](/romans/6-1-11 "Romans 6:1-11 - Dead to Sin, Alive in Christ")
* [Colossians 2:13-14](/colossians/2-13-14 "Colossians 2:13-14 - Forgiveness and Cancellation of Debt")

### REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Romans 7:3 offers profound assurance and a radical reorientation for the Christian life. It assures us that our past failures under the Law's demands no longer define us, nor does the Law hold us captive to condemnation. Our union with Christ's death has severed that old bond, granting us complete emancipation. This freedom is not an excuse for moral laxity but an empowerment for genuine righteousness, born out of love and gratitude for our new union with Christ. We are no longer striving to earn God's favor by keeping rules, but responding to His grace by living in the power of the Spirit, yielding fruit naturally. This understanding liberates us from the burden of legalism and invites us into a vibrant, Spirit-led life, where obedience flows from a transformed heart rather than from fear of punishment.

#### Questions for Reflection
* **How does understanding our "death to the Law" through Christ's death change our perspective on obedience and personal holiness?**
* **In what ways might we still inadvertently live as if we are "married to the Law" rather than "married to Christ"?**
* **What practical implications does this freedom from the Law have for our daily walk and our approach to spiritual disciplines?**

### FAQ

**Does Romans 7:3 provide a biblical basis for divorce and remarriage?**

Answer: No, Romans 7:3 does not provide a direct biblical basis for divorce and remarriage. Paul's primary purpose in this verse is not to discuss human marriage laws or divorce, but to use a universally understood legal principle—that death dissolves a marital bond—as an analogy for the believer's relationship to the Mosaic Law. The "death" in the analogy refers to the believer's identification with Christ's death, which frees them from the Law's dominion. The focus is on the *dissolution of a legal bond by death*, not on the circumstances of human divorce. Jesus' teachings in [Matthew 19:3-9](/matthew/19-3-9 "Matthew 19:3-9 - Jesus on Divorce") and Paul's instructions in [1 Corinthians 7](/1_corinthians/7 "1 Corinthians 7 - Instructions on Marriage") are the primary passages that address marriage, divorce, and remarriage in the New Testament.

### CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Romans 7:3, though an analogy rooted in the Law, finds its ultimate and glorious fulfillment in Christ. The "death" that frees the woman from her first husband's law perfectly prefigures the believer's spiritual death with Christ, which frees us from the Law's condemning power. When Christ died on the cross, He bore the full penalty of the Law for us, effectively dying *to* the Law on our behalf ([Galatians 2:19](/galatians/2-19 "Galatians 2:19 - Crucified to the Law")). Through faith, we are united with Him in His death and resurrection ([Romans 6:3-11](/romans/6-3-11 "Romans 6:3-11 - Baptized into Christ's Death and Resurrection")), meaning that our "old self" has died with Him, and we are now raised to walk in newness of life. This union with the resurrected Christ is the "marriage to another" that Paul alludes to in [Romans 7:4](/romans/7-4 "Romans 7:4 - Married to Christ"). Because Christ has fulfilled the Law and died to its curse, and we are in Him, we are no longer "under the law" but "under grace" ([Romans 6:14](/romans/6-14 "Romans 6:14 - Not Under Law, But Under Grace")). This new covenant union with Christ is not merely a legal freedom *from* something, but a dynamic, life-giving bond *to* Someone, enabling us to bear "fruit unto God" by the power of the Holy Spirit ([Romans 7:4](/romans/7-4 "Romans 7:4 - Married to Christ to Bear Fruit")).

Note: Commentary is generated by AI with a directive for Biblical fidelity. Always rely on the Holy Spirit for discernment. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.

Cross-References

Exodus 20:14

Thou shalt not commit adultery.

Matthew 5:32

But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.

Mark 10:6

But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female.

Mark 10:12

And if a woman shall put away her husband, and be married to another, she committeth adultery.

John 8:3

And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst,

John 8:5

Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?

Deuteronomy 22:22

If a man be found lying with a woman married to an husband, then they shall both of them die, [both] the man that lay with the woman, and the woman: so shalt thou put away evil from Israel.