The Use, Meaning and Theological Significance of the Preposition ἐν, in ἐν τῇ γυναικὶ in 1 Corinthians 7:12-16

Abstract

There are divergent views on ἐν τῇ γυναικί as reflected in many Bible versions. However, the study thesis is that it expresses personal relationships; hence, the meaning “to unite to his wife” is the probable rendition. The syntactical relationship between the phrase and ἡγίασται suggests the use of an indirect middle voice rather than a passive one. For this reason, the study concludes that taking the phrase in its historical, literary, semantic, and syntactic context, the verse’s probable meaning should be: because the unbelieving husband has devoted (in his own self-interest) to (unite to/belong to) his wife and the unbelieving wife has devoted (in her own self-interest) to (unite to/belong to) her husband: otherwise, then your children were illegitimate (impure), but now they are pure (legitimate).