Parq/e,noi iN CoriNtH: 1 Cor 7,25-40 281 treatment of his daughter mentioned in v. 36 is his failure to fulfill his responsibilities by arranging a marriage for her. the daughter’s being u`pe,rakmoj means that she is past puberty which creates an expectation that she marry 59. Paul says that the father can do what he wishes, i.e., arrange a marriage for his daughter; he does not sin by doing so. Verse 37 considers the case in which the father does not feel a necessity to arrange a marriage for his daughter and has control over his own will, i.e., does not wish to do so. if he has decided to keep his daughter, he does well. Verse 38 then concludes that the one giving his daughter in marriage will do well and the one not giving her will do better. b) Other Aspects of vv. 36-38 as we noted above, v. 38 fits very well the understanding of vv. 36-38 as referring to a father and daughter. those who interpret the verses as referring to a betrothed couple argue that the word gami,zw does not have its ordinary meaning here, i.e., to give in marriage, but is used as a synonym of game,w, used in v. 36, and means simply to marry 60. this is certainly possible. But the ordinary meaning of the word supports interpretation of the verses as referring to father and daughter. this ordinary meaning can be seen in Mark 12,25/Matt 22,30/luke 20,35 where Jesus says that those who rise from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage 61. one thing that is sometimes mentioned as an obstacle to this inter- pretation is the use of the possessive pronoun with parqe,noj in these verses: auvtou/ in v. 36, e`autou/ in vv. 37-38 62. this usage is rather rare, 59 Cf. also the discussion of u`pe,rakmoj in allo, Première Épître aux Corinthiens, 191-192. 60 Hurd, Origins of 1 Corinthians, 174-175; Barrett, First Epistle to the Corinthians, 185; H. CoNzelMaNN, 1 Corinthians. a Commentary on the First epistle to the Corinthians (Hermeneia; Philadelphia, Pa 1975) 136; Fee, First Epistle to the Corinthians, 354-355; GarlaNd, 1 Corinthians, 338; tHiSeltoN, First Epistle to the Corinthians, 596-597; FitzMYer, First Corinthians, 326-327; CiaMPa – roSNer, First Letter to the Corinthians, 357. 61 See also Matt 24,38/luke 17,27 and the discussion of the word in allo, Première Épître aux Corinthiens, 192-193. 62 Ford, A Trilogy, 87-88; GarlaNd, 1 Corinthians, 337-338; CiaMPa – roSNer, First Letter to the Corinthians, 356. Fee first admits that the expression “his virgin” is “difficult for any interpretation” (First Epistle to the Corinthians, 349 n. 3; so also Barrett, First Epistle to the Corinthians, 183-184). later Fee says that it is “a very unusual way for Paul to speak of a father not letting his daughter marry!” (First Epistle to the Corinthians, 353 n. 25).