1 Corinthians 7:1

Again Paul began what he had to say by citing a general truth. Then he proceeded to qualify it (cf. 1 Corinthians 6:12-13). The use of the Greek word anthropos (man generically, people) rather than aner (man as distinguished from woman) indicates that the statement pertains to human beings generally. To "touch a woman" (NASB) was a common ancient euphemism for sexual intercourse. [Note: Fee, The First . . ., p. 275; Lowery, p. 517; Keener, p. 62.] It was probably another Corinthian slogan (cf. 1 Corinthians 6:12-13; 1 Corinthians 6:18). Evidently the Corinthians’ question was something like this. Isn’t it preferable for a Christian man to abstain from sexual relations with any woman? This would reflect the "spiritual" viewpoint of the Corinthians that held a negative attitude toward the material world and the body (cf. 1 Corinthians 6:13; 1 Corinthians 15:12).

"Some difficulty is alleviated if these words [the slogan] are regarded as a quotation from the Corinthian letter, and this is a hypothesis that may very probably be accepted [cf. 1 Corinthians 6:12-13] . . ." [Note: Barrett, p. 154.]

Another view is that "touch a woman" was a euphemism for marrying. [Note: Morris, p. 105.] However this meaning is difficult to prove, and I do not prefer it. If this is what he meant, Paul’s advice was to abstain from marrying. Paul wrote later that because of the present distress his readers would do well to remain in their present marital state (1 Corinthians 7:26). Furthermore throughout the passage Paul viewed marriage as God-ordained and perfectly proper for Christians. He also wrote that a single life is not wrong but good (Gr. kalon), though not necessarily better than a married life.