Another reason that people have misunderstood 1 CorinthainsCorinthians 7:2 is the failure to translate "have one's wife or husband" [citation needed]accuratelyaccurately – see, tn Grk (Translation Notes), 1 Cor 7:2a, NET Bible 2005. It means to have sex or be in a sexual relationship with someone. It doesn't mean "get a wife, so you won't have sex before marriage." Paul was saying "let every man have sex with his own woman, not with a temple prostitute." Several commentariesother commentaries bring out these points:
Only a couple of translations have made the meaning clear for us, the NetBibleNET Bible being an example. Here is their note on this:
"Grktn Grk “each man should have his own wife.” “Have” in this context means “have marital relations with” (see the following verse). The verb ἐχέτω (ecetw, “have”) occurs twice in the Greek text, but has not been repeated in the translation for stylistic reasons. This verb occurs 8 times in the LXX (Exod 2:1; Deut 28:30; 2 Chr 11:21; 1 Esd 9:12, 18; Tob 3:8; Isa 13:16; 54:1) with the meaning “have sexual relations with,” and 9 times elsewhere in the NT with the same meaning (Matt 20:23; 22:28; Mark 6:18; 12:33; Luke 20:28; John 4:18 [twice]; 1 Cor 5:1; 7:29)." [citation needed] —tn Grk (Translation Notes), 1 Cor 7:2a, NET Bible 2005