How long are a husband and wife legally bound by the marriage law?
Under the civil law of the land, a husband and wife are legally bound by marriage law until the marriage is dissolved by divorce or death. The woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives; if he dies, she is loosed from that law.
Les explains that Paul is not talking about the Mosaic law here, but about the civil law of the land, whether in Israel or America. When a husband and wife are legally married, that law is part and parcel of that marriage until it is either dissolved by divorce or death, and it cannot be escaped. Using the marriage relationship as an illustration, Paul says the woman is bound by the law to the husband so long as he lives, but if the husband is dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband. Les compares this to death ending other legal matters, such as a mortgage foreclosure or a murder trial: once death occurs, the whole thing is over.
More Questions
How long is a legal marriage subject to the marriage law?
In a legal marriage, the marriage law becomes part and parcel of the marriage and remains in force until the marriage is dissolved by divorce or death; it cannot be escaped.