Romans 7 Bible study: Joined to another

The chapter opens with a question to "brothers": "Or don’t you know, brothers (for I speak to men who know the law), that the law has dominion over a man for as long as he lives?" (7:1) (tap dominion). The next two verses begin "For" and "So then": "For the woman that has a husband is bound by law to the husband while he lives, but if the husband dies, she is discharged from the law of the husband." (7:2), and "So then if, while the husband lives, she is joined to another man, she would be called an adulteress. But if the husband dies, she is free from the law, so that she is no adulteress, though she is joined to another man." (7:3). Then the letter speaks to the brothers again: "Therefore, my brothers, you also were made dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you would be joined to another, to him who was raised from the dead, that we might produce fruit to God." (7:4) (tap made dead, fruit). Two verses later it says, "But now we have been discharged from the law, having died to that in which we were held; so that we serve in newness of the spirit, and not in oldness of the letter." (7:6) (tap discharged, held). The WEB has discharged in 7:2 and again in 7:6. These notes quote 7:2-3 as the WEB has them and apply them to no one's marriage today.

ἀφορμήaphormesay af-or-MAY

Strong's: "a starting-point, i.e. (figuratively) an opportunity". Thayer lists 7:8 and 7:11 under "to take occasion, find an incentive". "But sin, finding occasion through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of coveting." (7:8), and "for sin, finding occasion through the commandment, deceived me, and through it killed me." (7:11): behind occasion in both verses is this noun. The New Testament has it in six verses, and Romans only in these two (counted in RP2018). Galatians has it too, where the WEB gives it as opportunity: "Only don’t use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh" (Galatians 5:13).