Is bound is the verb that was used in verse 27, Are you bound to a wife? One may expand this phrase slightly; for example, “is not free to marry” or “is not allowed to remarry.”

Dies is literally “falls asleep,” which is a common New Testament metaphor for death, especially the death of Christians.

Only in the Lord: Good News Bible and most other translations take this to mean that the other partner must be a Christian; thus Good News Bible‘s rendering “but only if he is a Christian.” This interpretation is almost certainly implied in the Greek, but the direct meaning of the phrase is more probably “only (it must be) as a Christian” or “within the Lord’s fellowship” (Revised English Bible). A possible translation would be “it must be a Christian marriage.”

Quoted with permission from Ellingworth, Paul and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians, 2nd edition. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1985/1994. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .