What does 1 Corinthians 16:7 mean?

Paul is describing his travel plans to the Corinthians at the end of a long letter. He is writing to them from Ephesus. He plans to travel from there to the churches in the region of Macedonia before arriving to spend the winter in Corinth. He seems to be saying in this verse that he could come to Corinth sooner, but he would prefer to spend a longer time instead of just seeing them "in passing."

Looking at a map of the ancient world is helpful at this point. Paul could have travelled from Ephesus to Corinth either by land or sea. The route across the Aegean Sea would have been more direct, a trip Paul made in the other direction when he left Corinth previously (Acts 18:18–22). However, taking the land route over the summer travel months would allow Paul to visit many of the churches he had previously helped to establish. He could then arrive in Corinth before winter began to make travel unsafe.

Paul concludes his thought with "if the Lord permits" (James 4:15). In fact, his plans did not work out as he had hoped—even provoking an accusation from some that he did not keep his word. Paul explains the reason for his change of plans in 2 Corinthians 1:15—2:1.