Roma 10:14-15

10:14 How are they to call on one they have not believed in? And how are they to believe in one they have not heard of? And how are they to hear without someone preaching to them ¹ ? 10:15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How timely ²  is the arrival ³  of those who proclaim the good news.” ⁴ 

Roma 10:17

10:17 Consequently faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the preached word ⁵  of Christ. ⁶ 

[10:14]  ¹ tn Grk “preaching”; the words “to them” are supplied for clarification.

[10:15]  ² tn The word in this context seems to mean “coming at the right or opportune time” (see BDAG 1103 s.v. ὡραῖος 1); it may also mean “beautiful, attractive, welcome.”

[10:15]  ³ tn Grk “the feet.” The metaphorical nuance of “beautiful feet” is that such represent timely news.

[10:15]  ⁴ sn A quotation from Isa 52:7; Nah 1:15.

[10:17]  ⁵ tn The Greek term here is ῥῆμα (rJhma), which often (but not exclusively) focuses on the spoken word.

[10:17]  ⁶ tc Most mss (א¹ A D¹ Ψ 33 1881 Ï sy) have θεοῦ (qeou) here rather than Χριστοῦ (Cristou; found in Ì^46vid א* B C D* 6 81 629 1506 1739 pc lat co). External evidence strongly favors the reading “Christ” here. Internal evidence is also on its side, for the expression ῥῆμα Χριστοῦ (rJhma Cristou) occurs nowhere else in the NT; thus scribes would be prone to change it to a known expression.

[10:17]  tn The genitive could be understood as either subjective (“Christ does the speaking”) or objective (“Christ is spoken about”), but the latter is more likely here.