Roma 5:1-21
Konteks5:1 1 Therefore, since we have been declared righteous by faith, we have 2 peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 5:2 through whom we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice 3 in the hope of God’s glory. 5:3 Not 4 only this, but we also rejoice in sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 5:4 and endurance, character, and character, hope. 5:5 And hope does not disappoint, because the love of God 5 has been poured out 6 in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
5:6 For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 5:7 (For rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person perhaps someone might possibly dare to die.) 7 5:8 But God demonstrates his own love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 5:9 Much more then, because we have now been declared righteous 8 by his blood, 9 we will be saved through him from God’s wrath. 10 5:10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, how much more, since we have been reconciled, will we be saved by his life? 5:11 Not 11 only this, but we also rejoice 12 in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received this reconciliation.
5:12 So then, just as sin entered the world through one man and death through sin, and so death spread to all people 13 because 14 all sinned – 5:13 for before the law was given, 15 sin was in the world, but there is no accounting for sin 16 when there is no law. 5:14 Yet death reigned from Adam until Moses even over those who did not sin in the same way that Adam (who is a type 17 of the coming one) transgressed. 18 5:15 But the gracious gift is not like the transgression. 19 For if the many died through the transgression of the one man, 20 how much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one man Jesus Christ multiply to the many! 5:16 And the gift is not like the one who sinned. 21 For judgment, resulting from the one transgression, 22 led to condemnation, but 23 the gracious gift from the many failures 24 led to justification. 5:17 For if, by the transgression of the one man, 25 death reigned through the one, how much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one, Jesus Christ!
5:18 Consequently, 26 just as condemnation 27 for all people 28 came 29 through one transgression, 30 so too through the one righteous act 31 came righteousness leading to life 32 for all people. 5:19 For just as through the disobedience of the one man 33 many 34 were made sinners, so also through the obedience of one man 35 many 36 will be made righteous. 5:20 Now the law came in 37 so that the transgression 38 may increase, but where sin increased, grace multiplied all the more, 5:21 so that just as sin reigned in death, so also grace will reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Roma 1:1--2:29
Konteks1:1 From Paul, 39 a slave 40 of Christ Jesus, 41 called to be an apostle, 42 set apart for the gospel of God. 43 1:2 This gospel 44 he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy scriptures, 1:3 concerning his Son who was a descendant 45 of David with reference to the flesh, 46 1:4 who was appointed the Son-of-God-in-power 47 according to the Holy Spirit 48 by the resurrection 49 from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord. 1:5 Through him 50 we have received grace and our apostleship 51 to bring about the obedience 52 of faith 53 among all the Gentiles on behalf of his name. 1:6 You also are among them, 54 called to belong to Jesus Christ. 55 1:7 To all those loved by God in Rome, 56 called to be saints: 57 Grace and peace to you 58 from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!
1:8 First of all, 59 I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed throughout the whole world. 1:9 For God, whom I serve in my spirit by preaching the gospel 60 of his Son, is my witness that 61 I continually remember you 1:10 and I always ask 62 in my prayers, if perhaps now at last I may succeed in visiting you according to the will of God. 63 1:11 For I long to see you, so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift 64 to strengthen you, 1:12 that is, that we may be mutually comforted by one another’s faith, 65 both yours and mine. 1:13 I do not want you to be unaware, 66 brothers and sisters, 67 that I often intended to come to you (and was prevented until now), so that I may have some fruit even among you, just as I already have among the rest of the Gentiles. 68 1:14 I am a debtor 69 both to the Greeks and to the barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. 1:15 Thus I am eager 70 also to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome. 71
1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is God’s power for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 72 1:17 For the righteousness 73 of God is revealed in the gospel 74 from faith to faith, 75 just as it is written, “The righteous by faith will live.” 76
1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of people 77 who suppress the truth by their 78 unrighteousness, 79 1:19 because what can be known about God is plain to them, 80 because God has made it plain to them. 1:20 For since the creation of the world his invisible attributes – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, because they are understood through what has been made. So people 81 are without excuse. 1:21 For although they knew God, they did not glorify him as God or give him thanks, but they became futile in their thoughts and their senseless hearts 82 were darkened. 1:22 Although they claimed 83 to be wise, they became fools 1:23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for an image resembling mortal human beings 84 or birds or four-footed animals 85 or reptiles.
1:24 Therefore God gave them over 86 in the desires of their hearts to impurity, to dishonor 87 their bodies among themselves. 88 1:25 They 89 exchanged the truth of God for a lie 90 and worshiped and served the creation 91 rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.
1:26 For this reason God gave them over to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged the natural sexual relations for unnatural ones, 92 1:27 and likewise the men also abandoned natural relations with women 93 and were inflamed in their passions 94 for one another. Men 95 committed shameless acts with men and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.
1:28 And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God, 96 God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what should not be done. 97 1:29 They are filled 98 with every kind of unrighteousness, wickedness, covetousness, malice. They are rife with 99 envy, murder, strife, deceit, hostility. They are gossips, 1:30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, contrivers of all sorts of evil, disobedient to parents, 1:31 senseless, covenant-breakers, 100 heartless, ruthless. 1:32 Although they fully know 101 God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, 102 they not only do them but also approve of those who practice them. 103
2:1 104 Therefore 105 you are without excuse, 106 whoever you are, 107 when you judge someone else. 108 For on whatever grounds 109 you judge another, you condemn yourself, because you who judge practice the same things. 2:2 Now we know that God’s judgment is in accordance with truth 110 against those who practice such things. 2:3 And do you think, 111 whoever you are, when you judge 112 those who practice such things and yet do them yourself, 113 that you will escape God’s judgment? 2:4 Or do you have contempt for the wealth of his kindness, forbearance, and patience, and yet do not know 114 that God’s kindness leads you to repentance? 2:5 But because of your stubbornness 115 and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath for yourselves in the day of wrath, when God’s righteous judgment is revealed! 116 2:6 He 117 will reward 118 each one according to his works: 119 2:7 eternal life to those who by perseverance in good works seek glory and honor and immortality, 2:8 but 120 wrath and anger to those who live in selfish ambition 121 and do not obey the truth but follow 122 unrighteousness. 2:9 There will be 123 affliction and distress on everyone 124 who does evil, on the Jew first and also the Greek, 125 2:10 but 126 glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, for the Jew first and also the Greek. 2:11 For there is no partiality with God. 2:12 For all who have sinned apart from the law 127 will also perish apart from the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. 2:13 For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous before God, but those who do the law will be declared righteous. 128 2:14 For whenever the Gentiles, 129 who do not have the law, do by nature 130 the things required by the law, 131 these who do not have the law are a law to themselves. 2:15 They 132 show that the work of the law is written 133 in their hearts, as their conscience bears witness and their conflicting thoughts accuse or else defend 134 them, 135 2:16 on the day when God will judge 136 the secrets of human hearts, 137 according to my gospel 138 through Christ Jesus.
2:17 But if you call yourself a Jew and rely on the law 139 and boast of your relationship to God 140 2:18 and know his will 141 and approve the superior things because you receive instruction from the law, 142 2:19 and if you are convinced 143 that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, 2:20 an educator of the senseless, a teacher of little children, because you have in the law the essential features of knowledge and of the truth – 2:21 therefore 144 you who teach someone else, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal? 2:22 You who tell others not to commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor 145 idols, do you rob temples? 2:23 You who boast in the law dishonor God by transgressing the law! 2:24 For just as it is written, “the name of God is being blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.” 146
2:25 For circumcision 147 has its value if you practice the law, but 148 if you break the law, 149 your circumcision has become uncircumcision. 2:26 Therefore if the uncircumcised man obeys 150 the righteous requirements of the law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision? 2:27 And will not the physically uncircumcised man 151 who keeps the law judge you who, despite 152 the written code 153 and circumcision, transgress the law? 2:28 For a person is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision something that is outward in the flesh, 2:29 but someone is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision is of the heart 154 by the Spirit 155 and not by the written code. 156 This person’s 157 praise is not from people but from God.
[5:1] 1 sn Many interpreters see Rom 5:1 as beginning the second major division of the letter.
[5:1] 2 tc A number of important witnesses have the subjunctive ἔχωμεν (ecwmen, “let us have”) instead of ἔχομεν (ecomen, “we have”) in v. 1. Included in the subjunctive’s support are א* A B* C D K L 33 81 630 1175 1739* pm lat bo. But the indicative is not without its supporters: א1 B2 F G P Ψ 0220vid 104 365 1241 1505 1506 1739c 1881 2464 pm. If the problem were to be solved on an external basis only, the subjunctive would be preferred. Because of this, the “A” rating on behalf of the indicative in the UBS4 appears overly confident. Nevertheless, the indicative is probably correct. First, the earliest witness to Rom 5:1 has the indicative (0220vid, third century). Second, the first set of correctors is sometimes, if not often, of equal importance with the original hand. Hence, א1 might be given equal value with א*. Third, there is a good cross-section of witnesses for the indicative: Alexandrian (in 0220vid, probably א1 1241 1506 1881 al), Western (in F G), and Byzantine (noted in NA27 as pm). Thus, although the external evidence is strongly in favor of the subjunctive, the indicative is represented well enough that its ancestry could easily go back to the original. Turning to the internal evidence, the indicative gains much ground. (1) The variant may have been produced via an error of hearing (since omicron and omega were pronounced alike in ancient Greek). This, of course, does not indicate which reading was original – just that an error of hearing may have produced one of them. In light of the indecisiveness of the transcriptional evidence, intrinsic evidence could play a much larger role. This is indeed the case here. (2) The indicative fits well with the overall argument of the book to this point. Up until now, Paul has been establishing the “indicatives of the faith.” There is only one imperative (used rhetorically) and only one hortatory subjunctive (and this in a quotation within a diatribe) up till this point, while from ch. 6 on there are sixty-one imperatives and seven hortatory subjunctives. Clearly, an exhortation would be out of place in ch. 5. (3) Paul presupposes that the audience has peace with God (via reconciliation) in 5:10. This seems to assume the indicative in v. 1. (4) As C. E. B. Cranfield notes, “it would surely be strange for Paul, in such a carefully argued writing as this, to exhort his readers to enjoy or to guard a peace which he has not yet explicitly shown to be possessed by them” (Romans [ICC], 1:257). (5) The notion that εἰρήνην ἔχωμεν (eirhnhn ecwmen) can even naturally mean “enjoy peace” is problematic (ExSyn 464), yet those who embrace the subjunctive have to give the verb some such force. Thus, although the external evidence is stronger in support of the subjunctive, the internal evidence points to the indicative. Although a decision is difficult, ἔχομεν appears to be the authentic reading.
[5:3] 4 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[5:5] 5 tn The phrase ἡ ἀγάπη τοῦ θεοῦ (Jh agaph tou qeou, “the love of God”) could be interpreted as either an objective genitive (“our love for God”), subjective genitive (“God’s love for us”), or both (M. Zerwick’s “general” genitive [Biblical Greek, §§36-39]; D. B. Wallace’s “plenary” genitive [ExSyn 119-21]). The immediate context, which discusses what God has done for believers, favors a subjective genitive, but the fact that this love is poured out within the hearts of believers implies that it may be the source for believers’ love for God; consequently an objective genitive cannot be ruled out. It is possible that both these ideas are meant in the text and that this is a plenary genitive: “The love that comes from God and that produces our love for God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us” (ExSyn 121).
[5:5] 6 sn On the OT background of the Spirit being poured out, see Isa 32:15; Joel 2:28-29.
[5:7] 7 sn Verse 7 forms something of a parenthetical comment in Paul’s argument.
[5:9] 8 tn Grk “having now been declared righteous.” The participle δικαιωθέντες (dikaiwqente") has been translated as a causal adverbial participle.
[5:9] 9 tn Or, according to BDF §219.3, “at the price of his blood.”
[5:9] 10 tn Grk “the wrath,” referring to God’s wrath as v. 10 shows.
[5:11] 11 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[5:11] 12 tn Or “exult, boast.”
[5:12] 13 tn Here ἀνθρώπους (anqrwpou") has been translated as a generic (“people”) since both men and women are clearly intended in this context.
[5:12] 14 tn The translation of the phrase ἐφ᾿ ᾧ (ef Jw) has been heavily debated. For a discussion of all the possibilities, see C. E. B. Cranfield, “On Some of the Problems in the Interpretation of Romans 5.12,” SJT 22 (1969): 324-41. Only a few of the major options can be mentioned here: (1) the phrase can be taken as a relative clause in which the pronoun refers to Adam, “death spread to all people in whom [Adam] all sinned.” (2) The phrase can be taken with consecutive (resultative) force, meaning “death spread to all people with the result that all sinned.” (3) Others take the phrase as causal in force: “death spread to all people because all sinned.”
[5:13] 15 tn Grk “for before the law.”
[5:13] 16 tn Or “sin is not reckoned.”
[5:14] 18 tn Or “disobeyed”; Grk “in the likeness of Adam’s transgression.”
[5:15] 19 tn Grk “but not as the transgression, so also [is] the gracious gift.”
[5:15] 20 sn Here the one man refers to Adam (cf. 5:14).
[5:16] 21 tn Grk “and not as through the one who sinned [is] the gift.”
[5:16] 22 tn The word “transgression” is not in the Greek text at this point, but has been supplied for clarity.
[5:16] 23 tn Greek emphasizes the contrast between these two clauses more than can be easily expressed in English.
[5:16] 24 tn Or “falls, trespasses,” the same word used in vv. 15, 17, 18, 20.
[5:17] 25 sn Here the one man refers to Adam (cf. 5:14).
[5:18] 26 tn There is a double connective here that cannot be easily preserved in English: “consequently therefore,” emphasizing the conclusion of what he has been arguing.
[5:18] 27 tn Grk “[it is] unto condemnation for all people.”
[5:18] 28 tn Here ἀνθρώπους (anqrwpou") has been translated as a generic (“people”) since both men and women are clearly intended in this context.
[5:18] 29 tn There are no verbs in the Greek text of v. 18, forcing translators to supply phrases like “came through one transgression,” “resulted from one transgression,” etc.
[5:18] 30 sn One transgression refers to the sin of Adam in Gen 3:1-24.
[5:18] 31 sn The one righteous act refers to Jesus’ death on the cross.
[5:18] 32 tn Grk “righteousness of life.”
[5:19] 33 sn Here the one man refers to Adam (cf. 5:14).
[5:19] 35 sn One man refers here to Jesus Christ.
[5:20] 37 tn Grk “slipped in.”
[1:1] 39 tn Grk “Paul.” The word “from” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.
[1:1] 40 tn Traditionally, “servant.” Though δοῦλος (doulos) is normally translated “servant,” the word does not bear the connotation of a free individual serving another. BDAG notes that “‘servant’ for ‘slave’ is largely confined to Biblical transl. and early American times…in normal usage at the present time the two words are carefully distinguished” (BDAG 260 s.v.). The most accurate translation is “bondservant” (sometimes found in the ASV for δοῦλος), in that it often indicates one who sells himself into slavery to another. But as this is archaic, few today understand its force.
[1:1] sn Undoubtedly the background for the concept of being the Lord’s “slave” or “servant” is to be found in the Old Testament scriptures. For someone who was Jewish this concept did not connote drudgery, but honor and privilege. It was used of national Israel at times (Isa 43:10), but was especially associated with famous OT personalities, including such great men as Moses (Josh 14:7), David (Ps 89:3; cf. 2 Sam 7:5, 8) and Elijah (2 Kgs 10:10); all these men were “servants (or slaves) of the Lord.”
[1:1] 41 tc Many important
[1:1] 42 tn Grk “a called apostle.”
[1:1] 43 tn The genitive in the phrase εὐαγγέλιον θεοῦ (euangelion qeou, “the gospel of God”) could be translated as (1) a subjective genitive (“the gospel which God brings”) or (2) an objective genitive (“the gospel about God”). Either is grammatically possible. This is possibly an instance of a plenary genitive (see ExSyn 119-21; M. Zerwick, Biblical Greek, §§36-39). If so, an interplay between the two concepts is intended: The gospel which God brings is in fact the gospel about himself. However, in view of God’s action in v. 2 concerning this gospel, a subjective genitive notion (“the gospel which God brings”) is slightly preferred.
[1:2] 44 tn Grk “the gospel of God, which he promised.” Because of the length and complexity of this sentence in Greek, it was divided into shorter English sentences in keeping with contemporary English style. To indicate the referent of the relative pronoun (“which”), the word “gospel” was repeated at the beginning of v. 2.
[1:3] 45 tn Grk “born of the seed” (an idiom).
[1:3] 46 tn Grk “according to the flesh,” indicating Jesus’ earthly life, a reference to its weakness. This phrase implies that Jesus was more than human; otherwise it would have been sufficient to say that he was a descendant of David, cf. L. Morris, Romans, 44.
[1:4] 47 sn Appointed the Son-of-God-in-power. Most translations render the Greek participle ὁρισθέντος (Jorisqentos, from ὁρίζω, Jorizw) “declared” or “designated” in order to avoid the possible interpretation that Jesus was appointed the Son of God by the resurrection. However, the Greek term ὁρίζω is used eight times in the NT, and it always has the meaning “to determine, appoint.” Paul is not saying that Jesus was appointed the “Son of God by the resurrection” but “Son-of-God-in-power by the resurrection,” as indicated by the hyphenation. He was born in weakness in human flesh (with respect to the flesh, v. 3) and he was raised with power. This is similar to Matt 28:18 where Jesus told his disciples after the resurrection, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”
[1:4] 48 tn Grk “spirit of holiness.” Some interpreters take the phrase to refer to Christ’s own inner spirit, which was characterized by holiness.
[1:4] 49 tn Or “by his resurrection.” Most interpreters see this as a reference to Jesus’ own resurrection, although some take it to refer to the general resurrection at the end of the age, of which Jesus’ resurrection is the first installment (cf. 1 Cor 15:23).
[1:5] 50 tn Grk “through whom.”
[1:5] 51 tn Some interpreters understand the phrase “grace and apostleship” as a hendiadys, translating “grace [i.e., gift] of apostleship.” The pronoun “our” is supplied in the translation to clarify the sense of the statement.
[1:5] 52 tn Grk “and apostleship for obedience.”
[1:5] 53 tn The phrase ὑπακοὴν πίστεως has been variously understood as (1) an objective genitive (a reference to the Christian faith, “obedience to [the] faith”); (2) a subjective genitive (“the obedience faith produces [or requires]”); (3) an attributive genitive (“believing obedience”); or (4) as a genitive of apposition (“obedience, [namely] faith”) in which “faith” further defines “obedience.” These options are discussed by C. E. B. Cranfield, Romans (ICC), 1:66. Others take the phrase as deliberately ambiguous; see D. B. Garlington, “The Obedience of Faith in the Letter to the Romans: Part I: The Meaning of ὑπακοὴ πίστεως (Rom 1:5; 16:26),” WTJ 52 (1990): 201-24.
[1:6] 54 tn Grk “among whom you also are called.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation. The NIV, with its translation “And you also are among those who are called,” takes the phrase ἐν οἳς ἐστε to refer to the following clause rather than the preceding, so that the addressees of the letter (“you also”) are not connected with “all the Gentiles” mentioned at the end of v. 5. It is more likely, however, that the relative pronoun οἳς has τοῖς ἔθνεσιν as its antecedent, which would indicate that the church at Rome was predominantly Gentile.
[1:6] 55 tn Grk “called of Jesus Christ.”
[1:7] 56 map For location see JP4 A1.
[1:7] 57 tn Although the first part of v. 7 is not a complete English sentence, it maintains the “From…to” pattern used in all the Pauline letters to indicate the sender and the recipients. Here, however, there are several intervening verses (vv. 2-6), which makes the first half of v. 7 appear as an isolated sentence fragment.
[1:7] 58 tn Grk “Grace to you and peace.”
[1:8] 59 tn Grk “First.” Paul never mentions a second point, so J. B. Phillips translated “I must begin by telling you….”
[1:9] 60 tn Grk “whom I serve in my spirit in the gospel.”
[1:10] 62 tn Grk “remember you, always asking.”
[1:10] 63 tn Grk “succeed in coming to you in the will of God.”
[1:11] 64 sn Paul does not mean here that he is going to bestow upon the Roman believers what is commonly known as a “spiritual gift,” that is, a special enabling for service given to believers by the Holy Spirit. Instead, this is either a metonymy of cause for effect (Paul will use his own spiritual gifts to edify the Romans), or it simply means something akin to a blessing or benefit in the spiritual realm. It is possible that Paul uses this phrase to connote specifically the broader purpose of his letter, which is for the Romans to understand his gospel, but this seems less likely.
[1:12] 65 tn Grk “that is, to be comforted together with you through the faith in one another.”
[1:13] 66 sn The expression “I do not want you to be unaware [Grk ignorant]” also occurs in 1 Cor 10:1; 12:1; 1 Thess 4:13. Paul uses the phrase to signal that he is about to say something very important.
[1:13] 67 tn Grk “brothers,” but the Greek word may be used for “brothers and sisters” or “fellow Christians” as here (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 1, where considerable nonbiblical evidence for the plural ἀδελφοί [adelfoi] meaning “brothers and sisters” is cited).
[1:13] 68 tn Grk “in order that I might have some fruit also among you just as also among the rest of the Gentiles.”
[1:15] 70 tn Or “willing, ready”; Grk “so my eagerness [is] to preach…” The word πρόθυμος (proqumo", “eager, willing”) is used only elsewhere in the NT in Matt 26:41 = Mark 14:38: “the spirit indeed is willing (πρόθυμος), but the flesh is weak.”
[1:15] 71 map For location see JP4 A1.
[1:16] 72 sn Here the Greek refers to anyone who is not Jewish.
[1:17] 73 tn The nature of the “righteousness” described here and the force of the genitive θεοῦ (“of God”) which follows have been much debated. (1) Some (e.g. C. E. B. Cranfield, Romans [ICC], 1:98) understand “righteousness” to refer to the righteous status given to believers as a result of God’s justifying activity, and see the genitive “of God” as a genitive of source (= “from God”). (2) Others see the “righteousness” as God’s act or declaration that makes righteous (i.e., justifies) those who turn to him in faith, taking the genitive “of God” as a subjective genitive (see E. Käsemann, Romans, 25-30). (3) Still others see the “righteousness of God” mentioned here as the attribute of God himself, understanding the genitive “of God” as a possessive genitive (“God’s righteousness”).
[1:17] 74 tn Grk “in it”; the referent (the gospel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[1:17] 75 tn Or “by faith for faith,” or “by faith to faith.” There are many interpretations of the phrase ἐκ πίστεως εἰς πίστιν (ek pistew" ei" pistin). It may have the idea that this righteousness is obtained by faith (ἐκ πίστεως) because it was designed for faith (εἰς πίστιν). For a summary see J. Murray, Romans (NICNT), 1:363-74.
[1:17] 76 sn A quotation from Hab 2:4.
[1:18] 77 tn The genitive ἀνθρώπων could be taken as an attributed genitive, in which case the phase should be translated “against all ungodly and unrighteous people” (cf. “the truth of God” in v. 25 which is also probably an attributed genitive). C. E. B. Cranfield takes the section 1:18-32 to refer to all people (not just Gentiles), while 2:1-3:20 points out that the Jew is no exception (Romans [ICC], 1:104-6; 1:137-38).
[1:18] 78 tn “Their” is implied in the Greek, but is supplied because of English style.
[1:18] 79 tn Or “by means of unrighteousness.” Grk “in (by) unrighteousness.”
[1:19] 80 tn Grk “is manifest to/in them.”
[1:20] 81 tn Grk “they”; the referent (people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[1:22] 83 tn The participle φάσκοντες (faskonte") is used concessively here.
[1:23] 84 tn Grk “exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God in likeness of an image of corruptible man.” Here there is a wordplay on the Greek terms ἄφθαρτος (afqarto", “immortal, imperishable, incorruptible”) and φθαρτός (fqarto", “mortal, corruptible, subject to decay”).
[1:23] 85 sn Possibly an allusion to Ps 106:19-20.
[1:24] 86 sn Possibly an allusion to Ps 81:12.
[1:24] 87 tn The genitive articular infinitive τοῦ ἀτιμάζεσθαι (tou atimazesqai, “to dishonor”) has been taken as (1) an infinitive of purpose; (2) an infinitive of result; or (3) an epexegetical (i.e., explanatory) infinitive, expanding the previous clause.
[1:24] 88 tn Grk “among them.”
[1:25] 89 tn Grk “who.” The relative pronoun was converted to a personal pronoun and, because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
[1:25] 91 tn Or “creature, created things.”
[1:26] 92 tn Grk “for their females exchanged the natural function for that which is contrary to nature.” The term χρῆσις (crhsi") has the force of “sexual relations” here (L&N 23.65).
[1:27] 93 tn Grk “likewise so also the males abandoning the natural function of the female.”
[1:27] 94 tn Grk “burned with intense desire” (L&N 25.16).
[1:27] 95 tn Grk “another, men committing…and receiving,” continuing the description of their deeds. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
[1:28] 96 tn Grk “and just as they did not approve to have God in knowledge.”
[1:28] 97 tn Grk “the things that are improper.”
[1:29] 98 tn Grk “being filled” or “having been filled,” referring to those described in v. 28. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
[1:29] 99 tn Grk “malice, full of,” continuing the description. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
[1:31] 100 tn Or “promise-breakers.”
[1:32] 101 tn Grk “who, knowing…, not only do them but also approve…” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
[1:32] 102 tn Grk “are worthy of death.”
[1:32] 103 sn “Vice lists” like vv. 28-32 can be found elsewhere in the NT in Matt 15:19; Gal 5:19-21; 1 Tim 1:9-10; and 1 Pet 4:3. An example from the intertestamental period can be found in Wis 14:25-26.
[2:1] 104 sn Rom 2:1-29 presents unusual difficulties for the interpreter. There have been several major approaches to the chapter and the group(s) it refers to: (1) Rom 2:14 refers to Gentile Christians, not Gentiles who obey the Jewish law. (2) Paul in Rom 2 is presenting a hypothetical viewpoint: If anyone could obey the law, that person would be justified, but no one can. (3) The reference to “the ones who do the law” in 2:13 are those who “do” the law in the right way, on the basis of faith, not according to Jewish legalism. (4) Rom 2:13 only speaks about Christians being judged in the future, along with such texts as Rom 14:10 and 2 Cor 5:10. (5) Paul’s material in Rom 2 is drawn heavily from Diaspora Judaism, so that the treatment of the law presented here cannot be harmonized with other things Paul says about the law elsewhere (E. P. Sanders, Paul, the Law, and the Jewish People, 123); another who sees Rom 2 as an example of Paul’s inconsistency in his treatment of the law is H. Räisänen, Paul and the Law [WUNT], 101-9. (6) The list of blessings and curses in Deut 27–30 provide the background for Rom 2; the Gentiles of 2:14 are Gentile Christians, but the condemnation of Jews in 2:17-24 addresses the failure of Jews as a nation to keep the law as a whole (A. Ito, “Romans 2: A Deuteronomistic Reading,” JSNT 59 [1995]: 21-37).
[2:1] 105 tn Some interpreters (e.g., C. K. Barrett, Romans [HNTC], 43) connect the inferential Διό (dio, “therefore”) with 1:32a, treating 1:32b as a parenthetical comment by Paul.
[2:1] 106 tn That is, “you have nothing to say in your own defense” (so translated by TCNT).
[2:1] 108 tn Grk “Therefore, you are without excuse, O man, everyone [of you] who judges.”
[2:1] 109 tn Grk “in/by (that) which.”
[2:2] 110 tn Or “based on truth.”
[2:3] 111 tn Grk “do you think this,” referring to the clause in v. 3b.
[2:3] 112 tn Grk “O man, the one who judges.”
[2:3] 113 tn Grk “and do them.” The other words are supplied to bring out the contrast implied in this clause.
[2:4] 114 tn Grk “being unaware.”
[2:5] 115 tn Grk “hardness.” Concerning this imagery, see Jer 4:4; Ezek 3:7; 1 En. 16:3.
[2:5] 116 tn Grk “in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God.”
[2:6] 117 tn Grk “who.” The relative pronoun was converted to a personal pronoun and, because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
[2:6] 118 tn Or “will render,” “will recompense.” In this context Paul is setting up a hypothetical situation, not stating that salvation is by works.
[2:6] 119 sn A quotation from Ps 62:12; Prov 24:12; a close approximation to Matt 16:27.
[2:8] 120 tn This contrast is clearer and stronger in Greek than can be easily expressed in English.
[2:8] 121 tn Grk “those who [are] from selfish ambition.”
[2:8] 122 tn Grk “are persuaded by, obey.”
[2:9] 123 tn No verb is expressed in this verse, but the verb “to be” is implied by the Greek construction. Literally “suffering and distress on everyone…”
[2:9] 124 tn Grk “every soul of man.”
[2:9] 125 sn Paul uses the term Greek here and in v. 10 to refer to non-Jews, i.e., Gentiles.
[2:10] 126 tn Grk “but even,” to emphasize the contrast. The second word has been omitted since it is somewhat redundant in English idiom.
[2:12] 127 sn This is the first occurrence of law (nomos) in Romans. Exactly what Paul means by the term has been the subject of much scholarly debate. According to J. A. Fitzmyer (Romans [AB], 131-35; 305-6) there are at least four different senses: (1) figurative, as a “principle”; (2) generic, meaning “a law”; (3) as a reference to the OT or some part of the OT; and (4) as a reference to the Mosaic law. This last usage constitutes the majority of Paul’s references to “law” in Romans.
[2:13] 128 tn The Greek sentence expresses this contrast more succinctly than is possible in English. Grk “For not the hearers of the law are righteous before God, but the doers of the law will be declared righteous.”
[2:14] 129 sn Gentile is a NT term for a non-Jew.
[2:14] 130 tn Some (e.g. C. E. B. Cranfield, Romans [ICC], 1:135-37) take the phrase φύσει (fusei, “by nature”) to go with the preceding “do not have the law,” thus: “the Gentiles who do not have the law by nature,” that is, by virtue of not being born Jewish.
[2:14] 131 tn Grk “do by nature the things of the law.”
[2:15] 132 tn Grk “who.” The relative pronoun was converted to a personal pronoun and, because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
[2:15] 133 tn Grk “show the work of the law [to be] written,” with the words in brackets implied by the Greek construction.
[2:15] 135 tn Grk “their conscience bearing witness and between the thoughts accusing or also defending one another.”
[2:16] 136 tn The form of the Greek word is either present or future, but it is best to translate in future because of the context of future judgment.
[2:16] 137 tn Grk “of people.”
[2:16] 138 sn On my gospel cf. Rom 16:25; 2 Tim 2:8.
[2:17] 139 sn The law refers to the Mosaic law, described mainly in the OT books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.
[2:17] 140 tn Grk “boast in God.” This may be an allusion to Jer 9:24.
[2:18] 142 tn Grk “because of being instructed out of the law.”
[2:19] 143 tn This verb is parallel to the verbs in vv. 17-18a, so it shares the conditional meaning even though the word “if” is not repeated.
[2:21] 144 tn The structure of vv. 21-24 is difficult. Some take these verses as the apodosis of the conditional clauses (protases) in vv. 17-20; others see vv. 17-20 as an instance of anacoluthon (a broken off or incomplete construction).
[2:24] 146 sn A quotation from Isa 52:5.
[2:25] 147 sn Circumcision refers to male circumcision as prescribed in the OT, which was given as a covenant to Abraham in Gen 17:10-14. Its importance for Judaism can hardly be overstated: According to J. D. G. Dunn (Romans [WBC], 1:120) it was the “single clearest distinguishing feature of the covenant people.” J. Marcus has suggested that the terms used for circumcision (περιτομή, peritomh) and uncircumcision (ἀκροβυστία, akrobustia) were probably derogatory slogans used by Jews and Gentiles to describe their opponents (“The Circumcision and the Uncircumcision in Rome,” NTS 35 [1989]: 77-80).
[2:25] 148 tn This contrast is clearer and stronger in Greek than can be easily expressed in English.
[2:25] 149 tn Grk “if you should be a transgressor of the law.”
[2:26] 150 tn The Greek word φυλάσσω (fulassw, traditionally translated “keep”) in this context connotes preservation of and devotion to an object as well as obedience.
[2:27] 151 tn Grk “the uncircumcision by nature.” The word “man” is supplied here to make clear that male circumcision (or uncircumcision) is in view.
[2:27] 152 tn Grk “through,” but here the preposition seems to mean “(along) with,” “though provided with,” as BDAG 224 s.v. διά A.3.c indicates.
[2:29] 154 sn On circumcision is of the heart see Lev 26:41; Deut 10:16; Jer 4:4; Ezek 44:9.
[2:29] 155 tn Some have taken the phrase ἐν πνεύματι (en pneumati, “by/in [the] S/spirit”) not as a reference to the Holy Spirit, but referring to circumcision as “spiritual and not literal” (RSV).
[2:29] 157 tn Grk “whose.” The relative pronoun has been replaced by the phrase “this person’s” and, because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started in the translation.
