Romans 3:9

The Condemnation of the World

3:9 What then? Are we better off? Certainly not, for we have already charged that Jews and Greeks alike are all under sin,

Romans 9:22

9:22 But what if God, willing to demonstrate his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience the objects ¹  of wrath ²  prepared for destruction? ³ 

Romans 11:3

11:3 “Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have demolished your altars; I alone am left and they are seeking my life!” ⁴ 

Romans 15:23

15:23 But now there is nothing more to keep me ⁵  in these regions, and I have for many years desired ⁶  to come to you

[9:22]  ¹ tn Grk “vessels.” This is the same Greek word used in v. 21.

[9:22]  ² tn Or “vessels destined for wrath.” The genitive ὀργῆς (orghs) could be taken as a genitive of destination.

[9:22]  ³ tn Or possibly “objects of wrath that have fit themselves for destruction.” The form of the participle could be taken either as a passive or middle (reflexive). ExSyn 417-18 argues strongly for the passive sense (which is followed in the translation), stating that “the middle view has little to commend it.” First, καταρτίζω (katartizw) is nowhere else used in the NT as a direct or reflexive middle (a usage which, in any event, is quite rare in the NT). Second, the lexical force of this verb, coupled with the perfect tense, suggests something of a “done deal” (against some commentaries that see these vessels as ready for destruction yet still able to avert disaster). Third, the potter-clay motif seems to have one point: The potter prepares the clay.

[11:3]  ¹ sn A quotation from 1 Kgs 19:10, 14.

[15:23]  ¹ tn Grk “now no longer having a place…I have.”

[15:23]  ² tn Grk “but having a desire…for many years.”