Roma 9:1--16:27
Konteks9:1 1 I am telling the truth in Christ (I am not lying!), for my conscience assures me 2 in the Holy Spirit – 9:2 I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. 3 9:3 For I could wish 4 that I myself were accursed – cut off from Christ – for the sake of my people, 5 my fellow countrymen, 6 9:4 who are Israelites. To them belong 7 the adoption as sons, 8 the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the temple worship, 9 and the promises. 9:5 To them belong the patriarchs, 10 and from them, 11 by human descent, 12 came the Christ, 13 who is God over all, blessed forever! 14 Amen.
9:6 It is not as though the word of God had failed. For not all those who are descended from Israel are truly Israel, 15 9:7 nor are all the children Abraham’s true descendants; rather “through Isaac will your descendants be counted.” 16 9:8 This means 17 it is not the children of the flesh 18 who are the children of God; rather, the children of promise are counted as descendants. 9:9 For this is what the promise declared: 19 “About a year from now 20 I will return and Sarah will have a son.” 21 9:10 Not only that, but when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, 22 our ancestor Isaac – 9:11 even before they were born or had done anything good or bad (so that God’s purpose in election 23 would stand, not by works but by 24 his calling) 25 – 9:12 26 it was said to her, “The older will serve the younger,” 27 9:13 just as it is written: “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” 28
9:14 What shall we say then? Is there injustice with God? Absolutely not! 9:15 For he says to Moses: “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” 29 9:16 So then, 30 it does not depend on human desire or exertion, 31 but on God who shows mercy. 9:17 For the scripture says to Pharaoh: 32 “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may demonstrate my power in you, and that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth.” 33 9:18 So then, 34 God 35 has mercy on whom he chooses to have mercy, and he hardens whom he chooses to harden. 36
9:19 You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For who has ever resisted his will?” 9:20 But who indeed are you – a mere human being 37 – to talk back to God? 38 Does what is molded say to the molder, “Why have you made me like this?” 39 9:21 Has the potter no right to make from the same lump of clay 40 one vessel for special use and another for ordinary use? 41 9:22 But what if God, willing to demonstrate his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience the objects 42 of wrath 43 prepared for destruction? 44 9:23 And what if he is willing to make known the wealth of his glory on the objects 45 of mercy that he has prepared beforehand for glory – 9:24 even us, whom he has called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles? 9:25 As he also says in Hosea:
“I will call those who were not my people, ‘My people,’ and I will call her who was unloved, 46 ‘My beloved.’” 47
9:26 “And in the very place 48 where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’
there they will be called ‘sons of the living God.’” 49
9:27 And Isaiah cries out on behalf of Israel, “Though the number of the children 50 of Israel are as the sand of the sea, only the remnant will be saved, 9:28 for the Lord will execute his sentence on the earth completely and quickly.” 51 9:29 Just 52 as Isaiah predicted,
“If the Lord of armies 53 had not left us descendants,
we would have become like Sodom,
and we would have resembled Gomorrah.” 54
9:30 What shall we say then? – that the Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness obtained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith, 9:31 but Israel even though pursuing 55 a law of righteousness 56 did not attain it. 57 9:32 Why not? Because they pursued 58 it not by faith but (as if it were possible) by works. 59 They stumbled over the stumbling stone, 60 9:33 just as it is written,
“Look, I am laying in Zion a stone that will cause people to stumble
and a rock that will make them fall, 61
yet the one who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 62
10:1 Brothers and sisters, 63 my heart’s desire and prayer to God on behalf of my fellow Israelites 64 is for their salvation. 10:2 For I can testify that they are zealous for God, 65 but their zeal is not in line with the truth. 66 10:3 For ignoring the righteousness that comes from God, and seeking instead to establish their own righteousness, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. 10:4 For Christ is the end of the law, with the result that there is righteousness for everyone who believes.
10:5 For Moses writes about the righteousness that is by the law: “The one who does these things will live by them.” 67 10:6 But the righteousness that is by faith says: “Do not say in your heart, 68 ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” 69 (that is, to bring Christ down) 10:7 or “Who will descend into the abyss?” 70 (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 10:8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” 71 (that is, the word of faith that we preach), 10:9 because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord 72 and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10:10 For with the heart one believes and thus has righteousness 73 and with the mouth one confesses and thus has salvation. 74 10:11 For the scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 75 10:12 For there is no distinction between the Jew and the Greek, for the same Lord is Lord of all, who richly blesses all who call on him. 10:13 For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. 76
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 77 ? 10:15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How timely 78 is the arrival 79 of those who proclaim the good news.” 80 10:16 But not all have obeyed the good news, for Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report?” 81 10:17 Consequently faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the preached word 82 of Christ. 83
10:18 But I ask, have they 84 not heard? 85 Yes, they have: 86 Their voice has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world. 87 10:19 But again I ask, didn’t Israel understand? 88 First Moses says, “I will make you jealous by those who are not a nation; with a senseless nation I will provoke you to anger.” 89 10:20 And Isaiah is even bold enough to say, “I was found by those who did not seek me; I became well known to those who did not ask for me.” 90 10:21 But about Israel he says, “All day long I held out my hands to this disobedient and stubborn people!” 91
11:1 So I ask, God has not rejected his people, has he? Absolutely not! For I too am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin. 11:2 God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew! Do you not know what the scripture says about Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel? 11:3 “Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have demolished your altars; I alone am left and they are seeking my life!” 92 11:4 But what was the divine response 93 to him? “I have kept for myself seven thousand people 94 who have not bent the knee to Baal.” 95
11:5 So in the same way at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. 11:6 And if it is by grace, it is no longer by works, otherwise grace would no longer be grace. 11:7 What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was diligently seeking, but the elect obtained it. The 96 rest were hardened, 11:8 as it is written,
“God gave them a spirit of stupor,
eyes that would not see and ears that would not hear,
to this very day.” 97
11:9 And David says,
“Let their table become a snare and trap,
a stumbling block and a retribution for them;
11:10 let their eyes be darkened so that they may not see,
and make their backs bend continually.” 98
11:11 I ask then, they did not stumble into an irrevocable fall, 99 did they? Absolutely not! But by their transgression salvation has come to the Gentiles, to make Israel 100 jealous. 11:12 Now if their transgression means riches for the world and their defeat means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full restoration 101 bring?
11:13 Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Seeing that I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry, 11:14 if somehow I could provoke my people to jealousy and save some of them. 11:15 For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? 11:16 If the first portion 102 of the dough offered is holy, then the whole batch is holy, and if the root is holy, so too are the branches. 103
11:17 Now if some of the branches were broken off, and you, a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among them and participated in 104 the richness of the olive root, 11:18 do not boast over the branches. But if you boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you. 11:19 Then you will say, “The branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in.” 11:20 Granted! 105 They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but fear! 11:21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, perhaps he will not spare you. 11:22 Notice therefore the kindness and harshness of God – harshness toward those who have fallen, but 106 God’s kindness toward you, provided you continue in his kindness; 107 otherwise you also will be cut off. 11:23 And even they – if they do not continue in their unbelief – will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. 11:24 For if you were cut off from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these natural branches be grafted back into their own olive tree?
11:25 For I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, 108 so that you may not be conceited: A partial hardening has happened to Israel 109 until the full number 110 of the Gentiles has come in. 11:26 And so 111 all Israel will be saved, as it is written:
“The Deliverer will come out of Zion;
he will remove ungodliness from Jacob.
11:27 And this is my covenant with them, 112
when I take away their sins.” 113
11:28 In regard to the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but in regard to election they are dearly loved for the sake of the fathers. 11:29 For the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable. 11:30 Just as you were formerly disobedient to God, but have now received mercy due to their disobedience, 11:31 so they too have now been disobedient in order that, by the mercy shown to you, they too may now 114 receive mercy. 11:32 For God has consigned all people to disobedience so that he may show mercy to them all. 115
11:33 Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how fathomless his ways!
11:34 For who has known the mind of the Lord,
or who has been his counselor? 116
11:35 Or who has first given to God, 117
that God 118 needs to repay him? 119
11:36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever! Amen.
12:1 Therefore I exhort you, brothers and sisters, 120 by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a sacrifice – alive, holy, and pleasing to God 121 – which is your reasonable service. 12:2 Do not be conformed 122 to this present world, 123 but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may test and approve 124 what is the will of God – what is good and well-pleasing and perfect.
12:3 For by the grace given to me I say to every one of you not to think more highly of yourself than you ought to think, but to think with sober discernment, as God has distributed to each of you 125 a measure of faith. 126 12:4 For just as in one body we have many members, and not all the members serve the same function, 12:5 so we who are many are one body in Christ, and individually we are members who belong to one another. 12:6 And we have different gifts 127 according to the grace given to us. If the gift is prophecy, that individual must use it in proportion to his faith. 12:7 If it is service, he must serve; if it is teaching, he must teach; 12:8 if it is exhortation, he must exhort; if it is contributing, he must do so with sincerity; if it is leadership, he must do so with diligence; if it is showing mercy, he must do so with cheerfulness.
12:9 Love must be 128 without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil, cling to what is good. 12:10 Be devoted to one another with mutual love, showing eagerness in honoring one another. 12:11 Do not lag in zeal, be enthusiastic in spirit, serve the Lord. 12:12 Rejoice in hope, endure in suffering, persist in prayer. 12:13 Contribute to the needs of the saints, pursue hospitality. 12:14 Bless those who persecute you, bless and do not curse. 12:15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 12:16 Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty but associate with the lowly. 129 Do not be conceited. 130 12:17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil; consider what is good before all people. 131 12:18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all people. 132 12:19 Do not avenge yourselves, dear friends, but give place to God’s wrath, 133 for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay,” 134 says the Lord. 12:20 Rather, if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in doing this you will be heaping burning coals on his head. 135 12:21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
13:1 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except by God’s appointment, 136 and the authorities that exist have been instituted by God. 13:2 So the person who resists such authority 137 resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will incur judgment 13:3 (for rulers cause no fear for good conduct but for bad). Do you desire not to fear authority? Do good and you will receive its commendation, 13:4 for it is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be in fear, for it does not bear the sword in vain. It is God’s servant to administer retribution on the wrongdoer. 13:5 Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of the wrath of the authorities 138 but also because of your conscience. 139 13:6 For this reason you also pay taxes, for the authorities 140 are God’s servants devoted to governing. 141 13:7 Pay everyone what is owed: taxes to whom taxes are due, revenue to whom revenue is due, respect to whom respect is due, honor to whom honor is due.
13:8 Owe no one anything, except to love one another, for the one who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. 13:9 For the commandments, 142 “Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not covet,” 143 (and if there is any other commandment) are summed up in this, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 144 13:10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
13:11 And do this 145 because we know 146 the time, that it is already the hour for us to awake from sleep, for our salvation is now nearer than when we became believers. 13:12 The night has advanced toward dawn; the day is near. So then we must lay aside the works of darkness, and put on the weapons of light. 13:13 Let us live decently as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in discord and jealousy. 13:14 Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh to arouse its desires. 147
14:1 Now receive the one who is weak in the faith, and do not have disputes over differing opinions. 148 14:2 One person believes in eating everything, but the weak person eats only vegetables. 14:3 The one who eats everything must not despise the one who does not, and the one who abstains must not judge the one who eats everything, for God has accepted him. 14:4 Who are you to pass judgment on another’s servant? Before his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord 149 is able to make him stand.
14:5 One person regards one day holier than other days, and another regards them all alike. 150 Each must be fully convinced in his own mind. 14:6 The one who observes the day does it for the Lord. The 151 one who eats, eats for the Lord because he gives thanks to God, and the one who abstains from eating abstains for the Lord, and he gives thanks to God. 14:7 For none of us lives for himself and none dies for himself. 14:8 If we live, we live for the Lord; if we die, we die for the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. 14:9 For this reason Christ died and returned to life, so that he may be the Lord of both the dead and the living.
14:10 But you who eat vegetables only – why do you judge your brother or sister? 152 And you who eat everything – why do you despise your brother or sister? 153 For we will all stand before the judgment seat 154 of God. 14:11 For it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee will bow to me, and every tongue will give praise to God.” 155 14:12 Therefore, each of us will give an account of himself to God. 156
14:13 Therefore we must not pass judgment on one another, but rather determine never to place an obstacle or a trap before a brother or sister. 157 14:14 I know and am convinced in the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean in itself; still, it is unclean to the one who considers it unclean. 14:15 For if your brother or sister 158 is distressed because of what you eat, 159 you are no longer walking in love. 160 Do not destroy by your food someone for whom Christ died. 14:16 Therefore do not let what you consider good 161 be spoken of as evil. 14:17 For the kingdom of God does not consist of food and drink, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. 14:18 For the one who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by people. 162
14:19 So then, let us pursue what makes for peace and for building up one another. 14:20 Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. For although all things are clean, 163 it is wrong to cause anyone to stumble by what you eat. 14:21 It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything that causes your brother to stumble. 164 14:22 The faith 165 you have, keep to yourself before God. Blessed is the one who does not judge himself by what he approves. 14:23 But the man who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not do so from faith, and whatever is not from faith is sin. 166
15:1 But we who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak, and not just please ourselves. 167 15:2 Let each of us please his neighbor for his good to build him up. 15:3 For even Christ did not please himself, but just as it is written, “The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.” 168 15:4 For everything that was written in former times was written for our instruction, so that through endurance and through encouragement of the scriptures we may have hope. 15:5 Now may the God of endurance and comfort give you unity with one another 169 in accordance with Christ Jesus, 15:6 so that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
15:7 Receive one another, then, just as Christ also received you, to God’s glory. 15:8 For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the circumcised 170 on behalf of God’s truth to confirm the promises made to the fathers, 171 15:9 and thus the Gentiles glorify God for his mercy. 172 As it is written, “Because of this I will confess you among the Gentiles, and I will sing praises to your name.” 173 15:10 And again it says: “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people.” 174 15:11 And again, “Praise the Lord all you Gentiles, and let all the peoples praise him.” 175 15:12 And again Isaiah says, “The root of Jesse will come, and the one who rises to rule over the Gentiles, in him will the Gentiles hope.” 176 15:13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe in him, 177 so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
15:14 But I myself am fully convinced about you, my brothers and sisters, 178 that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, and able to instruct one another. 15:15 But I have written more boldly to you on some points so as to remind you, because of the grace given to me by God 15:16 to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles. I serve 179 the gospel of God 180 like a priest, so that the Gentiles may become an acceptable offering, 181 sanctified by the Holy Spirit.
15:17 So I boast 182 in Christ Jesus about the things that pertain to God. 15:18 For I will not dare to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in order to bring about the obedience 183 of the Gentiles, by word and deed, 15:19 in the power of signs and wonders, in the power of the Spirit of God. So from Jerusalem even as far as Illyricum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ. 15:20 And in this way I desire to preach where Christ has not been named, so as not to build on another person’s foundation, 15:21 but as it is written: “Those who were not told about him will see, and those who have not heard will understand.” 184
15:22 This is the reason I was often hindered from coming to you. 15:23 But now there is nothing more to keep me 185 in these regions, and I have for many years desired 186 to come to you 15:24 when I go to Spain. For I hope to visit you when I pass through and that you will help me 187 on my journey there, after I have enjoyed your company for a while.
15:25 But now I go to Jerusalem to minister to the saints. 15:26 For Macedonia and Achaia are pleased to make some contribution for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem. 15:27 For they were pleased to do this, and indeed they are indebted to the Jerusalem saints. 188 For if the Gentiles have shared in their spiritual things, they are obligated also to minister to them in material things. 15:28 Therefore after I have completed this and have safely delivered this bounty to them, 189 I will set out for Spain by way of you, 15:29 and I know that when I come to you I will come in the fullness of Christ’s blessing.
15:30 Now I urge you, brothers and sisters, 190 through our Lord Jesus Christ and through the love of the Spirit, to join fervently with me in prayer to God on my behalf. 15:31 Pray 191 that I may be rescued from those who are disobedient in Judea and that my ministry in Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints, 15:32 so that by God’s will I may come to you with joy and be refreshed in your company. 15:33 Now may the God of peace be with all of you. Amen. 192
16:1 Now I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a servant 193 of the church in Cenchrea, 16:2 so that you may welcome her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints and provide her with whatever help she may need from you, for she has been a great help to many, including me.
16:3 Greet Prisca and Aquila, 194 my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, 16:4 who risked their own necks for my life. Not only I, but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them. 16:5 Also greet the church in their house. Greet my dear friend Epenetus, 195 who was the first convert 196 to Christ in the province of Asia. 197 16:6 Greet Mary, who has worked very hard for you. 16:7 Greet Andronicus and Junia, 198 my compatriots 199 and my fellow prisoners. They are well known 200 to the apostles, 201 and they were in Christ before me. 16:8 Greet Ampliatus, my dear friend in the Lord. 16:9 Greet Urbanus, our fellow worker in Christ, and my good friend Stachys. 16:10 Greet Apelles, who is approved in Christ. Greet those who belong to the household of Aristobulus. 16:11 Greet Herodion, my compatriot. 202 Greet those in the household of Narcissus who are in the Lord. 16:12 Greet Tryphena 203 and Tryphosa, laborers in the Lord. Greet my dear friend 204 Persis, who has worked hard in the Lord. 16:13 Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother who was also a mother to me. 205 16:14 Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers and sisters 206 with them. 16:15 Greet Philologus and Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the believers 207 who are with them. 16:16 Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you.
16:17 Now I urge you, brothers and sisters, 208 to watch out for those who create dissensions and obstacles contrary to the teaching that you learned. Avoid them! 16:18 For these are the kind who do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By their smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds 209 of the naive. 16:19 Your obedience is known to all and thus I rejoice over you. But I want you to be wise in what is good and innocent in what is evil. 16:20 The God of peace will quickly crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.
16:21 Timothy, my fellow worker, greets you; so do Lucius, Jason, and Sosipater, my compatriots. 210 16:22 I, Tertius, who am writing this letter, greet you in the Lord. 16:23 Gaius, who is host to me and to the whole church, greets you. Erastus the city treasurer and our brother Quartus greet you.
16:24 [[EMPTY]] 21116:25 212 Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that had been kept secret for long ages, 16:26 but now is disclosed, and through the prophetic scriptures has been made known to all the nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith – 16:27 to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, be glory forever! Amen.
[9:1] 1 sn Rom 9:1–11:36. These three chapters are among the most difficult and disputed in Paul’s Letter to the Romans. One area of difficulty is the relationship between Israel and the church, especially concerning the nature and extent of Israel’s election. Many different models have been constructed to express this relationship. For a representative survey, see M. Barth, The People of God (JSNTSup), 22-27. The literary genre of these three chapters has been frequently identified as a diatribe, a philosophical discussion or conversation evolved by the Cynic and Stoic schools of philosophy as a means of popularizing their ideas (E. Käsemann, Romans, 261 and 267). But other recent scholars have challenged the idea that Rom 9–11 is characterized by diatribe. Scholars like R. Scroggs and E. E. Ellis have instead identified the material in question as midrash. For a summary and discussion of the rabbinic connections, see W. R. Stegner, “Romans 9.6-29 – A Midrash,” JSNT 22 (1984): 37-52.
[9:1] 2 tn Or “my conscience bears witness to me.”
[9:2] 3 tn Grk “my sorrow is great and the anguish in my heart is unceasing.”
[9:3] 4 tn Or “For I would pray.” The implied condition is “if this could save my fellow Jews.”
[9:3] 5 tn Grk “brothers.” See BDAG 18-19 s.v. ἀδελφός 2.b.
[9:3] 6 tn Grk “my kinsmen according to the flesh.”
[9:4] 7 tn Grk “of whom.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
[9:4] 8 tn The Greek term υἱοθεσία (Juioqesia) was originally a legal technical term for adoption as a son with full rights of inheritance. BDAG 1024 s.v. notes, “a legal t.t. of ‘adoption’ of children, in our lit., i.e. in Paul, only in a transferred sense of a transcendent filial relationship between God and humans (with the legal aspect, not gender specificity, as major semantic component).” Although some modern translations remove the filial sense completely and render the term merely “adoption” (cf. NAB, ESV), the retention of this component of meaning was accomplished in the present translation by the phrase “as sons.”
[9:4] 9 tn Or “cultic service.”
[9:5] 10 tn Grk “of whom are the fathers.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
[9:5] 11 tn Grk “from whom.” Here the relative pronoun has been replaced by a personal pronoun.
[9:5] 12 tn Grk “according to the flesh.”
[9:5] 13 tn Or “Messiah.” (Both Greek “Christ” and Hebrew and Aramaic “Messiah” mean “one who has been anointed.”)
[9:5] 14 tn Or “the Christ, who is over all, God blessed forever,” or “the Messiah. God who is over all be blessed forever!” or “the Messiah who is over all. God be blessed forever!” The translational difficulty here is not text-critical in nature, but is a problem of punctuation. Since the genre of these opening verses of Romans 9 is a lament, it is probably best to take this as an affirmation of Christ’s deity (as the text renders it). Although the other renderings are possible, to see a note of praise to God at the end of this section seems strangely out of place. But for Paul to bring his lament to a crescendo (that is to say, his kinsmen had rejected God come in the flesh), thereby deepening his anguish, is wholly appropriate. This is also supported grammatically and stylistically: The phrase ὁ ὢν (Jo wn, “the one who is”) is most naturally taken as a phrase which modifies something in the preceding context, and Paul’s doxologies are always closely tied to the preceding context. For a detailed examination of this verse, see B. M. Metzger, “The Punctuation of Rom. 9:5,” Christ and the Spirit in the New Testament, 95-112; and M. J. Harris, Jesus as God, 144-72.
[9:6] 15 tn Grk “For not all those who are from Israel are Israel.”
[9:7] 16 tn Grk “be called.” The emphasis here is upon God’s divine sovereignty in choosing Isaac as the child through whom Abraham’s lineage would be counted as opposed to Ishmael.
[9:7] sn A quotation from Gen 21:12.
[9:8] 17 tn Grk “That is,” or “That is to say.”
[9:8] 18 tn Because it forms the counterpoint to “the children of promise” the expression “children of the flesh” has been retained in the translation.
[9:8] sn The expression the children of the flesh refers to the natural offspring.
[9:9] 19 tn Grk “For this is the word of promise.”
[9:9] 20 tn Grk “About this time I will return.” Since this refers to the time when the promised child would be born, it would be approximately a year later.
[9:9] 21 sn A quotation from Gen 18:10, 14.
[9:10] 22 tn Or possibly “by one act of sexual intercourse.” See D. Moo, Romans (NICNT), 579.
[9:11] 23 tn Grk “God’s purpose according to election.”
[9:11] 24 tn Or “not based on works but based on…”
[9:11] 25 tn Grk “by the one who calls.”
[9:11] sn The entire clause is something of a parenthetical remark.
[9:12] 26 sn Many translations place this verse division before the phrase “not by works but by his calling” (NA27/UBS4, NIV, NRSV, NLT, NAB). Other translations place this verse division in the same place that the translation above does (NASB, KJV, NKJV, ASV, RSV). The translation has followed the latter to avoid breaking the parenthetical statement.
[9:12] 27 sn A quotation from Gen 25:23.
[9:13] 28 sn A quotation from Mal 1:2-3.
[9:15] 29 sn A quotation from Exod 33:19.
[9:16] 30 sn There is a double connective here that cannot be easily preserved in English: “consequently therefore,” emphasizing the conclusion of what he has been arguing.
[9:16] 31 tn Grk “So then, [it does] not [depend] on the one who desires nor on the one who runs.”
[9:17] 32 sn Paul uses a typical rabbinic formula here in which the OT scriptures are figuratively portrayed as speaking to Pharaoh. What he means is that the scripture he cites refers (or can be applied) to Pharaoh.
[9:17] 33 sn A quotation from Exod 9:16.
[9:18] 34 sn There is a double connective here that cannot be easily preserved in English: “consequently therefore,” emphasizing the conclusion of what he has been arguing.
[9:18] 35 tn Grk “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[9:18] 36 tn Grk “So then, he has mercy on whom he desires, and he hardens whom he desires.”
[9:20] 38 tn Grk “On the contrary, O man, who are you to talk back to God?”
[9:20] 39 sn A quotation from Isa 29:16; 45:9.
[9:21] 40 tn Grk “Or does not the potter have authority over the clay to make from the same lump.”
[9:21] 41 tn Grk “one vessel for honor and another for dishonor.”
[9:22] 42 tn Grk “vessels.” This is the same Greek word used in v. 21.
[9:22] 43 tn Or “vessels destined for wrath.” The genitive ὀργῆς (orghs) could be taken as a genitive of destination.
[9:22] 44 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.
[9:23] 45 tn Grk “vessels.” This is the same Greek word used in v. 21.
[9:25] 46 tn Grk “and her who was not beloved, ‘Beloved.’”
[9:25] 47 sn A quotation from Hos 2:23.
[9:26] 48 tn Grk “And it will be in the very place.”
[9:26] 49 sn A quotation from Hos 1:10.
[9:28] 51 tc In light of the interpretive difficulty of this verse, a longer reading seems to have been added to clarify the meaning. The addition, in the middle of the sentence, makes the whole verse read as follows: “For he will execute his sentence completely and quickly in righteousness, because the Lord will do it quickly on the earth.” The shorter reading is found largely in Alexandrian
[9:28] tn There is a wordplay in Greek (in both the LXX and here) on the phrase translated “completely and quickly” (συντελῶν καὶ συντέμνων, suntelwn kai suntemnwn). These participles are translated as adverbs for smoothness; a more literal (and more cumbersome) rendering would be: “The Lord will act by closing the account [or completing the sentence], and by cutting short the time.” The interpretation of this text is notoriously difficult. Cf. BDAG 975 s.v. συντέμνω.
[9:28] sn A modified quotation from Isa 10:22-23. Since it is not exact, it has been printed as italics only.
[9:29] 52 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[9:29] 53 tn Traditionally, “Lord of hosts”; Grk “Lord Sabaoth,” which means “Lord of the [heavenly] armies,” sometimes translated more generally as “Lord Almighty.”
[9:29] 54 sn A quotation from Isa 1:9.
[9:31] 55 tn Or “who pursued.” The participle could be taken adverbially or adjectivally.
[9:31] 56 tn Or “a legal righteousness,” that is, a righteousness based on law. This translation would treat the genitive δικαιοσύνης (dikaiosunh") as an attributed genitive (see ExSyn 89-91).
[9:31] 57 tn Grk “has not attained unto the law.”
[9:32] 58 tn Grk “Why? Because not by faith but as though by works.” The verb (“they pursued [it]”) is to be supplied from the preceding verse for the sake of English style; yet a certain literary power is seen in Paul’s laconic style.
[9:32] 59 tc Most
[9:32] tn Grk “but as by works.”
[9:32] 60 tn Grk “the stone of stumbling.”
[9:33] 61 tn Grk “a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.”
[9:33] 62 sn A quotation from Isa 28:16; 8:14.
[10:1] 63 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:13.
[10:1] 64 tn Grk “on behalf of them”; the referent (Paul’s fellow Israelites) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[10:2] 65 tn Grk “they have a zeal for God.”
[10:2] 66 tn Grk “in accord with knowledge.”
[10:2] sn Their zeal is not in line with the truth means that the Jews’ passion for God was strong, but it ignored the true righteousness of God (v. 3; cf. also 3:21).
[10:5] 67 sn A quotation from Lev 18:5.
[10:6] 68 sn A quotation from Deut 9:4.
[10:6] 69 sn A quotation from Deut 30:12.
[10:7] 70 sn A quotation from Deut 30:13.
[10:8] 71 sn A quotation from Deut 30:14.
[10:9] 72 tn Or “the Lord.” The Greek construction, along with the quotation from Joel 2:32 in v. 13 (in which the same “Lord” seems to be in view) suggests that κύριον (kurion) is to be taken as “the Lord,” that is, Yahweh. Cf. D. B. Wallace, “The Semantics and Exegetical Significance of the Object-Complement Construction in the New Testament,” GTJ 6 (1985): 91-112.
[10:10] 73 tn Grk “believes to righteousness.”
[10:10] 74 tn Grk “confesses to salvation.”
[10:11] 75 sn A quotation from Isa 28:16.
[10:13] 76 sn A quotation from Joel 2:32.
[10:14] 77 tn Grk “preaching”; the words “to them” are supplied for clarification.
[10:15] 78 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] 79 tn Grk “the feet.” The metaphorical nuance of “beautiful feet” is that such represent timely news.
[10:15] 80 sn A quotation from Isa 52:7; Nah 1:15.
[10:16] 81 sn A quotation from Isa 53:1.
[10:17] 82 tn The Greek term here is ῥῆμα (rJhma), which often (but not exclusively) focuses on the spoken word.
[10:17] 83 tc Most
[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.
[10:18] 84 tn That is, Israel (see the following verse).
[10:18] 85 tn Grk “they have not ‘not heard,’ have they?” This question is difficult to render in English. The basic question is a negative sentence (“Have they not heard?”), but it is preceded by the particle μή (mh) which expects a negative response. The end result in English is a double negative (“They have not ‘not heard,’ have they?”). This has been changed to a positive question in the translation for clarity. See BDAG 646 s.v. μή 3.a.; D. Moo, Romans (NICNT), 666, fn. 32; and C. E. B. Cranfield, Romans (ICC), 537, for discussion.
[10:18] 86 tn Here the particle μενοῦνγε (menounge) is correcting the negative response expected by the particle μή (mh) in the preceding question. Since the question has been translated positively, the translation was changed here to reflect that rendering.
[10:18] 87 sn A quotation from Ps 19:4.
[10:19] 88 tn Grk “Israel did not ‘not know,’ did he?” The double negative in Greek has been translated as a positive affirmation for clarity (see v. 18 above for a similar situation).
[10:19] 89 sn A quotation from Deut 32:21.
[10:20] 90 sn A quotation from Isa 65:1.
[10:21] 91 sn A quotation from Isa 65:2.
[11:3] 92 sn A quotation from 1 Kgs 19:10, 14.
[11:4] 93 tn Grk “the revelation,” “the oracle.”
[11:4] 94 tn The Greek term here is ἀνήρ (anhr), which only exceptionally is used in a generic sense of both males and females. In this context, it appears to be a generic usage (“people”) since when Paul speaks of a remnant of faithful Israelites (“the elect,” v. 7), he is not referring to males only. It can also be argued, however, that it refers only to adult males here (“men”), perhaps as representative of all the faithful left in Israel.
[11:4] 95 sn A quotation from 1 Kgs 19:18.
[11:7] 96 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[11:8] 97 sn A quotation from Deut 29:4; Isa 29:10.
[11:10] 98 sn A quotation from Ps 69:22-23.
[11:11] 99 tn Grk “that they might fall.”
[11:11] 100 tn Grk “them”; the referent (Israel, cf. 11:7) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[11:12] 101 tn Or “full inclusion”; Grk “their fullness.”
[11:16] 102 tn Grk “firstfruits,” a term for the first part of something that has been set aside and offered to God before the remainder can be used.
[11:16] 103 sn Most interpreters see Paul as making use of a long-standing metaphor of the olive tree (the root…the branches) as a symbol for Israel. See, in this regard, Jer 11:16, 19. A. T. Hanson, Studies in Paul’s Technique and Theology, 121-24, cites rabbinic use of the figure of the olive tree, and goes so far as to argue that Rom 11:17-24 is a midrash on Jer 11:16-19.
[11:17] 104 tn Grk “became a participant of.”
[11:20] 105 tn Grk “well!”, an adverb used to affirm a statement. It means “very well,” “you are correct.”
[11:22] 106 tn Greek emphasizes the contrast between these two clauses more than can be easily expressed in English.
[11:22] 107 tn Grk “if you continue in (the) kindness.”
[11:25] 108 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:13.
[11:25] 109 tn Or “Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in.”
[11:25] 110 tn Grk “fullness.”
[11:26] 111 tn It is not clear whether the phrase καὶ οὕτως (kai Joutws, “and so”) is to be understood in a modal sense (“and in this way”) or in a temporal sense (“and in the end”). Neither interpretation is conclusive from a grammatical standpoint, and in fact the two may not be mutually exclusive. Some, like H. Hübner, who argue strongly against the temporal reading, nevertheless continue to give the phrase a temporal significance, saying that God will save all Israel in the end (Gottes Ich und Israel [FRLANT], 118).
[11:27] 112 sn A quotation from Isa 59:20-21.
[11:27] 113 sn A quotation from Isa 27:9; Jer 31:33-34.
[11:31] 114 tc Some important Alexandrian and Western
[11:32] 115 tn Grk “to all”; “them” has been supplied for stylistic reasons.
[11:34] 116 sn A quotation from Isa 40:13.
[11:35] 117 tn Grk “him”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[11:35] 118 tn Grk “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[11:35] 119 sn A quotation from Job 41:11.
[12:1] 120 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:13.
[12:1] 121 tn The participle and two adjectives “alive, holy, and pleasing to God” are taken as predicates in relation to “sacrifice,” making the exhortation more emphatic. See ExSyn 618-19.
[12:1] sn Taken as predicate adjectives, the terms alive, holy, and pleasing are showing how unusual is the sacrifice that believers can now offer, for OT sacrifices were dead. As has often been quipped about this text, “The problem with living sacrifices is that they keep crawling off the altar.”
[12:2] 122 tn Although συσχηματίζεσθε (suschmatizesqe) could be either a passive or middle, the passive is more likely since it would otherwise have to be a direct middle (“conform yourselves”) and, as such, would be quite rare for NT Greek. It is very telling that being “conformed” to the present world is viewed as a passive notion, for it may suggest that it happens, in part, subconsciously. At the same time, the passive could well be a “permissive passive,” suggesting that there may be some consciousness of the conformity taking place. Most likely, it is a combination of both.
[12:2] 123 tn Grk “to this age.”
[12:2] 124 sn The verb translated test and approve (δοκιμάζω, dokimazw) carries the sense of “test with a positive outcome,” “test so as to approve.”
[12:3] 125 tn The words “of you” have been supplied for clarity.
[12:3] 126 tn Or “to each as God has distributed a measure of faith.”
[12:6] 127 tn This word comes from the same root as “grace” in the following clause; it means “things graciously given,” “grace-gifts.”
[12:9] 128 tn The verb “must be” is understood in the Greek text.
[12:16] 129 tn Or “but give yourselves to menial tasks.” The translation depends on whether one takes the adjective “lowly” as masculine or neuter.
[12:16] 130 tn Grk “Do not be wise in your thinking.”
[12:17] 131 tn Here ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") is used as a generic and refers to both men and women.
[12:18] 132 tn Here ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") is used as a generic and refers to both men and women.
[12:19] 133 tn Grk “the wrath,” referring to God’s wrath as the remainder of the verse shows.
[12:19] 134 sn A quotation from Deut 32:35.
[12:20] 135 sn A quotation from Prov 25:21-22.
[13:2] 137 tn Grk “the authority,” referring to the authority just described.
[13:5] 138 tn Grk “its wrath”; the referent (the governing authorities) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[13:5] 139 tn Grk “because of (the) conscience,” but the English possessive “your” helps to show whose conscience the context implies.
[13:6] 140 tn Grk “they”; the referent (the governing authorities) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[13:6] 141 tn Grk “devoted to this very thing.”
[13:9] 142 tn Grk “For the…” (with the word “commandments” supplied for clarity). The Greek article (“the”) is used here as a substantiver to introduce the commands that are quoted from the second half of the Decalogue (ExSyn 238).
[13:9] 143 sn A quotation from Exod 20:13-15, 17; Deut 5:17-19, 21.
[13:9] 144 sn A quotation from Lev 19:18.
[13:11] 145 tn Grk “and this,” probably referring to the command to love (13:8-10); hence, “do” is implied from the previous verses.
[13:11] 146 tn The participle εἰδότες (eidotes) has been translated as a causal adverbial participle.
[13:14] 147 tn Grk “make no provision for the flesh unto desires.”
[14:1] 148 tn Grk “over opinions.” The qualifier “differing” has been supplied to clarify the meaning.
[14:4] 149 tc Most
[14:5] 150 tn Grk “For one judges day from day, and one judges all days.”
[14:6] 151 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[14:10] 152 tn Grk “But why do you judge your brother?” The introductory phrase has been supplied in the translation to clarify whom Paul is addressing, i.e., the “weak” Christian who eats only vegetables (see vv. 2-3). The author uses the singular pronoun here to rhetorically address one person, but the plural has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[14:10] 153 tn Grk “Or again, why do you despise your brother?” The introductory phrase has been supplied in the translation to clarify whom Paul is addressing, i.e., the “strong” Christian who eats everything (see vv. 2-3). The author uses the singular pronoun here to rhetorically address one person, but the plural has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[14:10] 154 sn The judgment seat (βῆμα, bhma) was a raised platform mounted by steps and sometimes furnished with a seat, used by officials in addressing an assembly or making pronouncements, often on judicial matters. The judgment seat was a familiar item in Greco-Roman culture, often located in the agora, the public square or marketplace in the center of a city.
[14:11] 155 sn A quotation from Isa 45:23.
[14:12] 156 tc ‡ The words “to God” are absent from some
[14:12] tn Or “each of us is accountable to God.”
[14:15] 159 tn Grk “on account of food.”
[14:15] 160 tn Grk “according to love.”
[14:16] 161 tn Grk “do not let your good.”
[14:18] 162 tn Grk “by men”; but ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") is generic here (“people”) since the contrast in context is between God and humanity.
[14:20] 163 sn Here clean refers to food being ceremonially clean.
[14:21] 164 tc A large number of
[14:22] 165 tc ‡ Several important Alexandrian witnesses (א A B C 048) have the relative pronoun ἥν ({hn, “the faith that you have”) at this juncture, but D F G Ψ 1739 1881 Ï lat co lack it. Without the pronoun, the clause is more ambiguous (either “Keep the faith [that] you have between yourself and God” or “Do you have faith? Keep it between yourself and God”). The pronoun thus looks to be a motivated reading, created to clarify the meaning of the text. Even though it is found in the better witnesses, in this instance internal evidence should be given preference. NA27 places the word in brackets, indicating some doubt as to its authenticity.
[14:23] 166 tc Some
[15:1] 167 tn Grk “and not please ourselves.” NT Greek negatives used in contrast like this are often not absolute, but relative: “not so much one as the other.”
[15:3] 168 sn A quotation from Ps 69:9.
[15:5] 169 tn Grk “grant you to think the same among one another.”
[15:8] 170 tn Grk “of the circumcision”; that is, the Jews.
[15:8] 171 tn Or “to the patriarchs.”
[15:9] 172 tn There are two major syntactical alternatives which are both awkward: (1) One could make “glorify” dependent on “Christ has become a minister” and coordinate with “to confirm” and the result would be rendered “Christ has become a minister of circumcision to confirm the promises…and so that the Gentiles might glorify God.” (2) One could make “glorify” dependent on “I tell you” and coordinate with “Christ has become a minister” and the result would be rendered “I tell you that Christ has become a minister of circumcision…and that the Gentiles glorify God.” The second rendering is preferred.
[15:9] 173 sn A quotation from Ps 18:49.
[15:10] 174 sn A quotation from Deut 32:43.
[15:11] 175 sn A quotation from Ps 117:1.
[15:12] 176 sn A quotation from Isa 11:10.
[15:13] 177 tn Grk “in the believing” or “as [you] believe,” with the object “him” supplied from the context. The referent could be God (15:13a) or Christ (15:12).
[15:14] 178 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:13.
[15:16] 179 tn Grk “serving.” This is a continuation of the previous sentence in the Greek text, but in keeping with contemporary English style, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
[15:16] 180 tn The genitive in the phrase τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τοῦ θεοῦ (to euangelion tou qeou, “the gospel of God”) could be translated as either a subjective genitive (“the gospel which God brings”) or 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.
[15:16] 181 tn Grk “so that the offering of the Gentiles may become acceptable.” This could be understood to refer to an offering belonging to the Gentiles (a possessive genitive) or made by the Gentiles (subjective genitive), but more likely the phrase should be understood as an appositive genitive, with the Gentiles themselves consisting of the offering (so J. D. G. Dunn, Romans [WBC 38], 2:860). The latter view is reflected in the translation “so that the Gentiles may become an acceptable offering.”
[15:17] 182 tc ‡ After οὖν (oun), several important Alexandrian and Western
[15:17] tn Grk “Therefore I have a boast.”
[15:18] 183 tn Grk “unto obedience.”
[15:21] 184 sn A quotation from Isa 52:15.
[15:23] 185 tn Grk “now no longer having a place…I have.”
[15:23] 186 tn Grk “but having a desire…for many years.”
[15:24] 187 tn Grk “and to be helped by you.” The passive construction was changed to an active one in the translation.
[15:27] 188 tn Grk “to them”; the referent (the Jerusalem saints) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[15:28] 189 tn Grk “have sealed this fruit to them.”
[15:30] 190 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:13.
[15:31] 191 tn Verses 30-31 form one long sentence in the Greek but have been divided into two distinct sentences for clarity in English.
[15:33] 192 tc Some
[16:1] 193 tn Or “deaconess.” It is debated whether διάκονος (diakonos) here refers to a specific office within the church. One contextual argument used to support this view is that Phoebe is associated with a particular church, Cenchrea, and as such would therefore be a deacon of that church. In the NT some who are called διάκονος are related to a particular church, yet the scholarly consensus is that such individuals are not deacons, but “servants” or “ministers” (other viable translations for διάκονος). For example, Epaphras is associated with the church in Colossians and is called a διάκονος in Col 1:7, but no contemporary translation regards him as a deacon. In 1 Tim 4:6 Paul calls Timothy a διάκονος; Timothy was associated with the church in Ephesus, but he obviously was not a deacon. In addition, the lexical evidence leans away from this view: Within the NT, the διακον- word group rarely functions with a technical nuance. In any case, the evidence is not compelling either way. The view accepted in the translation above is that Phoebe was a servant of the church, not a deaconess, although this conclusion should be regarded as tentative.
[16:3] 194 sn On Prisca and Aquila see also Acts 18:2, 18, 26; 1 Cor 16:19; 2 Tim 4:19. In the NT “Priscilla” and “Prisca” are the same person. The author of Acts uses the full name Priscilla, while Paul uses the diminutive form Prisca.
[16:5] 195 sn The spelling Epenetus is also used by NIV, NLT; the name is alternately spelled Epaenetus (NASB, NKJV, NRSV).
[16:5] 196 tn Grk “first fruit.” This is a figurative use referring to Epenetus as the first Christian convert in the region.
[16:5] 197 tn Grk “Asia”; in the NT this always refers to the Roman province of Asia, made up of about one-third of the west and southwest end of modern Asia Minor. Asia lay to the west of the region of Phrygia and Galatia. The words “the province of” are supplied to indicate to the modern reader that this does not refer to the continent of Asia.
[16:7] sn The feminine name Junia, though common in Latin, is quite rare in Greek (apparently only three instances of it occur in Greek literature outside Rom 16:7, according to the data in the TLG [D. Moo, Romans [NICNT], 922]). The masculine Junias (as a contraction for Junianas), however, is rarer still: Only one instance of the masculine name is known in extant Greek literature (Epiphanius mentions Junias in his Index discipulorum 125). Further, since there are apparently other husband-wife teams mentioned in this salutation (Prisca and Aquila [v. 3], Philologus and Julia [v. 15]), it might be natural to think of Junia as a feminine name. (This ought not be pressed too far, however, for in v. 12 all three individuals are women [though the first two are linked together], and in vv. 9-11 all the individuals are men.) In Greek only a difference of accent distinguishes between Junias (male) and Junia (female). If it refers to a woman, it is possible (1) that she had the gift of apostleship (not the office), or (2) that she was not an apostle but along with Andronicus was esteemed by (or among) the apostles. As well, the term “prominent” probably means “well known,” suggesting that Andronicus and Junia(s) were well known to the apostles (see note on the phrase “well known” which follows).
[16:7] 199 tn Or “kinsmen,” “relatives,” “fellow countrymen.”
[16:7] 200 tn Or “prominent, outstanding, famous.” The term ἐπίσημος (epishmo") is used either in an implied comparative sense (“prominent, outstanding”) or in an elative sense (“famous, well known”). The key to determining the meaning of the term in any given passage is both the general context and the specific collocation of this word with its adjuncts. When a comparative notion is seen, that to which ἐπίσημος is compared is frequently, if not usually, put in the genitive case (cf., e.g., 3 Macc 6:1 [Ελεαζαρος δέ τις ἀνὴρ ἐπίσημος τῶν ἀπὸ τής χώρας ἱερέων “Eleazar, a man prominent among the priests of the country”]; cf. also Pss. Sol. 17:30). When, however, an elative notion is found, ἐν (en) plus a personal plural dative is not uncommon (cf. Pss. Sol. 2:6). Although ἐν plus a personal dative does not indicate agency, in collocation with words of perception, (ἐν plus) dative personal nouns are often used to show the recipients. In this instance, the idea would then be “well known to the apostles.” See M. H. Burer and D. B. Wallace, “Was Junia Really an Apostle? A Re-examination of Rom 16.7,” NTS 47 (2001): 76-91, who argue for the elative notion here.
[16:7] 201 tn Or “among the apostles.” See discussion in the note on “well known” for these options.
[16:11] 202 tn Or “kinsman,” “relative,” “fellow countryman.”
[16:12] 203 sn The spelling Tryphena is also used by NIV, NKJV, NLT; the name is alternately spelled Tryphaena (NASB, NRSV).
[16:12] 204 tn Grk “Greet the beloved.”
[16:13] 205 tn Grk “and his mother and mine.”
[16:14] 206 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:13.
[16:17] 208 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:13.
[16:21] 210 tn Grk “kinsmen, relatives, fellow countrymen.”
[16:24] 211 tc Most
[16:25] 212 tc There is a considerable degree of difference among the
