9:1 3 I am telling the truth in Christ (I am not lying!), for my conscience assures me 4 in the Holy Spirit – 9:2 I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. 5
1:1 From Paul, 6 an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
1 tn Grk “whom I serve in my spirit in the gospel.”
2 tn Grk “as.”
3 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.
4 tn Or “my conscience bears witness to me.”
5 tn Grk “my sorrow is great and the anguish in my heart is unceasing.”
6 tn Grk “Paul.” The word “from” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.
7 tn Grk “behold.”
8 tn Grk “What things I am writing to you, behold, before God [that] I am not lying.”