Romans 1:20-21

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 ¹  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 ²  were darkened.

Romans 1:32

1:32 Although they fully know ³  God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, ⁴  they not only do them but also approve of those who practice them. ⁵ 

Romans 3:19

3:19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under ⁶  the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world may be held accountable to God.

Romans 9:17

9:17 For the scripture says to Pharaoh: ⁷  “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.” ⁸ 

Romans 10:19

10:19 But again I ask, didn’t Israel understand? ⁹  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.” ¹⁰ 

Romans 11:2

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?

Romans 11:25

11:25 For I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, ¹¹  so that you may not be conceited: A partial hardening has happened to Israel ¹²  until the full number ¹³  of the Gentiles has come in.

Romans 12:2

12:2 Do not be conformed ¹⁴  to this present world, ¹⁵  but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may test and approve ¹⁶  what is the will of God – what is good and well-pleasing and perfect.

Romans 16:26

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 –

¹ tn Grk “they”; the referent (people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

² tn Grk “heart.”

³ 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.

⁴ tn Grk “are worthy of death.”

⁵ 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.

⁴ tn Grk “in,” “in connection with.”

⁵ 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.

⁶ sn A quotation from Exod 9:16.

⁶ 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).

⁷ sn A quotation from Deut 32:21.

⁷ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:13.

⁸ tn Or “Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in.”

⁹ tn Grk “fullness.”

⁸ 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.

⁹ tn Grk “to this age.”

¹⁰ sn The verb translated test and approve (δοκιμάζω, dokimazw) carries the sense of “test with a positive outcome,” “test so as to approve.”