Romans 1:23

1:23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for an image resembling mortal human beings ¹  or birds or four-footed animals ²  or reptiles.

Romans 2:25

2:25 For circumcision ³  has its value if you practice the law, but ⁴  if you break the law, ⁵  your circumcision has become uncircumcision.

Romans 8:13

8:13 (for if you live according to the flesh, you will ⁶  die), ⁷  but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body you will live.

Romans 9:30

Israel’s Rejection Culpable

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,

Romans 10:3

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.

Romans 10:15

10:15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How timely ⁸  is the arrival ⁹  of those who proclaim the good news.” ¹⁰ 

Romans 11:23

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.

¹ 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”).

² sn Possibly an allusion to Ps 106:19-20.

³ 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).

⁴ tn This contrast is clearer and stronger in Greek than can be easily expressed in English.

⁵ tn Grk “if you should be a transgressor of the law.”

⁵ tn Grk “are about to, are certainly going to.”

⁶ sn This remark is parenthetical to Paul’s argument.

⁷ 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.”

⁸ tn Grk “the feet.” The metaphorical nuance of “beautiful feet” is that such represent timely news.

⁹ sn A quotation from Isa 52:7; Nah 1:15.