Romans 2:14-16

2:14 For whenever the Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature the things required by the law, these who do not have the law are a law to themselves. 2:15 They show that the work of the law is written in their hearts, as their conscience bears witness and their conflicting thoughts accuse or else defend them, 2:16 on the day when God will judge the secrets of human hearts, according to my gospel 10  through Christ Jesus.


sn Gentile is a NT term for a non-Jew.

tn Some (e.g. C. E. B. Cranfield, Romans [ICC], 1:135-37) take the phrase φύσει (fusei, “by nature”) to go with the preceding “do not have the law,” thus: “the Gentiles who do not have the law by nature,” that is, by virtue of not being born Jewish.

tn Grk “do by nature the things of the law.”

tn Grk “who.” The relative pronoun was converted to a personal pronoun and, because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

tn Grk “show the work of the law [to be] written,” with the words in brackets implied by the Greek construction.

tn Or “excuse.”

tn Grk “their conscience bearing witness and between the thoughts accusing or also defending one another.”

tn The form of the Greek word is either present or future, but it is best to translate in future because of the context of future judgment.

tn Grk “of people.”

10 sn On my gospel cf. Rom 16:25; 2 Tim 2:8.