3:1 Therefore what advantage does the Jew have, or what is the value of circumcision? 3:2 Actually, there are many advantages. 5 First of all, 6 the Jews 7 were entrusted with the oracles of God. 8
4:4 Just as ritual circumcision cuts away the foreskin
as an external symbol of dedicated covenant commitment,
you must genuinely dedicate yourselves to the Lord
and get rid of everything that hinders your commitment to me, 17
people of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem.
If you do not, 18 my anger will blaze up like a flaming fire against you
that no one will be able to extinguish.
That will happen because of the evil you have done.”
2:11 Therefore remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh – who are called “uncircumcision” by the so-called “circumcision” that is performed on the body 26 by human hands – 2:12 that you were at that time without the Messiah, 27 alienated from the citizenship of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, 28 having no hope and without God in the world.
1 sn On circumcision is of the heart see Lev 26:41; Deut 10:16; Jer 4:4; Ezek 44:9.
2 tn Some have taken the phrase ἐν πνεύματι (en pneumati, “by/in [the] S/spirit”) not as a reference to the Holy Spirit, but referring to circumcision as “spiritual and not literal” (RSV).
3 tn Grk “letter.”
4 tn Grk “whose.” The relative pronoun has been replaced by the phrase “this person’s” and, because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started in the translation.
5 tn Grk “much in every way.”
6 tc ‡ Most witnesses (א A D2 33 Ï) have γάρ (gar) after μέν (men), though some significant Alexandrian and Western witnesses lack the conjunction (B D* G Ψ 81 365 1506 2464* pc latt). A few
7 tn Grk “they were.”
8 tn The referent of λόγια (logia, “oracles”) has been variously understood: (1) BDAG 598 s.v. λόγιον takes the term to refer here to “God’s promises to the Jews”; (2) some have taken this to refer more narrowly to the national promises of messianic salvation given to Israel (so S. L. Johnson, Jr., “Studies in Romans: Part VII: The Jews and the Oracles of God,” BSac 130 [1973]: 245); (3) perhaps the most widespread interpretation sees the term as referring to the entire OT generally.
9 tn Grk “of the faith, the one [existing] in uncircumcision.”
10 tn Grk “that he might be,” giving the purpose of v. 11a.
11 tn Grk “through uncircumcision.”
12 tn Grk “the father of circumcision.”
13 tn Grk “the ‘in-uncircumcision faith’ of our father Abraham.”
14 tn Heb “circumcise” (so KJV, NAB, NIV, NRSV); TEV “will give you and your descendents obedient hearts.” See note on the word “cleanse” in Deut 10:16.
15 tn Heb “seed” (so KJV, ASV).
16 tn Heb “the
17 tn Heb “Circumcise yourselves to the
18 tn Heb “lest.”
19 tn Or “keep”; or “carry out”; Grk “do.”
20 tn Or “trying to be justified.” The verb δικαιοῦσθε (dikaiousqe) has been translated as a conative present (see ExSyn 534).
21 tn Or “estranged”; BDAG 526 s.v. καταργέω 4 states, “Of those who aspire to righteousness through the law κ. ἀπὸ Χριστοῦ be estranged from Christ Gal 5:4.”
22 tn Grk “but faith working through love.”
23 tc The phrase “in Christ Jesus” is found after “For” in some
24 tn Grk “is.”
25 tn Grk “but a new creation”; the words “the only thing that matters” have been supplied to reflect the implied contrast with the previous clause (see also Gal 5:6).
26 tn Grk “in the flesh.”
27 tn Or “without Christ.” Both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.” Because the context refers to ancient Israel’s messianic expectation, “Messiah” was employed in the translation at this point rather than “Christ.”
28 tn Or “covenants of the promise.”