Romans 9:22

9:22 But what if God, willing to demonstrate his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience the objects ¹  of wrath ²  prepared for destruction? ³ 

Deuteronomy 32:34

32:34 “Is this not stored up with me?” says the Lord, ⁴ 

“Is it not sealed up in my storehouses?

Amos 3:10

3:10 “They do not know how to do what is right.” (The Lord is speaking.)

“They store up ⁵  the spoils of destructive violence ⁶  in their fortresses.

James 5:3

5:3 Your gold and silver have rusted and their rust will be a witness against you. It will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have hoarded treasure! ⁷ 

¹ tn Grk “vessels.” This is the same Greek word used in v. 21.

² tn Or “vessels destined for wrath.” The genitive ὀργῆς (orghs) could be taken as a genitive of destination.

³ tn Or possibly “objects of wrath that have fit themselves for destruction.” The form of the participle could be taken either as a passive or middle (reflexive). ExSyn 417-18 argues strongly for the passive sense (which is followed in the translation), stating that “the middle view has little to commend it.” First, καταρτίζω (katartizw) is nowhere else used in the NT as a direct or reflexive middle (a usage which, in any event, is quite rare in the NT). Second, the lexical force of this verb, coupled with the perfect tense, suggests something of a “done deal” (against some commentaries that see these vessels as ready for destruction yet still able to avert disaster). Third, the potter-clay motif seems to have one point: The potter prepares the clay.

⁴ tn Verses 34-35 appear to be a quotation of the Lord and so the introductory phrase “says the Lord” is supplied in the translation.

⁷ tn Heb “those who.”

⁸ tn Heb “violence and destruction.” The expression “violence and destruction” stand metonymically for the goods the oppressors have accumulated by their unjust actions.

¹⁰ tn Or “hoarded up treasure for the last days”; Grk “in the last days.”