Psalms 1:4-5

1:4 Not so with the wicked!

Instead ¹  they are like wind-driven chaff. ² 

1:5 For this reason ³  the wicked cannot withstand ⁴  judgment, ⁵ 

nor can sinners join the assembly of the godly. ⁶ 

Romans 1:18

The Condemnation of the Unrighteous

1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of people ⁷  who suppress the truth by their ⁸  unrighteousness, ⁹ 

Romans 5:6

5:6 For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.

Romans 5:2

5:2 through whom we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice ¹⁰  in the hope of God’s glory.

Romans 2:5-6

2:5 But because of your stubbornness ¹¹  and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath for yourselves in the day of wrath, when God’s righteous judgment is revealed! ¹²  2:6 He ¹³  will reward ¹⁴  each one according to his works: ¹⁵ 

Romans 3:7

3:7 For if by my lie the truth of God enhances ¹⁶  his glory, why am I still actually being judged as a sinner?

Jude 1:15

1:15 to execute judgment on ¹⁷  all, and to convict every person ¹⁸  of all their thoroughly ungodly deeds ¹⁹  that they have committed, ²⁰  and of all the harsh words that ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” ²¹ 

[1:4]  ¹ tn Here the Hebrew expression כִּי־אִם (ki-’im, “instead,” cf. v. 2) introduces a contrast between the prosperity of the godly depicted in v. 3 and the destiny of the wicked described in v. 4.

[1:4]  ² tn Heb “[they are] like the chaff which [the] wind blows about.” The Hebrew imperfect verbal form draws attention to the typical nature of the action described.

[1:5]  ³ tn Or “Therefore.”

[1:5]  ⁴ tn Heb “arise in,” but the verb is used metonymically here in the sense of “stand”; “endure,” as in 1 Sam 13:14 and Job 8:15. The negated Hebrew imperfect verbal form is here taken as indicating incapability or lack of potential, though one could understand the verb form as indicating what is typical (“do not withstand”) or what will happen (“will not withstand”).

[1:5]  ⁵ tn Heb “the judgment.” The article indicates a judgment that is definite in the mind of the speaker. In the immediate context this probably does not refer to the “final judgment” described in later biblical revelation, but to a temporal/historical judgment which the author anticipates. Periodically during the OT period, God would come in judgment, removing the wicked from the scene, while preserving a godly remnant (see Gen 6-9; Ps 37; Hab 3).

[1:5]  ⁶ tn Heb “and sinners in the assembly (or “circle”) of [the] godly.” The negative particle and verb from the preceding line are assumed by ellipsis here (“will not arise/stand”).

[1:18]  ⁷ tn The genitive ἀνθρώπων could be taken as an attributed genitive, in which case the phase should be translated “against all ungodly and unrighteous people” (cf. “the truth of God” in v. 25 which is also probably an attributed genitive). C. E. B. Cranfield takes the section 1:18-32 to refer to all people (not just Gentiles), while 2:1-3:20 points out that the Jew is no exception (Romans [ICC], 1:104-6; 1:137-38).

[1:18]  ⁸ tn “Their” is implied in the Greek, but is supplied because of English style.

[1:18]  ⁹ tn Or “by means of unrighteousness.” Grk “in (by) unrighteousness.”

[5:2]  ¹⁰ tn Or “exult, boast.”

[2:5]  ¹¹ tn Grk “hardness.” Concerning this imagery, see Jer 4:4; Ezek 3:7; 1 En. 16:3.

[2:5]  ¹² tn Grk “in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God.”

[2:6]  ¹³ 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.

[2:6]  ¹⁴ tn Or “will render,” “will recompense.” In this context Paul is setting up a hypothetical situation, not stating that salvation is by works.

[2:6]  ¹⁵ sn A quotation from Ps 62:12; Prov 24:12; a close approximation to Matt 16:27.

[3:7]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “abounded unto.”

[1:15]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “against” (κατά [kata] + genitive). English usage is satisfied with “on” at this point, but the parallel is lost in the translation to some degree, for the end of v. 15 says that this judgment is meted out on these sinners because they spoke against him (κατά + genitive).

[1:15]  ¹⁸ tn Or “soul.”

[1:15]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “of all their works of ungodliness.” The adverb “thoroughly” is part of the following verb “have committed.” See note on verb “committed” later in this verse.

[1:15]  ²⁰ tn The verb in Greek does not simply mean “have committed,” but “have committed in an ungodly way.” The verb ἀσεβέω (asebew) is cognate to the noun ἀσέβεια (asebeia, “ungodliness”). There is no easy way to express this in English, since English does not have a single word that means the same thing. Nevertheless, the tenor of v. 15 is plainly seen, regardless of the translation.

[1:15]  ²¹ sn An apparent quotation from 1 En. 1:9. There is some doubt as to whether Jude is actually quoting from the text of 1 Enoch; the text here in Jude differs in some respects from the extant text of this pseudepigraphic book. It is sometimes suggested that Jude may instead have been quoting from oral tradition which had roots older than the written text.