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  Discovery Box

Romans 1:16--11:36

Context
The Power of the Gospel

1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is God’s power for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 1  1:17 For the righteousness 2  of God is revealed in the gospel 3  from faith to faith, 4  just as it is written, “The righteous by faith will live.” 5 

The Condemnation of the Unrighteous

1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of people 6  who suppress the truth by their 7  unrighteousness, 8  1:19 because what can be known about God is plain to them, 9  because God has made it plain to them. 1:20 For since the creation of the world his invisible attributes – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, because they are understood through what has been made. So people 10  are without excuse. 1:21 For although they knew God, they did not glorify him as God or give him thanks, but they became futile in their thoughts and their senseless hearts 11  were darkened. 1:22 Although they claimed 12  to be wise, they became fools 1:23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for an image resembling mortal human beings 13  or birds or four-footed animals 14  or reptiles.

1:24 Therefore God gave them over 15  in the desires of their hearts to impurity, to dishonor 16  their bodies among themselves. 17  1:25 They 18  exchanged the truth of God for a lie 19  and worshiped and served the creation 20  rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.

1:26 For this reason God gave them over to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged the natural sexual relations for unnatural ones, 21  1:27 and likewise the men also abandoned natural relations with women 22  and were inflamed in their passions 23  for one another. Men 24  committed shameless acts with men and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.

1:28 And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God, 25  God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what should not be done. 26  1:29 They are filled 27  with every kind of unrighteousness, wickedness, covetousness, malice. They are rife with 28  envy, murder, strife, deceit, hostility. They are gossips, 1:30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, contrivers of all sorts of evil, disobedient to parents, 1:31 senseless, covenant-breakers, 29  heartless, ruthless. 1:32 Although they fully know 30  God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, 31  they not only do them but also approve of those who practice them. 32 

The Condemnation of the Moralist

2:1 33 Therefore 34  you are without excuse, 35  whoever you are, 36  when you judge someone else. 37  For on whatever grounds 38  you judge another, you condemn yourself, because you who judge practice the same things. 2:2 Now we know that God’s judgment is in accordance with truth 39  against those who practice such things. 2:3 And do you think, 40  whoever you are, when you judge 41  those who practice such things and yet do them yourself, 42  that you will escape God’s judgment? 2:4 Or do you have contempt for the wealth of his kindness, forbearance, and patience, and yet do not know 43  that God’s kindness leads you to repentance? 2:5 But because of your stubbornness 44  and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath for yourselves in the day of wrath, when God’s righteous judgment is revealed! 45  2:6 He 46  will reward 47  each one according to his works: 48  2:7 eternal life to those who by perseverance in good works seek glory and honor and immortality, 2:8 but 49  wrath and anger to those who live in selfish ambition 50  and do not obey the truth but follow 51  unrighteousness. 2:9 There will be 52  affliction and distress on everyone 53  who does evil, on the Jew first and also the Greek, 54  2:10 but 55  glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, for the Jew first and also the Greek. 2:11 For there is no partiality with God. 2:12 For all who have sinned apart from the law 56  will also perish apart from the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. 2:13 For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous before God, but those who do the law will be declared righteous. 57  2:14 For whenever the Gentiles, 58  who do not have the law, do by nature 59  the things required by the law, 60  these who do not have the law are a law to themselves. 2:15 They 61  show that the work of the law is written 62  in their hearts, as their conscience bears witness and their conflicting thoughts accuse or else defend 63  them, 64  2:16 on the day when God will judge 65  the secrets of human hearts, 66  according to my gospel 67  through Christ Jesus.

The Condemnation of the Jew

2:17 But if you call yourself a Jew and rely on the law 68  and boast of your relationship to God 69  2:18 and know his will 70  and approve the superior things because you receive instruction from the law, 71  2:19 and if you are convinced 72  that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, 2:20 an educator of the senseless, a teacher of little children, because you have in the law the essential features of knowledge and of the truth – 2:21 therefore 73  you who teach someone else, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal? 2:22 You who tell others not to commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor 74  idols, do you rob temples? 2:23 You who boast in the law dishonor God by transgressing the law! 2:24 For just as it is written, “the name of God is being blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.” 75 

2:25 For circumcision 76  has its value if you practice the law, but 77  if you break the law, 78  your circumcision has become uncircumcision. 2:26 Therefore if the uncircumcised man obeys 79  the righteous requirements of the law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision? 2:27 And will not the physically uncircumcised man 80  who keeps the law judge you who, despite 81  the written code 82  and circumcision, transgress the law? 2:28 For a person is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision something that is outward in the flesh, 2:29 but someone is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision is of the heart 83  by the Spirit 84  and not by the written code. 85  This person’s 86  praise is not from people but from God.

3:1 Therefore what advantage does the Jew have, or what is the value of circumcision? 3:2 Actually, there are many advantages. 87  First of all, 88  the Jews 89  were entrusted with the oracles of God. 90  3:3 What then? If some did not believe, does their unbelief nullify the faithfulness of God? 3:4 Absolutely not! Let God be proven true, and every human being 91  shown up as a liar, 92  just as it is written: “so that you will be justified 93  in your words and will prevail when you are judged.” 94 

3:5 But if our unrighteousness demonstrates 95  the righteousness of God, what shall we say? The God who inflicts wrath is not unrighteous, is he? 96  (I am speaking in human terms.) 97  3:6 Absolutely not! For otherwise how could God judge the world? 3:7 For if by my lie the truth of God enhances 98  his glory, why am I still actually being judged as a sinner? 3:8 And why not say, “Let us do evil so that good may come of it”? – as some who slander us allege that we say. 99  (Their 100  condemnation is deserved!)

The Condemnation of the World

3:9 What then? Are we better off? Certainly not, for we have already charged that Jews and Greeks alike are all under sin, 3:10 just as it is written:

There is no one righteous, not even one,

3:11 there is no one who understands,

there is no one who seeks God.

3:12 All have turned away,

together they have become worthless;

there is no one who shows kindness, not even one. 101 

3:13Their throats are open graves, 102 

they deceive with their tongues,

the poison of asps is under their lips. 103 

3:14Their mouths are 104  full of cursing and bitterness. 105 

3:15Their feet are swift to shed blood,

3:16 ruin and misery are in their paths,

3:17 and the way of peace they have not known. 106 

3:18There is no fear of God before their eyes. 107 

3:19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under 108  the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world may be held accountable to God. 3:20 For no one is declared righteous before him 109  by the works of the law, 110  for through the law comes 111  the knowledge of sin. 3:21 But now 112  apart from the law the righteousness of God (which is attested by the law and the prophets) 113  has been disclosed – 3:22 namely, the righteousness of God through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ 114  for all who believe. For there is no distinction, 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. 3:24 But they are justified 115  freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. 3:25 God publicly displayed 116  him 117  at his death 118  as the mercy seat 119  accessible through faith. 120  This was to demonstrate 121  his righteousness, because God in his forbearance had passed over the sins previously committed. 122  3:26 This was 123  also to demonstrate 124  his righteousness in the present time, so that he would be just 125  and the justifier of the one who lives because of Jesus’ faithfulness. 126 

3:27 Where, then, is boasting? 127  It is excluded! By what principle? 128  Of works? No, but by the principle of faith! 3:28 For we consider that a person 129  is declared righteous by faith apart from the works of the law. 130  3:29 Or is God the God of the Jews only? Is he not the God of the Gentiles too? Yes, of the Gentiles too! 3:30 Since God is one, 131  he will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. 3:31 Do we then nullify 132  the law through faith? Absolutely not! Instead 133  we uphold the law.

The Illustration of Justification

4:1 What then shall we say that Abraham, our ancestor according to the flesh, 134  has discovered regarding this matter? 135  4:2 For if Abraham was declared righteous 136  by the works of the law, he has something to boast about – but not before God. 4:3 For what does the scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited 137  to him as righteousness.” 138  4:4 Now to the one who works, his pay is not credited due to grace but due to obligation. 139  4:5 But to the one who does not work, but believes in the one who declares the ungodly righteous, 140  his faith is credited as righteousness.

4:6 So even David himself speaks regarding the blessedness of the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:

4:7Blessed 141  are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered;

4:8 blessed is the one 142  against whom the Lord will never count 143  sin. 144 

4:9 Is this blessedness 145  then for 146  the circumcision 147  or also for 148  the uncircumcision? For we say, “faith was credited to Abraham as righteousness.” 149  4:10 How then was it credited to him? Was he circumcised at the time, or not? No, he was not circumcised but uncircumcised! 4:11 And he received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised, 150  so that he would become 151  the father of all those who believe but have never been circumcised, 152  that they too could have righteousness credited to them. 4:12 And he is also the father of the circumcised, 153  who are not only circumcised, but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham possessed when he was still uncircumcised. 154 

4:13 For the promise 155  to Abraham or to his descendants that he would inherit the world was not fulfilled through the law, but through the righteousness that comes by faith. 4:14 For if they become heirs by the law, faith is empty and the promise is nullified. 156  4:15 For the law brings wrath, because where there is no law there is no transgression 157  either. 4:16 For this reason it is by faith so that it may be by grace, 158  with the result that the promise may be certain to all the descendants – not only to those who are under the law, but also to those who have the faith of Abraham, 159  who is the father of us all 4:17 (as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”). 160  He is our father 161  in the presence of God whom he believed – the God who 162  makes the dead alive and summons the things that do not yet exist as though they already do. 163  4:18 Against hope Abraham 164  believed 165  in hope with the result that he became the father of many nations 166  according to the pronouncement, 167 so will your descendants be.” 168  4:19 Without being weak in faith, he considered 169  his own body as dead 170  (because he was about one hundred years old) and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. 4:20 He 171  did not waver in unbelief about the promise of God but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God. 4:21 He was 172  fully convinced that what God 173  promised he was also able to do. 4:22 So indeed it was credited to Abraham 174  as righteousness.

4:23 But the statement it was credited to him 175  was not written only for Abraham’s 176  sake, 4:24 but also for our sake, to whom it will be credited, those who believe in the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. 4:25 He 177  was given over 178  because of our transgressions and was raised for the sake of 179  our justification. 180 

The Expectation of Justification

5:1 181 Therefore, since we have been declared righteous by faith, we have 182  peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 5:2 through whom we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice 183  in the hope of God’s glory. 5:3 Not 184  only this, but we also rejoice in sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 5:4 and endurance, character, and character, hope. 5:5 And hope does not disappoint, because the love of God 185  has been poured out 186  in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

5:6 For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 5:7 (For rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person perhaps someone might possibly dare to die.) 187  5:8 But God demonstrates his own love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 5:9 Much more then, because we have now been declared righteous 188  by his blood, 189  we will be saved through him from God’s wrath. 190  5:10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, how much more, since we have been reconciled, will we be saved by his life? 5:11 Not 191  only this, but we also rejoice 192  in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received this reconciliation.

The Amplification of Justification

5:12 So then, just as sin entered the world through one man and death through sin, and so death spread to all people 193  because 194  all sinned – 5:13 for before the law was given, 195  sin was in the world, but there is no accounting for sin 196  when there is no law. 5:14 Yet death reigned from Adam until Moses even over those who did not sin in the same way that Adam (who is a type 197  of the coming one) transgressed. 198  5:15 But the gracious gift is not like the transgression. 199  For if the many died through the transgression of the one man, 200  how much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one man Jesus Christ multiply to the many! 5:16 And the gift is not like the one who sinned. 201  For judgment, resulting from the one transgression, 202  led to condemnation, but 203  the gracious gift from the many failures 204  led to justification. 5:17 For if, by the transgression of the one man, 205  death reigned through the one, how much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one, Jesus Christ!

5:18 Consequently, 206  just as condemnation 207  for all people 208  came 209  through one transgression, 210  so too through the one righteous act 211  came righteousness leading to life 212  for all people. 5:19 For just as through the disobedience of the one man 213  many 214  were made sinners, so also through the obedience of one man 215  many 216  will be made righteous. 5:20 Now the law came in 217  so that the transgression 218  may increase, but where sin increased, grace multiplied all the more, 5:21 so that just as sin reigned in death, so also grace will reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

The Believer’s Freedom from Sin’s Domination

6:1 What shall we say then? Are we to remain in sin so that grace may increase? 6:2 Absolutely not! How can we who died to sin still live in it? 6:3 Or do you not know that as many as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 6:4 Therefore we have been buried with him through baptism into death, in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too may live a new life. 219 

6:5 For if we have become united with him in the likeness of his death, we will certainly also be united in the likeness of his resurrection. 220  6:6 We know that 221  our old man was crucified with him so that the body of sin would no longer dominate us, 222  so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 6:7 (For someone who has died has been freed from sin.) 223 

6:8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 6:9 We know 224  that since Christ has been raised from the dead, he is never going to die 225  again; death no longer has mastery over him. 6:10 For the death he died, he died to sin once for all, but the life he lives, he lives to God. 6:11 So you too consider yourselves 226  dead to sin, but 227  alive to God in Christ Jesus.

6:12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its desires, 6:13 and do not present your members to sin as instruments 228  to be used for unrighteousness, 229  but present yourselves to God as those who are alive from the dead and your members to God as instruments 230  to be used for righteousness. 6:14 For sin will have no mastery over you, because you are not under law but under grace.

The Believer’s Enslavement to God’s Righteousness

6:15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Absolutely not! 6:16 Do you not know that if you present yourselves 231  as obedient slaves, 232  you are slaves of the one you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or obedience resulting in righteousness? 233  6:17 But thanks be to God that though you were slaves to sin, you obeyed 234  from the heart that pattern 235  of teaching you were entrusted to, 6:18 and having been freed from sin, you became enslaved to righteousness. 6:19 (I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh.) 236  For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification. 6:20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free with regard to righteousness.

6:21 So what benefit 237  did you then reap 238  from those things that you are now ashamed of? For the end of those things is death. 6:22 But now, freed 239  from sin and enslaved to God, you have your benefit 240  leading to sanctification, and the end is eternal life. 6:23 For the payoff 241  of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The Believer’s Relationship to the Law

7:1 Or do you not know, brothers and sisters 242  (for I am speaking to those who know the law), that the law is lord over a person 243  as long as he lives? 7:2 For a married woman is bound by law to her husband as long as he lives, but if her 244  husband dies, she is released from the law of the marriage. 245  7:3 So then, 246  if she is joined to another man while her husband is alive, she will be called an adulteress. But if her 247  husband dies, she is free from that law, and if she is joined to another man, she is not an adulteress. 7:4 So, my brothers and sisters, 248  you also died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you could be joined to another, to the one who was raised from the dead, to bear fruit to God. 249  7:5 For when we were in the flesh, 250  the sinful desires, 251  aroused by the law, were active in the members of our body 252  to bear fruit for death. 7:6 But now we have been released from the law, because we have died 253  to what controlled us, so that we may serve in the new life of the Spirit and not under the old written code. 254 

7:7 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Absolutely not! Certainly, I 255  would not have known sin except through the law. For indeed I would not have known what it means to desire something belonging to someone else 256  if the law had not said, “Do not covet.” 257  7:8 But sin, seizing the opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of wrong desires. 258  For apart from the law, sin is dead. 7:9 And I was once alive apart from the law, but with the coming of the commandment sin became alive 7:10 and I died. So 259  I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life brought death! 260  7:11 For sin, seizing the opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it I died. 261  7:12 So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous, and good.

7:13 Did that which is good, then, become death to me? Absolutely not! But sin, so that it would be shown to be sin, produced death in me through what is good, so that through the commandment sin would become utterly sinful. 7:14 For we know that the law is spiritual – but I am unspiritual, sold into slavery to sin. 262  7:15 For I don’t understand what I am doing. For I do not do what I want – instead, I do what I hate. 263  7:16 But if I do what I don’t want, I agree that the law is good. 264  7:17 But now it is no longer me doing it, but sin that lives in me. 7:18 For I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh. For I want to do the good, but I cannot do it. 265  7:19 For I do not do the good I want, but I do the very evil I do not want! 7:20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer me doing it but sin that lives in me.

7:21 So, I find the law that when I want to do good, evil is present with me. 7:22 For I delight in the law of God in my inner being. 7:23 But I see a different law in my members waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that is in my members. 7:24 Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 7:25 Thanks be 266  to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, 267  I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but 268  with my flesh I serve 269  the law of sin.

The Believer’s Relationship to the Holy Spirit

8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 270  8:2 For the law of the life-giving Spirit 271  in Christ Jesus has set you 272  free from the law of sin and death. 8:3 For God achieved what the law could not do because 273  it was weakened through the flesh. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and concerning sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 8:4 so that the righteous requirement of the law may be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

8:5 For those who live according to the flesh have their outlook shaped by 274  the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit have their outlook shaped by the things of the Spirit. 8:6 For the outlook 275  of the flesh is death, but the outlook of the Spirit is life and peace, 8:7 because the outlook of the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to the law of God, nor is it able to do so. 8:8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. 8:9 You, however, are not in 276  the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, this person does not belong to him. 8:10 But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, but 277  the Spirit is your life 278  because of righteousness. 8:11 Moreover if the Spirit of the one 279  who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, the one who raised Christ 280  from the dead will also make your mortal bodies alive through his Spirit who lives in you. 281 

8:12 So then, 282  brothers and sisters, 283  we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh 8:13 (for if you live according to the flesh, you will 284  die), 285  but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body you will live. 8:14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are 286  the sons of God. 8:15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery leading again to fear, 287  but you received the Spirit of adoption, 288  by whom 289  we cry, “Abba, Father.” 8:16 The Spirit himself bears witness to 290  our spirit that we are God’s children. 8:17 And if children, then heirs (namely, heirs of God and also fellow heirs with Christ) 291  – if indeed we suffer with him so we may also be glorified with him.

8:18 For I consider that our present sufferings cannot even be compared 292  to the glory that will be revealed to us. 8:19 For the creation eagerly waits for the revelation of the sons of God. 8:20 For the creation was subjected to futility – not willingly but because of God 293  who subjected it – in hope 8:21 that the creation itself will also be set free from the bondage of decay into the glorious freedom of God’s children. 8:22 For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers together until now. 8:23 Not only this, but we ourselves also, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, 294  groan inwardly as we eagerly await our adoption, 295  the redemption of our bodies. 296  8:24 For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope, because who hopes for what he sees? 8:25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with endurance. 297 

8:26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness, for we do not know how we should pray, 298  but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with inexpressible groanings. 8:27 And he 299  who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit 300  intercedes on behalf of the saints according to God’s will. 8:28 And we know that all things work together 301  for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose, 8:29 because those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that his Son 302  would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 303  8:30 And those he predestined, he also called; and those he called, he also justified; and those he justified, he also glorified.

8:31 What then shall we say about these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 8:32 Indeed, he who 304  did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all – how will he not also, along with him, freely give us all things? 8:33 Who will bring any charge against God’s elect? 305  It is God who justifies. 8:34 Who is the one who will condemn? Christ 306  is the one who died (and more than that, he was raised), who is at the right hand of God, and who also is interceding for us. 8:35 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will trouble, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 307  8:36 As it is written, “For your sake we encounter death all day long; we were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” 308  8:37 No, in all these things we have complete victory 309  through him 310  who loved us! 8:38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor heavenly rulers, 311  nor things that are present, nor things to come, nor powers, 8:39 nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Israel’s Rejection Considered

9:1 312 I am telling the truth in Christ (I am not lying!), for my conscience assures me 313  in the Holy Spirit – 9:2 I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. 314  9:3 For I could wish 315  that I myself were accursed – cut off from Christ – for the sake of my people, 316  my fellow countrymen, 317  9:4 who are Israelites. To them belong 318  the adoption as sons, 319  the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the temple worship, 320  and the promises. 9:5 To them belong the patriarchs, 321  and from them, 322  by human descent, 323  came the Christ, 324  who is God over all, blessed forever! 325  Amen.

9:6 It is not as though the word of God had failed. For not all those who are descended from Israel are truly Israel, 326  9:7 nor are all the children Abraham’s true descendants; rather “through Isaac will your descendants be counted.” 327  9:8 This means 328  it is not the children of the flesh 329  who are the children of God; rather, the children of promise are counted as descendants. 9:9 For this is what the promise declared: 330 About a year from now 331  I will return and Sarah will have a son.” 332  9:10 Not only that, but when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, 333  our ancestor Isaac – 9:11 even before they were born or had done anything good or bad (so that God’s purpose in election 334  would stand, not by works but by 335  his calling) 336 9:12 337  it was said to her, “The older will serve the younger,” 338  9:13 just as it is written: “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” 339 

9:14 What shall we say then? Is there injustice with God? Absolutely not! 9:15 For he says to Moses: “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” 340  9:16 So then, 341  it does not depend on human desire or exertion, 342  but on God who shows mercy. 9:17 For the scripture says to Pharaoh: 343 For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may demonstrate my power in you, and that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth.” 344  9:18 So then, 345  God 346  has mercy on whom he chooses to have mercy, and he hardens whom he chooses to harden. 347 

9:19 You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For who has ever resisted his will?” 9:20 But who indeed are you – a mere human being 348  – to talk back to God? 349  Does what is molded say to the molder,Why have you made me like this? 350  9:21 Has the potter no right to make from the same lump of clay 351  one vessel for special use and another for ordinary use? 352  9:22 But what if God, willing to demonstrate his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience the objects 353  of wrath 354  prepared for destruction? 355  9:23 And what if he is willing to make known the wealth of his glory on the objects 356  of mercy that he has prepared beforehand for glory – 9:24 even us, whom he has called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles? 9:25 As he also says in Hosea:

I will call those who were not my people,My people,and I will call her who was unloved, 357 My beloved.’” 358 

9:26And in the very place 359  where it was said to them,You are not my people,

there they will be calledsons of the living God.’” 360 

9:27 And Isaiah cries out on behalf of Israel, “Though the number of the children 361  of Israel are as the sand of the sea, only the remnant will be saved, 9:28 for the Lord will execute his sentence on the earth completely and quickly.” 362  9:29 Just 363  as Isaiah predicted,

If the Lord of armies 364  had not left us descendants,

we would have become like Sodom,

and we would have resembled Gomorrah.” 365 

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, 9:31 but Israel even though pursuing 366  a law of righteousness 367  did not attain it. 368  9:32 Why not? Because they pursued 369  it not by faith but (as if it were possible) by works. 370  They stumbled over the stumbling stone, 371  9:33 just as it is written,

Look, I am laying in Zion a stone that will cause people to stumble

and a rock that will make them fall, 372 

yet the one who believes in him will not be put to shame. 373 

10:1 Brothers and sisters, 374  my heart’s desire and prayer to God on behalf of my fellow Israelites 375  is for their salvation. 10:2 For I can testify that they are zealous for God, 376  but their zeal is not in line with the truth. 377  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. 10:4 For Christ is the end of the law, with the result that there is righteousness for everyone who believes.

10:5 For Moses writes about the righteousness that is by the law: “The one who does these things will live by them.” 378  10:6 But the righteousness that is by faith says: “Do not say in your heart, 379 Who will ascend into heaven?’” 380  (that is, to bring Christ down) 10:7 or “Who will descend into the abyss? 381  (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 10:8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart 382  (that is, the word of faith that we preach), 10:9 because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord 383  and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10:10 For with the heart one believes and thus has righteousness 384  and with the mouth one confesses and thus has salvation. 385  10:11 For the scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 386  10:12 For there is no distinction between the Jew and the Greek, for the same Lord is Lord of all, who richly blesses all who call on him. 10:13 For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. 387 

10:14 How are they to call on one they have not believed in? And how are they to believe in one they have not heard of? And how are they to hear without someone preaching to them 388 ? 10:15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How timely 389  is the arrival 390  of those who proclaim the good news.” 391  10:16 But not all have obeyed the good news, for Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report?” 392  10:17 Consequently faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the preached word 393  of Christ. 394 

10:18 But I ask, have they 395  not heard? 396  Yes, they have: 397  Their voice has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world. 398  10:19 But again I ask, didn’t Israel understand? 399  First Moses says, “I will make you jealous by those who are not a nation; with a senseless nation I will provoke you to anger.” 400  10:20 And Isaiah is even bold enough to say, “I was found by those who did not seek me; I became well known to those who did not ask for me.” 401  10:21 But about Israel he says, “All day long I held out my hands to this disobedient and stubborn people! 402 

Israel’s Rejection not Complete nor Final

11:1 So I ask, God has not rejected his people, has he? Absolutely not! For I too am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin. 11:2 God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew! Do you not know what the scripture says about Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel? 11:3 “Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have demolished your altars; I alone am left and they are seeking my life! 403  11:4 But what was the divine response 404  to him? “I have kept for myself seven thousand people 405  who have not bent the knee to Baal.” 406 

11:5 So in the same way at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. 11:6 And if it is by grace, it is no longer by works, otherwise grace would no longer be grace. 11:7 What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was diligently seeking, but the elect obtained it. The 407  rest were hardened, 11:8 as it is written,

“God gave them a spirit of stupor,

eyes that would not see and ears that would not hear,

to this very day.” 408 

11:9 And David says,

“Let their table become a snare and trap,

a stumbling block and a retribution for them;

11:10 let their eyes be darkened so that they may not see,

and make their backs bend continually.” 409 

11:11 I ask then, they did not stumble into an irrevocable fall, 410  did they? Absolutely not! But by their transgression salvation has come to the Gentiles, to make Israel 411  jealous. 11:12 Now if their transgression means riches for the world and their defeat means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full restoration 412  bring?

11:13 Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Seeing that I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry, 11:14 if somehow I could provoke my people to jealousy and save some of them. 11:15 For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? 11:16 If the first portion 413  of the dough offered is holy, then the whole batch is holy, and if the root is holy, so too are the branches. 414 

11:17 Now if some of the branches were broken off, and you, a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among them and participated in 415  the richness of the olive root, 11:18 do not boast over the branches. But if you boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you. 11:19 Then you will say, “The branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in.” 11:20 Granted! 416  They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but fear! 11:21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, perhaps he will not spare you. 11:22 Notice therefore the kindness and harshness of God – harshness toward those who have fallen, but 417  God’s kindness toward you, provided you continue in his kindness; 418  otherwise you also will be cut off. 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. 11:24 For if you were cut off from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these natural branches be grafted back into their own olive tree?

11:25 For I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, 419  so that you may not be conceited: A partial hardening has happened to Israel 420  until the full number 421  of the Gentiles has come in. 11:26 And so 422  all Israel will be saved, as it is written:

“The Deliverer will come out of Zion;

he will remove ungodliness from Jacob.

11:27 And this is my covenant with them, 423 

when I take away their sins.” 424 

11:28 In regard to the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but in regard to election they are dearly loved for the sake of the fathers. 11:29 For the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable. 11:30 Just as you were formerly disobedient to God, but have now received mercy due to their disobedience, 11:31 so they too have now been disobedient in order that, by the mercy shown to you, they too may now 425  receive mercy. 11:32 For God has consigned all people to disobedience so that he may show mercy to them all. 426 

11:33 Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how fathomless his ways!

11:34 For who has known the mind of the Lord,

or who has been his counselor? 427 

11:35 Or who has first given to God, 428 

that God 429  needs to repay him? 430 

11:36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever! Amen.

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[1:16]  1 sn Here the Greek refers to anyone who is not Jewish.

[1:17]  2 tn The nature of the “righteousness” described here and the force of the genitive θεοῦ (“of God”) which follows have been much debated. (1) Some (e.g. C. E. B. Cranfield, Romans [ICC], 1:98) understand “righteousness” to refer to the righteous status given to believers as a result of God’s justifying activity, and see the genitive “of God” as a genitive of source (= “from God”). (2) Others see the “righteousness” as God’s act or declaration that makes righteous (i.e., justifies) those who turn to him in faith, taking the genitive “of God” as a subjective genitive (see E. Käsemann, Romans, 25-30). (3) Still others see the “righteousness of God” mentioned here as the attribute of God himself, understanding the genitive “of God” as a possessive genitive (“God’s righteousness”).

[1:17]  3 tn Grk “in it”; the referent (the gospel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:17]  4 tn Or “by faith for faith,” or “by faith to faith.” There are many interpretations of the phrase ἐκ πίστεως εἰς πίστιν (ek pistew" ei" pistin). It may have the idea that this righteousness is obtained by faith (ἐκ πίστεως) because it was designed for faith (εἰς πίστιν). For a summary see J. Murray, Romans (NICNT), 1:363-74.

[1:17]  5 sn A quotation from Hab 2:4.

[1:18]  3 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]  4 tn “Their” is implied in the Greek, but is supplied because of English style.

[1:18]  5 tn Or “by means of unrighteousness.” Grk “in (by) unrighteousness.”

[1:19]  4 tn Grk “is manifest to/in them.”

[1:20]  5 tn Grk “they”; the referent (people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:21]  6 tn Grk “heart.”

[1:22]  7 tn The participle φάσκοντες (faskonte") is used concessively here.

[1:23]  8 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”).

[1:23]  9 sn Possibly an allusion to Ps 106:19-20.

[1:24]  9 sn Possibly an allusion to Ps 81:12.

[1:24]  10 tn The genitive articular infinitive τοῦ ἀτιμάζεσθαι (tou atimazesqai, “to dishonor”) has been taken as (1) an infinitive of purpose; (2) an infinitive of result; or (3) an epexegetical (i.e., explanatory) infinitive, expanding the previous clause.

[1:24]  11 tn Grk “among them.”

[1:25]  10 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.

[1:25]  11 tn Grk “the lie.”

[1:25]  12 tn Or “creature, created things.”

[1:26]  11 tn Grk “for their females exchanged the natural function for that which is contrary to nature.” The term χρῆσις (crhsi") has the force of “sexual relations” here (L&N 23.65).

[1:27]  12 tn Grk “likewise so also the males abandoning the natural function of the female.”

[1:27]  13 tn Grk “burned with intense desire” (L&N 25.16).

[1:27]  14 tn Grk “another, men committing…and receiving,” continuing the description of their deeds. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[1:28]  13 tn Grk “and just as they did not approve to have God in knowledge.”

[1:28]  14 tn Grk “the things that are improper.”

[1:29]  14 tn Grk “being filled” or “having been filled,” referring to those described in v. 28. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[1:29]  15 tn Grk “malice, full of,” continuing the description. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[1:31]  15 tn Or “promise-breakers.”

[1:32]  16 tn Grk “who, knowing…, not only do them but also approve…” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[1:32]  17 tn Grk “are worthy of death.”

[1:32]  18 sn “Vice lists” like vv. 28-32 can be found elsewhere in the NT in Matt 15:19; Gal 5:19-21; 1 Tim 1:9-10; and 1 Pet 4:3. An example from the intertestamental period can be found in Wis 14:25-26.

[2:1]  17 sn Rom 2:1-29 presents unusual difficulties for the interpreter. There have been several major approaches to the chapter and the group(s) it refers to: (1) Rom 2:14 refers to Gentile Christians, not Gentiles who obey the Jewish law. (2) Paul in Rom 2 is presenting a hypothetical viewpoint: If anyone could obey the law, that person would be justified, but no one can. (3) The reference to “the ones who do the law” in 2:13 are those who “do” the law in the right way, on the basis of faith, not according to Jewish legalism. (4) Rom 2:13 only speaks about Christians being judged in the future, along with such texts as Rom 14:10 and 2 Cor 5:10. (5) Paul’s material in Rom 2 is drawn heavily from Diaspora Judaism, so that the treatment of the law presented here cannot be harmonized with other things Paul says about the law elsewhere (E. P. Sanders, Paul, the Law, and the Jewish People, 123); another who sees Rom 2 as an example of Paul’s inconsistency in his treatment of the law is H. Räisänen, Paul and the Law [WUNT], 101-9. (6) The list of blessings and curses in Deut 27–30 provide the background for Rom 2; the Gentiles of 2:14 are Gentile Christians, but the condemnation of Jews in 2:17-24 addresses the failure of Jews as a nation to keep the law as a whole (A. Ito, “Romans 2: A Deuteronomistic Reading,” JSNT 59 [1995]: 21-37).

[2:1]  18 tn Some interpreters (e.g., C. K. Barrett, Romans [HNTC], 43) connect the inferential Διό (dio, “therefore”) with 1:32a, treating 1:32b as a parenthetical comment by Paul.

[2:1]  19 tn That is, “you have nothing to say in your own defense” (so translated by TCNT).

[2:1]  20 tn Grk “O man.”

[2:1]  21 tn Grk “Therefore, you are without excuse, O man, everyone [of you] who judges.”

[2:1]  22 tn Grk “in/by (that) which.”

[2:2]  18 tn Or “based on truth.”

[2:3]  19 tn Grk “do you think this,” referring to the clause in v. 3b.

[2:3]  20 tn Grk “O man, the one who judges.”

[2:3]  21 tn Grk “and do them.” The other words are supplied to bring out the contrast implied in this clause.

[2:4]  20 tn Grk “being unaware.”

[2:5]  21 tn Grk “hardness.” Concerning this imagery, see Jer 4:4; Ezek 3:7; 1 En. 16:3.

[2:5]  22 tn Grk “in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God.”

[2:6]  22 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]  23 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]  24 sn A quotation from Ps 62:12; Prov 24:12; a close approximation to Matt 16:27.

[2:8]  23 tn This contrast is clearer and stronger in Greek than can be easily expressed in English.

[2:8]  24 tn Grk “those who [are] from selfish ambition.”

[2:8]  25 tn Grk “are persuaded by, obey.”

[2:9]  24 tn No verb is expressed in this verse, but the verb “to be” is implied by the Greek construction. Literally “suffering and distress on everyone…”

[2:9]  25 tn Grk “every soul of man.”

[2:9]  26 sn Paul uses the term Greek here and in v. 10 to refer to non-Jews, i.e., Gentiles.

[2:10]  25 tn Grk “but even,” to emphasize the contrast. The second word has been omitted since it is somewhat redundant in English idiom.

[2:12]  26 sn This is the first occurrence of law (nomos) in Romans. Exactly what Paul means by the term has been the subject of much scholarly debate. According to J. A. Fitzmyer (Romans [AB], 131-35; 305-6) there are at least four different senses: (1) figurative, as a “principle”; (2) generic, meaning “a law”; (3) as a reference to the OT or some part of the OT; and (4) as a reference to the Mosaic law. This last usage constitutes the majority of Paul’s references to “law” in Romans.

[2:13]  27 tn The Greek sentence expresses this contrast more succinctly than is possible in English. Grk “For not the hearers of the law are righteous before God, but the doers of the law will be declared righteous.”

[2:14]  28 sn Gentile is a NT term for a non-Jew.

[2:14]  29 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.

[2:14]  30 tn Grk “do by nature the things of the law.”

[2:15]  29 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.

[2:15]  30 tn Grk “show the work of the law [to be] written,” with the words in brackets implied by the Greek construction.

[2:15]  31 tn Or “excuse.”

[2:15]  32 tn Grk “their conscience bearing witness and between the thoughts accusing or also defending one another.”

[2:16]  30 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.

[2:16]  31 tn Grk “of people.”

[2:16]  32 sn On my gospel cf. Rom 16:25; 2 Tim 2:8.

[2:17]  31 sn The law refers to the Mosaic law, described mainly in the OT books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.

[2:17]  32 tn Grk “boast in God.” This may be an allusion to Jer 9:24.

[2:18]  32 tn Grk “the will.”

[2:18]  33 tn Grk “because of being instructed out of the law.”

[2:19]  33 tn This verb is parallel to the verbs in vv. 17-18a, so it shares the conditional meaning even though the word “if” is not repeated.

[2:21]  34 tn The structure of vv. 21-24 is difficult. Some take these verses as the apodosis of the conditional clauses (protases) in vv. 17-20; others see vv. 17-20 as an instance of anacoluthon (a broken off or incomplete construction).

[2:22]  35 tn Or “detest.”

[2:24]  36 sn A quotation from Isa 52:5.

[2:25]  37 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).

[2:25]  38 tn This contrast is clearer and stronger in Greek than can be easily expressed in English.

[2:25]  39 tn Grk “if you should be a transgressor of the law.”

[2:26]  38 tn The Greek word φυλάσσω (fulassw, traditionally translated “keep”) in this context connotes preservation of and devotion to an object as well as obedience.

[2:27]  39 tn Grk “the uncircumcision by nature.” The word “man” is supplied here to make clear that male circumcision (or uncircumcision) is in view.

[2:27]  40 tn Grk “through,” but here the preposition seems to mean “(along) with,” “though provided with,” as BDAG 224 s.v. διά A.3.c indicates.

[2:27]  41 tn Grk “letter.”

[2:29]  40 sn On circumcision is of the heart see Lev 26:41; Deut 10:16; Jer 4:4; Ezek 44:9.

[2:29]  41 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).

[2:29]  42 tn Grk “letter.”

[2:29]  43 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.

[3:2]  41 tn Grk “much in every way.”

[3:2]  42 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 mss have γάρ, but not μέν (6 1739 1881). γάρ was frequently added by scribes as a clarifying conjunction, making it suspect here. NA27 has the γάρ in brackets, indicating doubt as to its authenticity.

[3:2]  43 tn Grk “they were.”

[3:2]  44 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.

[3:4]  42 tn Grk “every man”; but ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") is used in a generic sense here to stress humanity rather than masculinity.

[3:4]  43 tn Grk “Let God be true, and every man a liar.” The words “proven” and “shown up” are supplied in the translation to clarify the meaning.

[3:4]  44 tn Grk “might be justified,” a subjunctive verb, but in this type of clause it carries the same sense as the future indicative verb in the latter part. “Will” is more idiomatic in contemporary English.

[3:4]  45 tn Or “prevail when you judge.” A quotation from Ps 51:4.

[3:5]  43 tn Or “shows clearly.”

[3:5]  44 tn Grk “That God is not unjust to inflict wrath, is he?”

[3:5]  45 sn The same expression occurs in Gal 3:15, and similar phrases in Rom 6:19 and 1 Cor 9:8.

[3:7]  44 tn Grk “abounded unto.”

[3:8]  45 tn Grk “(as we are slandered and some affirm that we say…).”

[3:8]  46 tn Grk “whose.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, this relative clause was rendered as a new sentence in the translation.

[3:12]  46 sn Verses 10-12 are a quotation from Ps 14:1-3.

[3:13]  47 tn Grk “their throat is an opened grave.”

[3:13]  48 sn A quotation from Pss 5:9; 140:3.

[3:14]  48 tn Grk “whose mouth is.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[3:14]  49 sn A quotation from Ps 10:7.

[3:17]  49 sn Rom 3:15-17 is a quotation from Isa 59:7-8.

[3:18]  50 sn A quotation from Ps 36:1.

[3:19]  51 tn Grk “in,” “in connection with.”

[3:20]  52 sn An allusion to Ps 143:2.

[3:20]  53 tn Grk “because by the works of the law no flesh is justified before him.” Some recent scholars have understood the phrase ἒργα νόμου (erga nomou, “works of the law”) to refer not to obedience to the Mosaic law generally, but specifically to portions of the law that pertain to things like circumcision and dietary laws which set the Jewish people apart from the other nations (e.g., J. D. G. Dunn, Romans [WBC], 1:155). Other interpreters, like C. E. B. Cranfield (“‘The Works of the Law’ in the Epistle to the Romans,” JSNT 43 [1991]: 89-101) reject this narrow interpretation for a number of reasons, among which the most important are: (1) The second half of v. 20, “for through the law comes the knowledge of sin,” is hard to explain if the phrase “works of the law” is understood in a restricted sense; (2) the plural phrase “works of the law” would have to be understood in a different sense from the singular phrase “the work of the law” in 2:15; (3) similar phrases involving the law in Romans (2:13, 14; 2:25, 26, 27; 7:25; 8:4; and 13:8) which are naturally related to the phrase “works of the law” cannot be taken to refer to circumcision (in fact, in 2:25 circumcision is explicitly contrasted with keeping the law). Those interpreters who reject the “narrow” interpretation of “works of the law” understand the phrase to refer to obedience to the Mosaic law in general.

[3:20]  54 tn Grk “is.”

[3:21]  53 tn Νυνὶ δέ (Nuni de, “But now”) could be understood as either (1) logical or (2) temporal in force, but most recent interpreters take it as temporal, referring to a new phase in salvation history.

[3:21]  54 tn Grk “being witnessed by the law and the prophets,” a remark which is virtually parenthetical to Paul’s argument.

[3:22]  54 tn Or “faith in Christ.” A decision is difficult here. Though traditionally translated “faith in Jesus Christ,” an increasing number of NT scholars are arguing that πίστις Χριστοῦ (pisti" Cristou) and similar phrases in Paul (here and in v. 26; Gal 2:16, 20; 3:22; Eph 3:12; Phil 3:9) involve a subjective genitive and mean “Christ’s faith” or “Christ’s faithfulness” (cf., e.g., G. Howard, “The ‘Faith of Christ’,” ExpTim 85 [1974]: 212-15; R. B. Hays, The Faith of Jesus Christ [SBLDS]; Morna D. Hooker, “Πίστις Χριστοῦ,” NTS 35 [1989]: 321-42). Noteworthy among the arguments for the subjective genitive view is that when πίστις takes a personal genitive it is almost never an objective genitive (cf. Matt 9:2, 22, 29; Mark 2:5; 5:34; 10:52; Luke 5:20; 7:50; 8:25, 48; 17:19; 18:42; 22:32; Rom 1:8; 12; 3:3; 4:5, 12, 16; 1 Cor 2:5; 15:14, 17; 2 Cor 10:15; Phil 2:17; Col 1:4; 2:5; 1 Thess 1:8; 3:2, 5, 10; 2 Thess 1:3; Titus 1:1; Phlm 6; 1 Pet 1:9, 21; 2 Pet 1:5). On the other hand, the objective genitive view has its adherents: A. Hultgren, “The Pistis Christou Formulations in Paul,” NovT 22 (1980): 248-63; J. D. G. Dunn, “Once More, ΠΙΣΤΙΣ ΧΡΙΣΤΟΥ,” SBL Seminar Papers, 1991, 730-44. Most commentaries on Romans and Galatians usually side with the objective view.

[3:24]  55 tn Or “declared righteous.” Grk “being justified,” as a continuation of the preceding clause. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[3:25]  56 tn Or “purposed, intended.”

[3:25]  57 tn Grk “whom God publicly displayed.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[3:25]  58 tn Grk “in his blood.” The prepositional phrase ἐν τῷ αὐτοῦ αἵματι (ejn tw aujtou {aimati) is difficult to interpret. It is traditionally understood to refer to the atoning sacrifice Jesus made when he shed his blood on the cross, and as a modifier of ἱλαστήριον (Jilasthrion). This interpretation fits if ἱλαστήριον is taken to refer to a sacrifice. But if ἱλαστήριον is taken to refer to the place where atonement is made as this translation has done (see note on the phrase “mercy seat”), this interpretation of ἐν τῷ αὐτοῦ αἵματι creates a violent mixed metaphor. Within a few words Paul would switch from referring to Jesus as the place where atonement was made to referring to Jesus as the atoning sacrifice itself. A viable option which resolves this problem is to see ἐν τῷ αὐτοῦ αἵματι as modifying the verb προέθετο (proeqeto). If it modifies the verb, it would explain the time or place in which God publicly displayed Jesus as the mercy seat; the reference to blood would be a metaphorical way of speaking of Jesus’ death. This is supported by the placement of ἐν τῷ αὐτοῦ αἵματι in the Greek text (it follows the noun, separated from it by another prepositional phrase) and by stylistic parallels with Rom 1:4. This is the interpretation the translation has followed, although it is recognized that many interpreters favor different options and translations. The prepositional phrase has been moved forward in the sentence to emphasize its connection with the verb, and the referent of the metaphorical language has been specified in the translation. For a detailed discussion of this interpretation, see D. P. Bailey, “Jesus As the Mercy Seat: The Semantics and Theology of Paul’s Use of Hilasterion in Romans 3:25” (Ph.D. diss., University of Cambridge, 1999).

[3:25]  59 tn The word ἱλαστήριον (Jilasthrion) may carry the general sense “place of satisfaction,” referring to the place where God’s wrath toward sin is satisfied. More likely, though, it refers specifically to the “mercy seat,” i.e., the covering of the ark where the blood was sprinkled in the OT ritual on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur). This term is used only one other time in the NT: Heb 9:5, where it is rendered “mercy seat.” There it describes the altar in the most holy place (holy of holies). Thus Paul is saying that God displayed Jesus as the “mercy seat,” the place where propitiation was accomplished. See N. S. L. Fryer, “The Meaning and Translation of Hilasterion in Romans 3:25,” EvQ 59 (1987): 99-116, who concludes the term is a neuter accusative substantive best translated “mercy seat” or “propitiatory covering,” and D. P. Bailey, “Jesus As the Mercy Seat: The Semantics and Theology of Paul’s Use of Hilasterion in Romans 3:25” (Ph.D. diss., University of Cambridge, 1999), who argues that this is a direct reference to the mercy seat which covered the ark of the covenant.

[3:25]  60 tn The prepositional phrase διὰ πίστεως (dia pistew") here modifies the noun ἱλαστήριον (Jilasthrion). As such it forms a complete noun phrase and could be written as “mercy-seat-accessible-through-faith” to emphasize the singular idea. See Rom 1:4 for a similar construction. The word “accessible” is not in the Greek text but has been supplied to clarify the idea expressed by the prepositional phrase (cf. NRSV: “effective through faith”).

[3:25]  61 tn Grk “for a demonstration,” giving the purpose of God’s action in v. 25a. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[3:25]  62 tn Grk “because of the passing over of sins previously committed in the forbearance of God.”

[3:26]  57 tn The words “This was” have been repeated from the previous verse to clarify that this is a continuation of that thought. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[3:26]  58 tn Grk “toward a demonstration,” repeating and expanding the purpose of God’s action in v. 25a.

[3:26]  59 tn Or “righteous.”

[3:26]  60 tn Or “of the one who has faith in Jesus.” See note on “faithfulness of Jesus Christ” in v. 22 for the rationale behind the translation “Jesus’ faithfulness.”

[3:27]  58 tn Although a number of interpreters understand the “boasting” here to refer to Jewish boasting, others (e.g. C. E. B. Cranfield, “‘The Works of the Law’ in the Epistle to the Romans,” JSNT 43 [1991]: 96) take the phrase to refer to all human boasting before God.

[3:27]  59 tn Grk “By what sort of law?”

[3:28]  59 tn Here ἄνθρωπον (anqrwpon) is used in an indefinite and general sense (BDAG 81 s.v. ἄνθρωπος 4.a.γ).

[3:28]  60 tn See the note on the phrase “works of the law” in Rom 3:20.

[3:30]  60 tn Grk “but if indeed God is one.”

[3:31]  61 tn Grk “render inoperative.”

[3:31]  62 tn Grk “but” (Greek ἀλλά, alla).

[4:1]  62 tn Or “according to natural descent” (BDAG 916 s.v. σάρξ 4).

[4:1]  63 tn Grk “has found?”

[4:2]  63 tn Or “was justified.”

[4:3]  64 tn The term λογίζομαι (logizomai) occurs 11 times in this chapter (vv. 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 22, 23, 24). In secular usage it could (a) refer to deliberations of some sort, or (b) in commercial dealings (as virtually a technical term) to “reckoning” or “charging up a debt.” See H. W. Heidland, TDNT 4:284, 290-92.

[4:3]  65 sn A quotation from Gen 15:6.

[4:4]  65 tn Grk “not according to grace but according to obligation.”

[4:5]  66 tn Or “who justifies the ungodly.”

[4:7]  67 tn Or “Happy.”

[4:8]  68 tn The word for “man” or “individual” here is ἀνήρ (anhr), which often means “male” or “man (as opposed to woman).” However, as BDAG 79 s.v. 2 says, here it is “equivalent to τὶς someone, a person.”

[4:8]  69 tn The verb translated “count” here is λογίζομαι (logizomai). It occurs eight times in Rom 4:1-12, including here, each time with the sense of “place on someone’s account.” By itself the word is neutral, but in particular contexts it can take on a positive or negative connotation. The other occurrences of the verb have been translated using a form of the English verb “credit” because they refer to a positive event: the application of righteousness to the individual believer. The use here in v. 8 is negative: the application of sin. A form of the verb “credit” was not used here because of the positive connotations associated with that English word, but it is important to recognize that the same concept is used here as in the other occurrences.

[4:8]  70 sn A quotation from Ps 32:1-2.

[4:9]  69 tn Or “happiness.”

[4:9]  70 tn Grk “upon.”

[4:9]  71 sn See the note on “circumcision” in 2:25.

[4:9]  72 tn Grk “upon.”

[4:9]  73 sn A quotation from Gen 15:6.

[4:11]  70 tn Grk “of the faith, the one [existing] in uncircumcision.”

[4:11]  71 tn Grk “that he might be,” giving the purpose of v. 11a.

[4:11]  72 tn Grk “through uncircumcision.”

[4:12]  71 tn Grk “the father of circumcision.”

[4:12]  72 tn Grk “the ‘in-uncircumcision faith’ of our father Abraham.”

[4:13]  72 sn Although a singular noun, the promise is collective and does not refer only to Gen 12:7, but as D. Moo (Romans 1-8 [WEC], 279) points out, refers to multiple aspects of the promise to Abraham: multiplied descendants (Gen 12:2), possession of the land (Gen 13:15-17), and his becoming the vehicle of blessing to all people (Gen 12:13).

[4:14]  73 tn Grk “rendered inoperative.”

[4:15]  74 tn Or “violation.”

[4:16]  75 tn Grk “that it might be according to grace.”

[4:16]  76 tn Grk “those who are of the faith of Abraham.”

[4:17]  76 tn Verses 16-17 comprise one sentence in Greek, but this has been divided into two sentences due to English requirements.

[4:17]  77 tn The words “He is our father” are not in the Greek text but are supplied to show that they resume Paul’s argument from 16b. (It is also possible to supply “Abraham had faith” here [so REB], taking the relative clause [“who is the father of us all”] as part of the parenthesis, and making the connection back to “the faith of Abraham,” but such an option is not as likely [C. E. B. Cranfield, Romans [ICC], 1:243].)

[4:17]  78 tn “The God” is not in the Greek text but is supplied for clarity.

[4:17]  79 tn Or “calls into existence the things that do not exist.” The translation of ὡς ὄντα (Jw" onta) allows for two different interpretations. If it has the force of result, then creatio ex nihilo is in view and the variant rendering is to be accepted (so C. E. B. Cranfield, Romans [ICC], 1:244). A problem with this view is the scarcity of ὡς plus participle to indicate result (though for the telic idea with ὡς plus participle, cf. Rom 15:15; 1 Thess 2:4). If it has a comparative force, then the translation given in the text is to be accepted: “this interpretation fits the immediate context better than a reference to God’s creative power, for it explains the assurance with which God can speak of the ‘many nations’ that will be descended from Abraham” (D. Moo, Romans [NICNT], 282; so also W. Sanday and A. C. Headlam, Romans [ICC], 113). Further, this view is in line with a Pauline idiom, viz., verb followed by ὡς plus participle (of the same verb or, in certain contexts, its antonym) to compare present reality with what is not a present reality (cf. 1 Cor 4:7; 5:3; 7:29, 30 (three times), 31; Col 2:20 [similarly, 2 Cor 6:9, 10]).

[4:18]  77 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[4:18]  78 tn Grk “who against hope believed,” referring to Abraham. 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.

[4:18]  79 sn A quotation from Gen 17:5.

[4:18]  80 tn Grk “according to that which had been spoken.”

[4:18]  81 sn A quotation from Gen 15:5.

[4:19]  78 tc Most mss (D F G Ψ 33 1881 Ï it) read “he did not consider” by including the negative particle (οὐ, ou), but others (א A B C 6 81 365 1506 1739 pc co) lack οὐ. The reading which includes the negative particle probably represents a scribal attempt to exalt the faith of Abraham by making it appear that his faith was so strong that he did not even consider the physical facts. But “here Paul does not wish to imply that faith means closing one’s eyes to reality, but that Abraham was so strong in faith as to be undaunted by every consideration” (TCGNT 451). Both on external and internal grounds, the reading without the negative particle is preferred.

[4:19]  79 tc ‡ Most witnesses (א A C D Ψ 33 Ï bo) have ἤδη (hdh, “already”) at this point in v. 19. But B F G 630 1739 1881 pc lat sa lack it. Since it appears to heighten the style of the narrative and since there is no easy accounting for an accidental omission, it is best to regard the shorter text as original. NA27 includes the word in brackets, indicating doubt as to its authenticity.

[4:20]  79 tn Grk “And he.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, δέ (de) has not been translated here.

[4:21]  80 tn Grk “and being.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[4:21]  81 tn Grk “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[4:22]  81 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[4:23]  82 tn A quotation from Gen 15:6.

[4:23]  83 tn Grk “his”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[4:25]  83 tn Grk “who,” referring to Jesus. 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.

[4:25]  84 tn Or “handed over.”

[4:25]  85 tn Grk “because of.” However, in light of the unsatisfactory sense that a causal nuance would here suggest, it has been argued that the second διά (dia) is prospective rather than retrospective (D. Moo, Romans [NICNT], 288-89). The difficulty of this interpretation is the structural balance that both διά phrases provide (“given over because of our transgressions…raised because of our justification”). However the poetic structure of this verse strengthens the likelihood that the clauses each have a different force.

[4:25]  86 sn Many scholars regard Rom 4:25 to be poetic or hymnic. These terms are used broadly to refer to the genre of writing, not to the content. There are two broad criteria for determining if a passage is poetic or hymnic: “(a) stylistic: a certain rhythmical lilt when the passages are read aloud, the presence of parallelismus membrorum (i.e., an arrangement into couplets), the semblance of some metre, and the presence of rhetorical devices such as alliteration, chiasmus, and antithesis; and (b) linguistic: an unusual vocabulary, particularly the presence of theological terms, which is different from the surrounding context” (P. T. O’Brien, Philippians [NIGTC], 188-89). Classifying a passage as hymnic or poetic is important because understanding this genre can provide keys to interpretation. However, not all scholars agree that the above criteria are present in this passage.

[5:1]  84 sn Many interpreters see Rom 5:1 as beginning the second major division of the letter.

[5:1]  85 tc A number of important witnesses have the subjunctive ἔχωμεν (ecwmen, “let us have”) instead of ἔχομεν (ecomen, “we have”) in v. 1. Included in the subjunctive’s support are א* A B* C D K L 33 81 630 1175 1739* pm lat bo. But the indicative is not without its supporters: א1 B2 F G P Ψ 0220vid 104 365 1241 1505 1506 1739c 1881 2464 pm. If the problem were to be solved on an external basis only, the subjunctive would be preferred. Because of this, the “A” rating on behalf of the indicative in the UBS4 appears overly confident. Nevertheless, the indicative is probably correct. First, the earliest witness to Rom 5:1 has the indicative (0220vid, third century). Second, the first set of correctors is sometimes, if not often, of equal importance with the original hand. Hence, א1 might be given equal value with א*. Third, there is a good cross-section of witnesses for the indicative: Alexandrian (in 0220vid, probably א1 1241 1506 1881 al), Western (in F G), and Byzantine (noted in NA27 as pm). Thus, although the external evidence is strongly in favor of the subjunctive, the indicative is represented well enough that its ancestry could easily go back to the original. Turning to the internal evidence, the indicative gains much ground. (1) The variant may have been produced via an error of hearing (since omicron and omega were pronounced alike in ancient Greek). This, of course, does not indicate which reading was original – just that an error of hearing may have produced one of them. In light of the indecisiveness of the transcriptional evidence, intrinsic evidence could play a much larger role. This is indeed the case here. (2) The indicative fits well with the overall argument of the book to this point. Up until now, Paul has been establishing the “indicatives of the faith.” There is only one imperative (used rhetorically) and only one hortatory subjunctive (and this in a quotation within a diatribe) up till this point, while from ch. 6 on there are sixty-one imperatives and seven hortatory subjunctives. Clearly, an exhortation would be out of place in ch. 5. (3) Paul presupposes that the audience has peace with God (via reconciliation) in 5:10. This seems to assume the indicative in v. 1. (4) As C. E. B. Cranfield notes, “it would surely be strange for Paul, in such a carefully argued writing as this, to exhort his readers to enjoy or to guard a peace which he has not yet explicitly shown to be possessed by them” (Romans [ICC], 1:257). (5) The notion that εἰρήνην ἔχωμεν (eirhnhn ecwmen) can even naturally mean “enjoy peace” is problematic (ExSyn 464), yet those who embrace the subjunctive have to give the verb some such force. Thus, although the external evidence is stronger in support of the subjunctive, the internal evidence points to the indicative. Although a decision is difficult, ἔχομεν appears to be the authentic reading.

[5:2]  85 tn Or “exult, boast.”

[5:3]  86 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[5:5]  87 tn The phrase ἡ ἀγάπη τοῦ θεοῦ (Jh agaph tou qeou, “the love of God”) could be interpreted as either an objective genitive (“our love for God”), subjective genitive (“God’s love for us”), or both (M. Zerwick’s “general” genitive [Biblical Greek, §§36-39]; D. B. Wallace’s “plenary” genitive [ExSyn 119-21]). The immediate context, which discusses what God has done for believers, favors a subjective genitive, but the fact that this love is poured out within the hearts of believers implies that it may be the source for believers’ love for God; consequently an objective genitive cannot be ruled out. It is possible that both these ideas are meant in the text and that this is a plenary genitive: “The love that comes from God and that produces our love for God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us” (ExSyn 121).

[5:5]  88 sn On the OT background of the Spirit being poured out, see Isa 32:15; Joel 2:28-29.

[5:7]  88 sn Verse 7 forms something of a parenthetical comment in Paul’s argument.

[5:9]  89 tn Grk “having now been declared righteous.” The participle δικαιωθέντες (dikaiwqente") has been translated as a causal adverbial participle.

[5:9]  90 tn Or, according to BDF §219.3, “at the price of his blood.”

[5:9]  91 tn Grk “the wrath,” referring to God’s wrath as v. 10 shows.

[5:11]  90 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[5:11]  91 tn Or “exult, boast.”

[5:12]  91 tn Here ἀνθρώπους (anqrwpou") has been translated as a generic (“people”) since both men and women are clearly intended in this context.

[5:12]  92 tn The translation of the phrase ἐφ᾿ ᾧ (ef Jw) has been heavily debated. For a discussion of all the possibilities, see C. E. B. Cranfield, “On Some of the Problems in the Interpretation of Romans 5.12,” SJT 22 (1969): 324-41. Only a few of the major options can be mentioned here: (1) the phrase can be taken as a relative clause in which the pronoun refers to Adam, “death spread to all people in whom [Adam] all sinned.” (2) The phrase can be taken with consecutive (resultative) force, meaning “death spread to all people with the result that all sinned.” (3) Others take the phrase as causal in force: “death spread to all people because all sinned.”

[5:13]  92 tn Grk “for before the law.”

[5:13]  93 tn Or “sin is not reckoned.”

[5:14]  93 tn Or “pattern.”

[5:14]  94 tn Or “disobeyed”; Grk “in the likeness of Adam’s transgression.”

[5:15]  94 tn Grk “but not as the transgression, so also [is] the gracious gift.”

[5:15]  95 sn Here the one man refers to Adam (cf. 5:14).

[5:16]  95 tn Grk “and not as through the one who sinned [is] the gift.”

[5:16]  96 tn The word “transgression” is not in the Greek text at this point, but has been supplied for clarity.

[5:16]  97 tn Greek emphasizes the contrast between these two clauses more than can be easily expressed in English.

[5:16]  98 tn Or “falls, trespasses,” the same word used in vv. 15, 17, 18, 20.

[5:17]  96 sn Here the one man refers to Adam (cf. 5:14).

[5:18]  97 tn There is a double connective here that cannot be easily preserved in English: “consequently therefore,” emphasizing the conclusion of what he has been arguing.

[5:18]  98 tn Grk “[it is] unto condemnation for all people.”

[5:18]  99 tn Here ἀνθρώπους (anqrwpou") has been translated as a generic (“people”) since both men and women are clearly intended in this context.

[5:18]  100 tn There are no verbs in the Greek text of v. 18, forcing translators to supply phrases like “came through one transgression,” “resulted from one transgression,” etc.

[5:18]  101 sn One transgression refers to the sin of Adam in Gen 3:1-24.

[5:18]  102 sn The one righteous act refers to Jesus’ death on the cross.

[5:18]  103 tn Grk “righteousness of life.”

[5:19]  98 sn Here the one man refers to Adam (cf. 5:14).

[5:19]  99 tn Grk “the many.”

[5:19]  100 sn One man refers here to Jesus Christ.

[5:19]  101 tn Grk “the many.”

[5:20]  99 tn Grk “slipped in.”

[5:20]  100 tn Or “trespass.”

[6:4]  100 tn Grk “may walk in newness of life,” in which ζωῆς (zwhs) functions as an attributed genitive (see ExSyn 89-90, where this verse is given as a prime example).

[6:5]  101 tn Grk “we will certainly also of his resurrection.”

[6:6]  102 tn Grk “knowing this, that.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[6:6]  103 tn Grk “may be rendered ineffective, inoperative,” or possibly “may be destroyed.” The term καταργέω (katargew) has various nuances. In Rom 7:2 the wife whose husband has died is freed from the law (i.e., the law of marriage no longer has any power over her, in spite of what she may feel). A similar point seems to be made here (note v. 7).

[6:7]  103 sn Verse 7 forms something of a parenthetical comment in Paul’s argument.

[6:9]  104 tn Grk “knowing.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[6:9]  105 tn The present tense here has been translated as a futuristic present (see ExSyn 536, where this verse is listed as an example).

[6:11]  105 tc ‡ Some Alexandrian and Byzantine mss (Ì94vid א* B C 81 365 1506 1739 1881 pc) have the infinitive “to be” (εἶναι, einai) following “yourselves”. The infinitive is lacking from some mss of the Alexandrian and Western texttypes (Ì46vid A D*,c F G 33vid pc). The infinitive is found elsewhere in the majority of Byzantine mss, suggesting a scribal tendency toward clarification. The lack of infinitive best explains the rise of the other readings. The meaning of the passage is not significantly altered by inclusion or omission, but on internal grounds omission is more likely. NA27 includes the infinitive in brackets, indicating doubt as to its authenticity.

[6:11]  106 tn Greek emphasizes the contrast between these two clauses more than can be easily expressed in English.

[6:13]  106 tn Or “weapons, tools.”

[6:13]  107 tn Or “wickedness, injustice.”

[6:13]  108 tn Or “weapons, tools.”

[6:16]  107 tn Grk “to whom you present yourselves.”

[6:16]  108 tn Grk “as slaves for obedience.” See the note on the word “slave” in 1:1.

[6:16]  109 tn Grk “either of sin unto death, or obedience unto righteousness.”

[6:17]  108 tn Grk “you were slaves of sin but you obeyed.”

[6:17]  109 tn Or “type, form.”

[6:19]  109 tn Or “because of your natural limitations” (NRSV).

[6:21]  110 tn Grk “fruit.”

[6:21]  111 tn Grk “have,” in a tense emphasizing their customary condition in the past.

[6:22]  111 tn The two aorist participles translated “freed” and “enslaved” are causal in force; their full force is something like “But now, since you have become freed from sin and since you have become enslaved to God….”

[6:22]  112 tn Grk “fruit.”

[6:23]  112 tn A figurative extension of ὀψώνιον (oywnion), which refers to a soldier’s pay or wages. Here it refers to the end result of an activity, seen as something one receives back in return. In this case the activity is sin, and the translation “payoff” captures this thought. See also L&N 89.42.

[7:1]  113 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:13.

[7:1]  114 sn Here person refers to a human being.

[7:2]  114 tn Grk “the,” with the article used as a possessive pronoun (ExSyn 215).

[7:2]  115 tn Grk “husband.”

[7:3]  115 tn There is a double connective here that cannot be easily preserved in English: “consequently therefore,” emphasizing the conclusion of what he has been arguing.

[7:3]  116 tn Grk “the,” with the article used as a possessive pronoun (ExSyn 215).

[7:4]  116 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:13.

[7:4]  117 tn Grk “that we might bear fruit to God.”

[7:5]  117 tn That is, before we were in Christ.

[7:5]  118 tn Or “sinful passions.”

[7:5]  119 tn Grk “our members”; the words “of our body” have been supplied to clarify the meaning.

[7:6]  118 tn Grk “having died.” The participle ἀποθανόντες (apoqanonte") has been translated as a causal adverbial participle.

[7:6]  119 tn Grk “in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter.”

[7:7]  119 sn Romans 7:7-25. There has been an enormous debate over the significance of the first person singular pronouns (“I”) in this passage and how to understand their referent. Did Paul intend (1) a reference to himself and other Christians too; (2) a reference to his own pre-Christian experience as a Jew, struggling with the law and sin (and thus addressing his fellow countrymen as Jews); or (3) a reference to himself as a child of Adam, reflecting the experience of Adam that is shared by both Jews and Gentiles alike (i.e., all people everywhere)? Good arguments can be assembled for each of these views, and each has problems dealing with specific statements in the passage. The classic argument against an autobiographical interpretation was made by W. G. Kümmel, Römer 7 und die Bekehrung des Paulus. A good case for seeing at least an autobiographical element in the chapter has been made by G. Theissen, Psychologische Aspekte paulinischer Theologie [FRLANT], 181-268. One major point that seems to favor some sort of an autobiographical reading of these verses is the lack of any mention of the Holy Spirit for empowerment in the struggle described in Rom 7:7-25. The Spirit is mentioned beginning in 8:1 as the solution to the problem of the struggle with sin (8:4-6, 9).

[7:7]  120 tn Grk “I would not have known covetousness.”

[7:7]  121 sn A quotation from Exod 20:17 and Deut 5:21.

[7:8]  120 tn Or “covetousness.”

[7:10]  121 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “So” to indicate the result of the statement in the previous verse. Greek style often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” but English style generally does not.

[7:10]  122 tn Grk “and there was found in/for me the commandment which was for life – this was for death.”

[7:11]  122 tn Or “and through it killed me.”

[7:14]  123 tn Grk “under sin.”

[7:15]  124 tn Grk “but what I hate, this I do.”

[7:16]  125 tn Grk “I agree with the law that it is good.”

[7:18]  126 tn Grk “For to wish is present in/with me, but not to do it.”

[7:25]  127 tc ‡ Most mss (א* A 1739 1881 Ï sy) read “I give thanks to God” rather than “Now thanks be to God” (א1 [B] Ψ 33 81 104 365 1506 pc), the reading of NA27. The reading with the verb (εὐχαριστῶ τῷ θεῷ, eucaristw tw qew) possibly arose from a transcriptional error in which several letters were doubled (TCGNT 455). The conjunction δέ (de, “now”) is included in some mss as well (א1 Ψ 33 81 104 365 1506 pc), but it should probably not be considered original. The ms support for the omission of δέ is both excellent and widespread (א* A B D 1739 1881 Ï lat sy), and its addition can be explained as an insertion to smooth out the transition between v. 24 and 25.

[7:25]  128 tn There is a double connective here that cannot be easily preserved in English: “consequently therefore,” emphasizing the conclusion of what he has been arguing.

[7:25]  129 tn Greek emphasizes the contrast between these two clauses more than can be easily expressed in English.

[7:25]  130 tn The words “I serve” have been repeated here for clarity.

[8:1]  128 tc The earliest and best witnesses of the Alexandrian and Western texts, as well as a few others (א* B D* F G 6 1506 1739 1881 pc co), have no additional words for v. 1. Later scribes (A D1 Ψ 81 365 629 pc vg) added the words μὴ κατὰ σάρκα περιπατοῦσιν (mh kata sarka peripatousin, “who do not walk according to the flesh”), while even later ones (א2 D2 33vid Ï) added ἀλλὰ κατὰ πνεῦμα (alla kata pneuma, “but [who do walk] according to the Spirit”). Both the external evidence and the internal evidence are compelling for the shortest reading. The scribes were evidently motivated to add such qualifications (interpolated from v. 4) to insulate Paul’s gospel from charges that it was characterized too much by grace. The KJV follows the longest reading found in Ï.

[8:2]  129 tn Grk “for the law of the Spirit of life.”

[8:2]  130 tc Most mss read the first person singular pronoun με (me) here (A D 1739c 1881 Ï lat sa). The second person singular pronoun σε (se) is superior because of external support (א B {F which reads σαι} G 1506* 1739*) and internal support (it is the harder reading since ch. 7 was narrated in the first person). At the same time, it could have arisen via dittography from the final syllable of the verb preceding it (ἠλευθέρωσεν, hleuqerwsen; “has set free”). But for this to happen in such early and diverse witnesses is unlikely, especially as it depends on various scribes repeatedly overlooking either the nu or the nu-bar at the end of the verb.

[8:3]  130 tn Grk “in that.”

[8:5]  131 tn Grk “think on” or “are intent on” (twice in this verse). What is in view here is not primarily preoccupation, however, but worldview. Translations like “set their mind on” could be misunderstood by the typical English reader to refer exclusively to preoccupation.

[8:6]  132 tn Or “mindset,” “way of thinking” (twice in this verse and once in v. 7). The Greek term φρόνημα does not refer to one’s mind, but to one’s outlook or mindset.

[8:9]  133 tn Or “are not controlled by the flesh but by the Spirit.”

[8:10]  134 tn Greek emphasizes the contrast between these two clauses more than can be easily expressed in English.

[8:10]  135 tn Or “life-giving.” Grk “the Spirit is life.”

[8:11]  135 sn The one who raised Jesus from the dead refers to God (also in the following clause).

[8:11]  136 tc Several mss read ᾿Ιησοῦν (Ihsoun, “Jesus”) after Χριστόν (Criston, “Christ”; א* A D* 630 1506 1739 1881 pc bo); C 81 104 lat have ᾿Ιησοῦν Χριστόν. The shorter reading is more likely to be original, though, both because of external evidence (א2 B D2 F G Ψ 33 Ï sa) and internal evidence (scribes were much more likely to add the name “Jesus” if it were lacking than to remove it if it were already present in the text, especially to harmonize with the earlier mention of Jesus in the verse).

[8:11]  137 tc Most mss (B D F G Ψ 33 1739 1881 Ï lat) have διά (dia) followed by the accusative: “because of his Spirit who lives in you.” The genitive “through his Spirit” is supported by א A C(*) 81 104 1505 1506 al, and is slightly preferred.

[8:12]  136 tn There is a double connective here that cannot be easily preserved in English: “consequently therefore,” emphasizing the conclusion of what he has been arguing.

[8:12]  137 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:13.

[8:13]  137 tn Grk “are about to, are certainly going to.”

[8:13]  138 sn This remark is parenthetical to Paul’s argument.

[8:14]  138 tn Grk “For as many as are being led by the Spirit of God, these are.”

[8:15]  139 tn Grk “slavery again to fear.”

[8:15]  140 tn The Greek term υἱοθεσία (Juioqesia) was originally a legal technical term for adoption as a son with full rights of inheritance. BDAG 1024 s.v. notes, “a legal t.t. of ‘adoption’ of children, in our lit., i.e. in Paul, only in a transferred sense of a transcendent filial relationship between God and humans (with the legal aspect, not gender specificity, as major semantic component).”

[8:15]  141 tn Or “in that.”

[8:16]  140 tn Or possibly “with.” ExSyn 160-61, however, notes the following: “At issue, grammatically, is whether the Spirit testifies alongside of our spirit (dat. of association), or whether he testifies to our spirit (indirect object) that we are God’s children. If the former, the one receiving this testimony is unstated (is it God? or believers?). If the latter, the believer receives the testimony and hence is assured of salvation via the inner witness of the Spirit. The first view has the advantage of a σύν- (sun-) prefixed verb, which might be expected to take an accompanying dat. of association (and is supported by NEB, JB, etc.). But there are three reasons why πνεύματι (pneumati) should not be taken as association: (1) Grammatically, a dat. with a σύν- prefixed verb does not necessarily indicate association. This, of course, does not preclude such here, but this fact at least opens up the alternatives in this text. (2) Lexically, though συμμαρτυρέω (summarturew) originally bore an associative idea, it developed in the direction of merely intensifying μαρτυρέω (marturew). This is surely the case in the only other NT text with a dat. (Rom 9:1). (3) Contextually, a dat. of association does not seem to support Paul’s argument: ‘What standing has our spirit in this matter? Of itself it surely has no right at all to testify to our being sons of God’ [C. E. B. Cranfield, Romans [ICC], 1:403]. In sum, Rom 8:16 seems to be secure as a text in which the believer’s assurance of salvation is based on the inner witness of the Spirit. The implications of this for one’s soteriology are profound: The objective data, as helpful as they are, cannot by themselves provide assurance of salvation; the believer also needs (and receives) an existential, ongoing encounter with God’s Spirit in order to gain that familial comfort.”

[8:17]  141 tn Grk “on the one hand, heirs of God; on the other hand, fellow heirs with Christ.” Some prefer to render v. 17 as follows: “And if children, then heirs – that is, heirs of God. Also fellow heirs with Christ if indeed we suffer with him so we may also be glorified with him.” Such a translation suggests two distinct inheritances, one coming to all of God’s children, the other coming only to those who suffer with Christ. The difficulty of this view, however, is that it ignores the correlative conjunctions μένδέ (mende, “on the one hand…on the other hand”): The construction strongly suggests that the inheritances cannot be separated since both explain “then heirs.” For this reason, the preferred translation puts this explanation in parentheses.

[8:18]  142 tn Grk “are not worthy [to be compared].”

[8:20]  143 tn Grk “because of the one”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[8:23]  144 tn Or “who have the Spirit as firstfruits.” The genitive πνεύματος (pneumatos) can be understood here as possessive (“the firstfruits belonging to the Spirit”) although it is much more likely that this is a genitive of apposition (“the firstfruits, namely, the Spirit”); cf. TEV, NLT.

[8:23]  145 tn See the note on “adoption” in v. 15.

[8:23]  146 tn Grk “body.”

[8:25]  145 tn Or “perseverance.”

[8:26]  146 tn Or “for we do not know what we ought to pray for.”

[8:27]  147 sn He refers to God here; Paul has not specifically identified him for the sake of rhetorical power (for by leaving the subject slightly ambiguous, he draws his audience into seeing God’s hand in places where he is not explicitly mentioned).

[8:27]  148 tn Grk “he,” or “it”; the referent (the Spirit) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[8:28]  148 tc ὁ θεός (Jo qeos, “God”) is found after the verb συνεργεῖ (sunergei, “work”) in v. 28 by Ì46 A B 81 sa; the shorter reading is found in א C D F G Ψ 33 1739 1881 Ï latt sy bo. Although the inclusion is supported by a significant early papyrus, the alliance of significant Alexandrian and Western witnesses favors the shorter reading. As well, the longer reading is evidently motivated by a need for clarification. Since ὁ θεός is textually suspect, it is better to read the text without it. This leaves two good translational options: either “he works all things together for good” or “all things work together for good.” In the first instance the subject is embedded in the verb and “God” is clearly implied (as in v. 29). In the second instance, πάντα (panta) becomes the subject of an intransitive verb. In either case, “What is expressed is a truly biblical confidence in the sovereignty of God” (C. E. B. Cranfield, Romans [ICC], 1:427).

[8:29]  149 tn Grk “he”; the referent (God’s Son) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[8:29]  150 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:13.

[8:32]  150 tn Grk “[he] who.” The relative clause continues the question of v. 31 in a way that is awkward in English. The force of v. 32 is thus: “who indeed did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all – How will he not also with him give us all things?”

[8:33]  151 sn An allusion to Isa 50:8 where the reference is singular; Paul applies this to all believers (“God’s elect” is plural here).

[8:34]  152 tc ‡ A number of significant and early witnesses, along with several others (Ì46vid א A C F G L Ψ 6 33 81 104 365 1505 al lat bo), read ᾿Ιησοῦς (Ihsous, “Jesus”) after Χριστός (Cristos, “Christ”) in v. 34. But the shorter reading is not unrepresented (B D 0289 1739 1881 Ï sa). Once ᾿Ιησοῦς got into the text, what scribe would omit it? Although the external evidence is on the side of the longer reading, internally such an expansion seems suspect. The shorter reading is thus preferred. NA27 has the word in brackets, indicating doubt as to its authenticity.

[8:35]  153 tn Here “sword” is a metonymy that includes both threats of violence and acts of violence, even including death (although death is not necessarily the only thing in view here).

[8:36]  154 sn A quotation from Ps 44:22.

[8:37]  155 tn BDAG 1034 s.v. ὑπερνικάω states, “as a heightened form of νικᾶν prevail completely ὑπερνικῶμεν we are winning a most glorious victory Ro 8:37.”

[8:37]  156 tn Here the referent could be either God or Christ, but in v. 39 it is God’s love that is mentioned.

[8:38]  156 tn BDAG 138 s.v. ἀρχή 6 takes this term as a reference to angelic or transcendent powers (as opposed to merely human rulers). To clarify this, the adjective “heavenly” has been supplied in the translation. Some interpreters see this as a reference to fallen angels or demonic powers, and this view is reflected in some recent translations (NIV, NLT).

[9:1]  157 sn Rom 9:111:36. These three chapters are among the most difficult and disputed in Paul’s Letter to the Romans. One area of difficulty is the relationship between Israel and the church, especially concerning the nature and extent of Israel’s election. Many different models have been constructed to express this relationship. For a representative survey, see M. Barth, The People of God (JSNTSup), 22-27. The literary genre of these three chapters has been frequently identified as a diatribe, a philosophical discussion or conversation evolved by the Cynic and Stoic schools of philosophy as a means of popularizing their ideas (E. Käsemann, Romans, 261 and 267). But other recent scholars have challenged the idea that Rom 9–11 is characterized by diatribe. Scholars like R. Scroggs and E. E. Ellis have instead identified the material in question as midrash. For a summary and discussion of the rabbinic connections, see W. R. Stegner, “Romans 9.6-29 – A Midrash,” JSNT 22 (1984): 37-52.

[9:1]  158 tn Or “my conscience bears witness to me.”

[9:2]  158 tn Grk “my sorrow is great and the anguish in my heart is unceasing.”

[9:3]  159 tn Or “For I would pray.” The implied condition is “if this could save my fellow Jews.”

[9:3]  160 tn Grk “brothers.” See BDAG 18-19 s.v. ἀδελφός 2.b.

[9:3]  161 tn Grk “my kinsmen according to the flesh.”

[9:4]  160 tn Grk “of whom.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[9:4]  161 tn The Greek term υἱοθεσία (Juioqesia) was originally a legal technical term for adoption as a son with full rights of inheritance. BDAG 1024 s.v. notes, “a legal t.t. of ‘adoption’ of children, in our lit., i.e. in Paul, only in a transferred sense of a transcendent filial relationship between God and humans (with the legal aspect, not gender specificity, as major semantic component).” Although some modern translations remove the filial sense completely and render the term merely “adoption” (cf. NAB, ESV), the retention of this component of meaning was accomplished in the present translation by the phrase “as sons.”

[9:4]  162 tn Or “cultic service.”

[9:5]  161 tn Grk “of whom are the fathers.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[9:5]  162 tn Grk “from whom.” Here the relative pronoun has been replaced by a personal pronoun.

[9:5]  163 tn Grk “according to the flesh.”

[9:5]  164 tn Or “Messiah.” (Both Greek “Christ” and Hebrew and Aramaic “Messiah” mean “one who has been anointed.”)

[9:5]  165 tn Or “the Christ, who is over all, God blessed forever,” or “the Messiah. God who is over all be blessed forever!” or “the Messiah who is over all. God be blessed forever!” The translational difficulty here is not text-critical in nature, but is a problem of punctuation. Since the genre of these opening verses of Romans 9 is a lament, it is probably best to take this as an affirmation of Christ’s deity (as the text renders it). Although the other renderings are possible, to see a note of praise to God at the end of this section seems strangely out of place. But for Paul to bring his lament to a crescendo (that is to say, his kinsmen had rejected God come in the flesh), thereby deepening his anguish, is wholly appropriate. This is also supported grammatically and stylistically: The phrase ὁ ὢν (Jo wn, “the one who is”) is most naturally taken as a phrase which modifies something in the preceding context, and Paul’s doxologies are always closely tied to the preceding context. For a detailed examination of this verse, see B. M. Metzger, “The Punctuation of Rom. 9:5,” Christ and the Spirit in the New Testament, 95-112; and M. J. Harris, Jesus as God, 144-72.

[9:6]  162 tn Grk “For not all those who are from Israel are Israel.”

[9:7]  163 tn Grk “be called.” The emphasis here is upon God’s divine sovereignty in choosing Isaac as the child through whom Abraham’s lineage would be counted as opposed to Ishmael.

[9:8]  164 tn Grk “That is,” or “That is to say.”

[9:8]  165 tn Because it forms the counterpoint to “the children of promise” the expression “children of the flesh” has been retained in the translation.

[9:9]  165 tn Grk “For this is the word of promise.”

[9:9]  166 tn Grk “About this time I will return.” Since this refers to the time when the promised child would be born, it would be approximately a year later.

[9:9]  167 sn A quotation from Gen 18:10, 14.

[9:10]  166 tn Or possibly “by one act of sexual intercourse.” See D. Moo, Romans (NICNT), 579.

[9:11]  167 tn Grk “God’s purpose according to election.”

[9:11]  168 tn Or “not based on works but based on…”

[9:11]  169 tn Grk “by the one who calls.”

[9:12]  168 sn Many translations place this verse division before the phrase “not by works but by his calling” (NA27/UBS4, NIV, NRSV, NLT, NAB). Other translations place this verse division in the same place that the translation above does (NASB, KJV, NKJV, ASV, RSV). The translation has followed the latter to avoid breaking the parenthetical statement.

[9:12]  169 sn A quotation from Gen 25:23.

[9:13]  169 sn A quotation from Mal 1:2-3.

[9:15]  170 sn A quotation from Exod 33:19.

[9:16]  171 sn There is a double connective here that cannot be easily preserved in English: “consequently therefore,” emphasizing the conclusion of what he has been arguing.

[9:16]  172 tn Grk “So then, [it does] not [depend] on the one who desires nor on the one who runs.”

[9:17]  172 sn Paul uses a typical rabbinic formula here in which the OT scriptures are figuratively portrayed as speaking to Pharaoh. What he means is that the scripture he cites refers (or can be applied) to Pharaoh.

[9:17]  173 sn A quotation from Exod 9:16.

[9:18]  173 sn There is a double connective here that cannot be easily preserved in English: “consequently therefore,” emphasizing the conclusion of what he has been arguing.

[9:18]  174 tn Grk “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[9:18]  175 tn Grk “So then, he has mercy on whom he desires, and he hardens whom he desires.”

[9:20]  174 tn Grk “O man.”

[9:20]  175 tn Grk “On the contrary, O man, who are you to talk back to God?”

[9:20]  176 sn A quotation from Isa 29:16; 45:9.

[9:21]  175 tn Grk “Or does not the potter have authority over the clay to make from the same lump.”

[9:21]  176 tn Grk “one vessel for honor and another for dishonor.”

[9:22]  176 tn Grk “vessels.” This is the same Greek word used in v. 21.

[9:22]  177 tn Or “vessels destined for wrath.” The genitive ὀργῆς (orghs) could be taken as a genitive of destination.

[9:22]  178 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.

[9:23]  177 tn Grk “vessels.” This is the same Greek word used in v. 21.

[9:25]  178 tn Grk “and her who was not beloved, ‘Beloved.’”

[9:25]  179 sn A quotation from Hos 2:23.

[9:26]  179 tn Grk “And it will be in the very place.”

[9:26]  180 sn A quotation from Hos 1:10.

[9:27]  180 tn Grk “sons.”

[9:28]  181 tc In light of the interpretive difficulty of this verse, a longer reading seems to have been added to clarify the meaning. The addition, in the middle of the sentence, makes the whole verse read as follows: “For he will execute his sentence completely and quickly in righteousness, because the Lord will do it quickly on the earth.” The shorter reading is found largely in Alexandrian mss (Ì46 א* A B 6 1506 1739 1881 pc co), while the longer reading is found principally in Western and Byzantine mss (א2 D F G Ψ 33 Ï lat). The longer reading follows Isa 10:22-23 (LXX) verbatim, while Paul in the previous verse quoted the LXX loosely. This suggests the addition was made by a copyist trying to make sense out of a difficult passage rather than by the author himself.

[9:29]  182 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[9:29]  183 tn Traditionally, “Lord of hosts”; Grk “Lord Sabaoth,” which means “Lord of the [heavenly] armies,” sometimes translated more generally as “Lord Almighty.”

[9:29]  184 sn A quotation from Isa 1:9.

[9:31]  183 tn Or “who pursued.” The participle could be taken adverbially or adjectivally.

[9:31]  184 tn Or “a legal righteousness,” that is, a righteousness based on law. This translation would treat the genitive δικαιοσύνης (dikaiosunh") as an attributed genitive (see ExSyn 89-91).

[9:31]  185 tn Grk “has not attained unto the law.”

[9:32]  184 tn Grk “Why? Because not by faith but as though by works.” The verb (“they pursued [it]”) is to be supplied from the preceding verse for the sake of English style; yet a certain literary power is seen in Paul’s laconic style.

[9:32]  185 tc Most mss, especially the later ones (א2 D Ψ 33 Ï sy), read νόμου (nomou, “of the law”) here, echoing Paul’s usage in Rom 3:20, 28 and elsewhere. The qualifying phrase is lacking in א* A B F G 6 629 630 1739 1881 pc lat co. The longer reading thus is weaker externally and internally, being motivated apparently by a need to clarify.

[9:32]  186 tn Grk “the stone of stumbling.”

[9:33]  185 tn Grk “a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.”

[9:33]  186 sn A quotation from Isa 28:16; 8:14.

[10:1]  186 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:13.

[10:1]  187 tn Grk “on behalf of them”; the referent (Paul’s fellow Israelites) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[10:2]  187 tn Grk “they have a zeal for God.”

[10:2]  188 tn Grk “in accord with knowledge.”

[10:5]  188 sn A quotation from Lev 18:5.

[10:6]  189 sn A quotation from Deut 9:4.

[10:6]  190 sn A quotation from Deut 30:12.

[10:7]  190 sn A quotation from Deut 30:13.

[10:8]  191 sn A quotation from Deut 30:14.

[10:9]  192 tn Or “the Lord.” The Greek construction, along with the quotation from Joel 2:32 in v. 13 (in which the same “Lord” seems to be in view) suggests that κύριον (kurion) is to be taken as “the Lord,” that is, Yahweh. Cf. D. B. Wallace, “The Semantics and Exegetical Significance of the Object-Complement Construction in the New Testament,” GTJ 6 (1985): 91-112.

[10:10]  193 tn Grk “believes to righteousness.”

[10:10]  194 tn Grk “confesses to salvation.”

[10:11]  194 sn A quotation from Isa 28:16.

[10:13]  195 sn A quotation from Joel 2:32.

[10:14]  196 tn Grk “preaching”; the words “to them” are supplied for clarification.

[10:15]  197 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.”

[10:15]  198 tn Grk “the feet.” The metaphorical nuance of “beautiful feet” is that such represent timely news.

[10:15]  199 sn A quotation from Isa 52:7; Nah 1:15.

[10:16]  198 sn A quotation from Isa 53:1.

[10:17]  199 tn The Greek term here is ῥῆμα (rJhma), which often (but not exclusively) focuses on the spoken word.

[10:17]  200 tc Most mss (א1 A D1 Ψ 33 1881 Ï sy) have θεοῦ (qeou) here rather than Χριστοῦ (Cristou; found in Ì46vid א* B C D* 6 81 629 1506 1739 pc lat co). External evidence strongly favors the reading “Christ” here. Internal evidence is also on its side, for the expression ῥῆμα Χριστοῦ (rJhma Cristou) occurs nowhere else in the NT; thus scribes would be prone to change it to a known expression.

[10:18]  200 tn That is, Israel (see the following verse).

[10:18]  201 tn Grk “they have not ‘not heard,’ have they?” This question is difficult to render in English. The basic question is a negative sentence (“Have they not heard?”), but it is preceded by the particle μή (mh) which expects a negative response. The end result in English is a double negative (“They have not ‘not heard,’ have they?”). This has been changed to a positive question in the translation for clarity. See BDAG 646 s.v. μή 3.a.; D. Moo, Romans (NICNT), 666, fn. 32; and C. E. B. Cranfield, Romans (ICC), 537, for discussion.

[10:18]  202 tn Here the particle μενοῦνγε (menounge) is correcting the negative response expected by the particle μή (mh) in the preceding question. Since the question has been translated positively, the translation was changed here to reflect that rendering.

[10:18]  203 sn A quotation from Ps 19:4.

[10:19]  201 tn Grk “Israel did not ‘not know,’ did he?” The double negative in Greek has been translated as a positive affirmation for clarity (see v. 18 above for a similar situation).

[10:19]  202 sn A quotation from Deut 32:21.

[10:20]  202 sn A quotation from Isa 65:1.

[10:21]  203 sn A quotation from Isa 65:2.

[11:3]  204 sn A quotation from 1 Kgs 19:10, 14.

[11:4]  205 tn Grk “the revelation,” “the oracle.”

[11:4]  206 tn The Greek term here is ἀνήρ (anhr), which only exceptionally is used in a generic sense of both males and females. In this context, it appears to be a generic usage (“people”) since when Paul speaks of a remnant of faithful Israelites (“the elect,” v. 7), he is not referring to males only. It can also be argued, however, that it refers only to adult males here (“men”), perhaps as representative of all the faithful left in Israel.

[11:4]  207 sn A quotation from 1 Kgs 19:18.

[11:7]  206 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[11:8]  207 sn A quotation from Deut 29:4; Isa 29:10.

[11:10]  208 sn A quotation from Ps 69:22-23.

[11:11]  209 tn Grk “that they might fall.”

[11:11]  210 tn Grk “them”; the referent (Israel, cf. 11:7) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[11:12]  210 tn Or “full inclusion”; Grk “their fullness.”

[11:16]  211 tn Grk “firstfruits,” a term for the first part of something that has been set aside and offered to God before the remainder can be used.

[11:16]  212 sn Most interpreters see Paul as making use of a long-standing metaphor of the olive tree (the root…the branches) as a symbol for Israel. See, in this regard, Jer 11:16, 19. A. T. Hanson, Studies in Paul’s Technique and Theology, 121-24, cites rabbinic use of the figure of the olive tree, and goes so far as to argue that Rom 11:17-24 is a midrash on Jer 11:16-19.

[11:17]  212 tn Grk “became a participant of.”

[11:20]  213 tn Grk “well!”, an adverb used to affirm a statement. It means “very well,” “you are correct.”

[11:22]  214 tn Greek emphasizes the contrast between these two clauses more than can be easily expressed in English.

[11:22]  215 tn Grk “if you continue in (the) kindness.”

[11:25]  215 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:13.

[11:25]  216 tn Or “Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in.”

[11:25]  217 tn Grk “fullness.”

[11:26]  216 tn It is not clear whether the phrase καὶ οὕτως (kai Joutws, “and so”) is to be understood in a modal sense (“and in this way”) or in a temporal sense (“and in the end”). Neither interpretation is conclusive from a grammatical standpoint, and in fact the two may not be mutually exclusive. Some, like H. Hübner, who argue strongly against the temporal reading, nevertheless continue to give the phrase a temporal significance, saying that God will save all Israel in the end (Gottes Ich und Israel [FRLANT], 118).

[11:27]  217 sn A quotation from Isa 59:20-21.

[11:27]  218 sn A quotation from Isa 27:9; Jer 31:33-34.

[11:31]  218 tc Some important Alexandrian and Western mss (א B D*,c 1506 pc bo) read νῦν (nun, “now”) here. A few other mss (33 365 pc sa) have ὕστερον (Justeron, “finally”). mss that lack the word are Ì46 A D2 F G Ψ 1739 1881 Ï latt. External evidence slightly favors omission with good representatives from the major texttypes, and because of the alliance of Alexandrian and Byzantine mss (with the Byzantine going against its normal tendency to embrace the longer reading). Internally, scribes could have added νῦν here to give balance to the preceding clause (οὗτοι νῦν ἠπείθησαναὐτοὶ νῦν ἐλεηθῶσιν [|outoi nun hpeiqhsanautoi nun elehqwsin; “they have now been disobedient…they may now receive mercy”]). However, it seems much more likely that they would have deleted it because of its seeming inappropriateness in this context. That some witnesses have ὕστερον presupposes the presence of νῦν in their ancestors. A decision is difficult, but νῦν is slightly preferred, since it is the more difficult reading and is adequately represented in the mss.

[11:32]  219 tn Grk “to all”; “them” has been supplied for stylistic reasons.

[11:34]  220 sn A quotation from Isa 40:13.

[11:35]  221 tn Grk “him”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[11:35]  222 tn Grk “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[11:35]  223 sn A quotation from Job 41:11.



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