Romans 1:1

Salutation

1:1 From Paul, ¹  a slave ²  of Christ Jesus, ³  called to be an apostle, ⁴  set apart for the gospel of God. ⁵ 

Romans 1:1

Salutation

1:1 From Paul, ⁶  a slave ⁷  of Christ Jesus, ⁸  called to be an apostle, ⁹  set apart for the gospel of God. ¹⁰ 

Romans 1:1

Salutation

1:1 From Paul, ¹¹  a slave ¹²  of Christ Jesus, ¹³  called to be an apostle, ¹⁴  set apart for the gospel of God. ¹⁵ 

Romans 1:1-32

Salutation

1:1 From Paul, ¹⁶  a slave ¹⁷  of Christ Jesus, ¹⁸  called to be an apostle, ¹⁹  set apart for the gospel of God. ²⁰  1:2 This gospel ²¹  he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy scriptures, 1:3 concerning his Son who was a descendant ²²  of David with reference to the flesh, ²³  1:4 who was appointed the Son-of-God-in-power ²⁴  according to the Holy Spirit ²⁵  by the resurrection ²⁶  from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord. 1:5 Through him ²⁷  we have received grace and our apostleship ²⁸  to bring about the obedience ²⁹  of faith ³⁰  among all the Gentiles on behalf of his name. 1:6 You also are among them, ³¹  called to belong to Jesus Christ. ³²  1:7 To all those loved by God in Rome, ³³  called to be saints: ³⁴  Grace and peace to you ³⁵  from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!

Paul’s Desire to Visit Rome

1:8 First of all, ³⁶  I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed throughout the whole world. 1:9 For God, whom I serve in my spirit by preaching the gospel ³⁷  of his Son, is my witness that ³⁸  I continually remember you 1:10 and I always ask ³⁹  in my prayers, if perhaps now at last I may succeed in visiting you according to the will of God. ⁴⁰  1:11 For I long to see you, so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift ⁴¹  to strengthen you, 1:12 that is, that we may be mutually comforted by one another’s faith, ⁴²  both yours and mine. 1:13 I do not want you to be unaware, ⁴³  brothers and sisters, ⁴⁴  that I often intended to come to you (and was prevented until now), so that I may have some fruit even among you, just as I already have among the rest of the Gentiles. ⁴⁵  1:14 I am a debtor ⁴⁶  both to the Greeks and to the barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. 1:15 Thus I am eager ⁴⁷  also to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome. ⁴⁸ 

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. ⁴⁹  1:17 For the righteousness ⁵⁰  of God is revealed in the gospel ⁵¹  from faith to faith, ⁵²  just as it is written, “The righteous by faith will live.” ⁵³ 

The Condemnation of the Unrighteous

1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of people ⁵⁴  who suppress the truth by their ⁵⁵  unrighteousness, ⁵⁶  1:19 because what can be known about God is plain to them, ⁵⁷  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 ⁵⁸  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 ⁵⁹  were darkened. 1:22 Although they claimed ⁶⁰  to be wise, they became fools 1:23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for an image resembling mortal human beings ⁶¹  or birds or four-footed animals ⁶²  or reptiles.

1:24 Therefore God gave them over ⁶³  in the desires of their hearts to impurity, to dishonor ⁶⁴  their bodies among themselves. ⁶⁵  1:25 They ⁶⁶  exchanged the truth of God for a lie ⁶⁷  and worshiped and served the creation ⁶⁸  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, ⁶⁹  1:27 and likewise the men also abandoned natural relations with women ⁷⁰  and were inflamed in their passions ⁷¹  for one another. Men ⁷²  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, ⁷³  God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what should not be done. ⁷⁴  1:29 They are filled ⁷⁵  with every kind of unrighteousness, wickedness, covetousness, malice. They are rife with ⁷⁶  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, ⁷⁷  heartless, ruthless. 1:32 Although they fully know ⁷⁸  God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, ⁷⁹  they not only do them but also approve of those who practice them. ⁸⁰ 

Romans 1:1-32

Salutation

1:1 From Paul, ⁸¹  a slave ⁸²  of Christ Jesus, ⁸³  called to be an apostle, ⁸⁴  set apart for the gospel of God. ⁸⁵  1:2 This gospel ⁸⁶  he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy scriptures, 1:3 concerning his Son who was a descendant ⁸⁷  of David with reference to the flesh, ⁸⁸  1:4 who was appointed the Son-of-God-in-power ⁸⁹  according to the Holy Spirit ⁹⁰  by the resurrection ⁹¹  from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord. 1:5 Through him ⁹²  we have received grace and our apostleship ⁹³  to bring about the obedience ⁹⁴  of faith ⁹⁵  among all the Gentiles on behalf of his name. 1:6 You also are among them, ⁹⁶  called to belong to Jesus Christ. ⁹⁷  1:7 To all those loved by God in Rome, ⁹⁸  called to be saints: ⁹⁹  Grace and peace to you ¹⁰⁰  from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!

Paul’s Desire to Visit Rome

1:8 First of all, ¹⁰¹  I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed throughout the whole world. 1:9 For God, whom I serve in my spirit by preaching the gospel ¹⁰²  of his Son, is my witness that ¹⁰³  I continually remember you 1:10 and I always ask ¹⁰⁴  in my prayers, if perhaps now at last I may succeed in visiting you according to the will of God. ¹⁰⁵  1:11 For I long to see you, so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift ¹⁰⁶  to strengthen you, 1:12 that is, that we may be mutually comforted by one another’s faith, ¹⁰⁷  both yours and mine. 1:13 I do not want you to be unaware, ¹⁰⁸  brothers and sisters, ¹⁰⁹  that I often intended to come to you (and was prevented until now), so that I may have some fruit even among you, just as I already have among the rest of the Gentiles. ¹¹⁰  1:14 I am a debtor ¹¹¹  both to the Greeks and to the barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. 1:15 Thus I am eager ¹¹²  also to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome. ¹¹³ 

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. ¹¹⁴  1:17 For the righteousness ¹¹⁵  of God is revealed in the gospel ¹¹⁶  from faith to faith, ¹¹⁷  just as it is written, “The righteous by faith will live.” ¹¹⁸ 

The Condemnation of the Unrighteous

1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of people ¹¹⁹  who suppress the truth by their ¹²⁰  unrighteousness, ¹²¹  1:19 because what can be known about God is plain to them, ¹²²  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 ¹²³  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 ¹²⁴  were darkened. 1:22 Although they claimed ¹²⁵  to be wise, they became fools 1:23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for an image resembling mortal human beings ¹²⁶  or birds or four-footed animals ¹²⁷  or reptiles.

1:24 Therefore God gave them over ¹²⁸  in the desires of their hearts to impurity, to dishonor ¹²⁹  their bodies among themselves. ¹³⁰  1:25 They ¹³¹  exchanged the truth of God for a lie ¹³²  and worshiped and served the creation ¹³³  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, ¹³⁴  1:27 and likewise the men also abandoned natural relations with women ¹³⁵  and were inflamed in their passions ¹³⁶  for one another. Men ¹³⁷  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, ¹³⁸  God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what should not be done. ¹³⁹  1:29 They are filled ¹⁴⁰  with every kind of unrighteousness, wickedness, covetousness, malice. They are rife with ¹⁴¹  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, ¹⁴²  heartless, ruthless. 1:32 Although they fully know ¹⁴³  God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, ¹⁴⁴  they not only do them but also approve of those who practice them. ¹⁴⁵ 

[1:1]  ¹ tn Grk “Paul.” The word “from” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.

[1:1]  ² tn Traditionally, “servant.” Though δοῦλος (doulos) is normally translated “servant,” the word does not bear the connotation of a free individual serving another. BDAG notes that “‘servant’ for ‘slave’ is largely confined to Biblical transl. and early American times…in normal usage at the present time the two words are carefully distinguished” (BDAG 260 s.v.). The most accurate translation is “bondservant” (sometimes found in the ASV for δοῦλος), in that it often indicates one who sells himself into slavery to another. But as this is archaic, few today understand its force.

[1:1]  ³ tc Many important mss, as well as several others (̲⁶ א A G Ψ 33 1739 1881 Ï), have a reversed order of these words and read “Jesus Christ” rather than “Christ Jesus” (̹⁰ B 81 pc). The meaning is not affected in either case, but the reading “Christ Jesus” is preferred as slightly more difficult and thus more likely the original (a scribe who found it would be prone to change it to the more common expression). At the same time, Paul is fond of the order “Christ Jesus,” especially in certain letters such as Romans, Galatians, and Philippians. As well, the later Pauline letters almost uniformly use this order in the salutations. A decision is difficult, but “Christ Jesus” is slightly preferred.

[1:1]  ⁴ tn Grk “a called apostle.”

[1:1]  ⁵ tn The genitive in the phrase εὐαγγέλιον θεοῦ (euangelion qeou, “the gospel of God”) could be translated as (1) a subjective genitive (“the gospel which God brings”) or (2) an objective genitive (“the gospel about God”). Either is grammatically possible. This is possibly an instance of a plenary genitive (see ExSyn 119-21; M. Zerwick, Biblical Greek, §§36-39). If so, an interplay between the two concepts is intended: The gospel which God brings is in fact the gospel about himself. However, in view of God’s action in v. 2 concerning this gospel, a subjective genitive notion (“the gospel which God brings”) is slightly preferred.

[1:1]  ⁶ tn Grk “Paul.” The word “from” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.

[1:1]  ⁷ tn Traditionally, “servant.” Though δοῦλος (doulos) is normally translated “servant,” the word does not bear the connotation of a free individual serving another. BDAG notes that “‘servant’ for ‘slave’ is largely confined to Biblical transl. and early American times…in normal usage at the present time the two words are carefully distinguished” (BDAG 260 s.v.). The most accurate translation is “bondservant” (sometimes found in the ASV for δοῦλος), in that it often indicates one who sells himself into slavery to another. But as this is archaic, few today understand its force.

[1:1]  ⁸ tc Many important mss, as well as several others (̲⁶ א A G Ψ 33 1739 1881 Ï), have a reversed order of these words and read “Jesus Christ” rather than “Christ Jesus” (̹⁰ B 81 pc). The meaning is not affected in either case, but the reading “Christ Jesus” is preferred as slightly more difficult and thus more likely the original (a scribe who found it would be prone to change it to the more common expression). At the same time, Paul is fond of the order “Christ Jesus,” especially in certain letters such as Romans, Galatians, and Philippians. As well, the later Pauline letters almost uniformly use this order in the salutations. A decision is difficult, but “Christ Jesus” is slightly preferred.

[1:1]  ⁹ tn Grk “a called apostle.”

[1:1]  ¹⁰ tn The genitive in the phrase εὐαγγέλιον θεοῦ (euangelion qeou, “the gospel of God”) could be translated as (1) a subjective genitive (“the gospel which God brings”) or (2) an objective genitive (“the gospel about God”). Either is grammatically possible. This is possibly an instance of a plenary genitive (see ExSyn 119-21; M. Zerwick, Biblical Greek, §§36-39). If so, an interplay between the two concepts is intended: The gospel which God brings is in fact the gospel about himself. However, in view of God’s action in v. 2 concerning this gospel, a subjective genitive notion (“the gospel which God brings”) is slightly preferred.

[1:1]  ¹¹ tn Grk “Paul.” The word “from” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.

[1:1]  ¹² tn Traditionally, “servant.” Though δοῦλος (doulos) is normally translated “servant,” the word does not bear the connotation of a free individual serving another. BDAG notes that “‘servant’ for ‘slave’ is largely confined to Biblical transl. and early American times…in normal usage at the present time the two words are carefully distinguished” (BDAG 260 s.v.). The most accurate translation is “bondservant” (sometimes found in the ASV for δοῦλος), in that it often indicates one who sells himself into slavery to another. But as this is archaic, few today understand its force.

[1:1]  ¹³ tc Many important mss, as well as several others (̲⁶ א A G Ψ 33 1739 1881 Ï), have a reversed order of these words and read “Jesus Christ” rather than “Christ Jesus” (̹⁰ B 81 pc). The meaning is not affected in either case, but the reading “Christ Jesus” is preferred as slightly more difficult and thus more likely the original (a scribe who found it would be prone to change it to the more common expression). At the same time, Paul is fond of the order “Christ Jesus,” especially in certain letters such as Romans, Galatians, and Philippians. As well, the later Pauline letters almost uniformly use this order in the salutations. A decision is difficult, but “Christ Jesus” is slightly preferred.

[1:1]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “a called apostle.”

[1:1]  ¹⁵ tn The genitive in the phrase εὐαγγέλιον θεοῦ (euangelion qeou, “the gospel of God”) could be translated as (1) a subjective genitive (“the gospel which God brings”) or (2) an objective genitive (“the gospel about God”). Either is grammatically possible. This is possibly an instance of a plenary genitive (see ExSyn 119-21; M. Zerwick, Biblical Greek, §§36-39). If so, an interplay between the two concepts is intended: The gospel which God brings is in fact the gospel about himself. However, in view of God’s action in v. 2 concerning this gospel, a subjective genitive notion (“the gospel which God brings”) is slightly preferred.

[1:1]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “Paul.” The word “from” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.

[1:1]  ¹⁷ tn Traditionally, “servant.” Though δοῦλος (doulos) is normally translated “servant,” the word does not bear the connotation of a free individual serving another. BDAG notes that “‘servant’ for ‘slave’ is largely confined to Biblical transl. and early American times…in normal usage at the present time the two words are carefully distinguished” (BDAG 260 s.v.). The most accurate translation is “bondservant” (sometimes found in the ASV for δοῦλος), in that it often indicates one who sells himself into slavery to another. But as this is archaic, few today understand its force.

[1:1]  ¹⁸ tc Many important mss, as well as several others (̲⁶ א A G Ψ 33 1739 1881 Ï), have a reversed order of these words and read “Jesus Christ” rather than “Christ Jesus” (̹⁰ B 81 pc). The meaning is not affected in either case, but the reading “Christ Jesus” is preferred as slightly more difficult and thus more likely the original (a scribe who found it would be prone to change it to the more common expression). At the same time, Paul is fond of the order “Christ Jesus,” especially in certain letters such as Romans, Galatians, and Philippians. As well, the later Pauline letters almost uniformly use this order in the salutations. A decision is difficult, but “Christ Jesus” is slightly preferred.

[1:1]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “a called apostle.”

[1:1]  ²⁰ tn The genitive in the phrase εὐαγγέλιον θεοῦ (euangelion qeou, “the gospel of God”) could be translated as (1) a subjective genitive (“the gospel which God brings”) or (2) an objective genitive (“the gospel about God”). Either is grammatically possible. This is possibly an instance of a plenary genitive (see ExSyn 119-21; M. Zerwick, Biblical Greek, §§36-39). If so, an interplay between the two concepts is intended: The gospel which God brings is in fact the gospel about himself. However, in view of God’s action in v. 2 concerning this gospel, a subjective genitive notion (“the gospel which God brings”) is slightly preferred.

[1:2]  ²¹ tn Grk “the gospel of God, which he promised.” Because of the length and complexity of this sentence in Greek, it was divided into shorter English sentences in keeping with contemporary English style. To indicate the referent of the relative pronoun (“which”), the word “gospel” was repeated at the beginning of v. 2.

[1:3]  ²⁶ tn Grk “born of the seed” (an idiom).

[1:3]  ²⁷ tn Grk “according to the flesh,” indicating Jesus’ earthly life, a reference to its weakness. This phrase implies that Jesus was more than human; otherwise it would have been sufficient to say that he was a descendant of David, cf. L. Morris, Romans, 44.

[1:4]  ³¹ sn Appointed the Son-of-God-in-power. Most translations render the Greek participle ὁρισθέντος (Jorisqentos, from ὁρίζω, Jorizw) “declared” or “designated” in order to avoid the possible interpretation that Jesus was appointed the Son of God by the resurrection. However, the Greek term ὁρίζω is used eight times in the NT, and it always has the meaning “to determine, appoint.” Paul is not saying that Jesus was appointed the “Son of God by the resurrection” but “Son-of-God-in-power by the resurrection,” as indicated by the hyphenation. He was born in weakness in human flesh (with respect to the flesh, v. 3) and he was raised with power. This is similar to Matt 28:18 where Jesus told his disciples after the resurrection, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”

[1:4]  ³² tn Grk “spirit of holiness.” Some interpreters take the phrase to refer to Christ’s own inner spirit, which was characterized by holiness.

[1:4]  ³³ tn Or “by his resurrection.” Most interpreters see this as a reference to Jesus’ own resurrection, although some take it to refer to the general resurrection at the end of the age, of which Jesus’ resurrection is the first installment (cf. 1 Cor 15:23).

[1:5]  ³⁶ tn Grk “through whom.”

[1:5]  ³⁷ tn Some interpreters understand the phrase “grace and apostleship” as a hendiadys, translating “grace [i.e., gift] of apostleship.” The pronoun “our” is supplied in the translation to clarify the sense of the statement.

[1:5]  ³⁸ tn Grk “and apostleship for obedience.”

[1:5]  ³⁹ tn The phrase ὑπακοὴν πίστεως has been variously understood as (1) an objective genitive (a reference to the Christian faith, “obedience to [the] faith”); (2) a subjective genitive (“the obedience faith produces [or requires]”); (3) an attributive genitive (“believing obedience”); or (4) as a genitive of apposition (“obedience, [namely] faith”) in which “faith” further defines “obedience.” These options are discussed by C. E. B. Cranfield, Romans (ICC), 1:66. Others take the phrase as deliberately ambiguous; see D. B. Garlington, “The Obedience of Faith in the Letter to the Romans: Part I: The Meaning of ὑπακοὴ πίστεως (Rom 1:5; 16:26),” WTJ 52 (1990): 201-24.

[1:6]  ⁴¹ tn Grk “among whom you also are called.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation. The NIV, with its translation “And you also are among those who are called,” takes the phrase ἐν οἳς ἐστε to refer to the following clause rather than the preceding, so that the addressees of the letter (“you also”) are not connected with “all the Gentiles” mentioned at the end of v. 5. It is more likely, however, that the relative pronoun οἳς has τοῖς ἔθνεσιν as its antecedent, which would indicate that the church at Rome was predominantly Gentile.

[1:6]  ⁴² tn Grk “called of Jesus Christ.”

[1:7]  ⁴⁶ map For location see JP4 A1.

[1:7]  ⁴⁷ tn Although the first part of v. 7 is not a complete English sentence, it maintains the “From…to” pattern used in all the Pauline letters to indicate the sender and the recipients. Here, however, there are several intervening verses (vv. 2-6), which makes the first half of v. 7 appear as an isolated sentence fragment.

[1:7]  ⁴⁸ tn Grk “Grace to you and peace.”

[1:8]  ⁵¹ tn Grk “First.” Paul never mentions a second point, so J. B. Phillips translated “I must begin by telling you….”

[1:9]  ⁵⁶ tn Grk “whom I serve in my spirit in the gospel.”

[1:9]  ⁵⁷ tn Grk “as.”

[1:10]  ⁶¹ tn Grk “remember you, always asking.”

[1:10]  ⁶² tn Grk “succeed in coming to you in the will of God.”

[1:11]  ⁶⁶ sn Paul does not mean here that he is going to bestow upon the Roman believers what is commonly known as a “spiritual gift,” that is, a special enabling for service given to believers by the Holy Spirit. Instead, this is either a metonymy of cause for effect (Paul will use his own spiritual gifts to edify the Romans), or it simply means something akin to a blessing or benefit in the spiritual realm. It is possible that Paul uses this phrase to connote specifically the broader purpose of his letter, which is for the Romans to understand his gospel, but this seems less likely.

[1:12]  ⁷¹ tn Grk “that is, to be comforted together with you through the faith in one another.”

[1:13]  ⁷⁶ sn The expression “I do not want you to be unaware [Grk ignorant]” also occurs in 1 Cor 10:1; 12:1; 1 Thess 4:13. Paul uses the phrase to signal that he is about to say something very important.

[1:13]  ⁷⁷ tn Grk “brothers,” but the Greek word may be used for “brothers and sisters” or “fellow Christians” as here (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 1, where considerable nonbiblical evidence for the plural ἀδελφοί [adelfoi] meaning “brothers and sisters” is cited).

[1:13]  ⁷⁸ tn Grk “in order that I might have some fruit also among you just as also among the rest of the Gentiles.”

[1:14]  ⁸¹ tn Or “obligated.”

[1:15]  ⁸⁶ tn Or “willing, ready”; Grk “so my eagerness [is] to preach…” The word πρόθυμος (proqumo", “eager, willing”) is used only elsewhere in the NT in Matt 26:41 = Mark 14:38: “the spirit indeed is willing (πρόθυμος), but the flesh is weak.”

[1:15]  ⁸⁷ map For location see JP4 A1.

[1:16]  ⁹¹ sn Here the Greek refers to anyone who is not Jewish.

[1:17]  ⁹⁶ 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]  ⁹⁷ tn Grk “in it”; the referent (the gospel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:17]  ⁹⁸ 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]  ⁹⁹ sn A quotation from Hab 2:4.

[1:18]  ¹⁰¹ 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]  ¹⁰² tn “Their” is implied in the Greek, but is supplied because of English style.

[1:18]  ¹⁰³ tn Or “by means of unrighteousness.” Grk “in (by) unrighteousness.”

[1:19]  ¹⁰⁶ tn Grk “is manifest to/in them.”

[1:20]  ¹¹¹ tn Grk “they”; the referent (people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:21]  ¹¹⁶ tn Grk “heart.”

[1:22]  ¹²¹ tn The participle φάσκοντες (faskonte") is used concessively here.

[1:23]  ¹²⁶ 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]  ¹²⁷ sn Possibly an allusion to Ps 106:19-20.

[1:24]  ¹³¹ sn Possibly an allusion to Ps 81:12.

[1:24]  ¹³² 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]  ¹³³ tn Grk “among them.”

[1:25]  ¹³⁶ 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]  ¹³⁷ tn Grk “the lie.”

[1:25]  ¹³⁸ tn Or “creature, created things.”

[1:26]  ¹⁴¹ 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]  ¹⁴⁶ tn Grk “likewise so also the males abandoning the natural function of the female.”

[1:27]  ¹⁴⁷ tn Grk “burned with intense desire” (L&N 25.16).

[1:27]  ¹⁴⁸ 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]  ¹⁵¹ tn Grk “and just as they did not approve to have God in knowledge.”

[1:28]  ¹⁵² tn Grk “the things that are improper.”

[1:29]  ¹⁵⁶ 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]  ¹⁵⁷ 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]  ¹⁶¹ tn Or “promise-breakers.”

[1:32]  ¹⁶⁶ 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]  ¹⁶⁷ tn Grk “are worthy of death.”

[1:32]  ¹⁶⁸ 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.

[1:1]  ¹⁷¹ tn Grk “Paul.” The word “from” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.

[1:1]  ¹⁷² tn Traditionally, “servant.” Though δοῦλος (doulos) is normally translated “servant,” the word does not bear the connotation of a free individual serving another. BDAG notes that “‘servant’ for ‘slave’ is largely confined to Biblical transl. and early American times…in normal usage at the present time the two words are carefully distinguished” (BDAG 260 s.v.). The most accurate translation is “bondservant” (sometimes found in the ASV for δοῦλος), in that it often indicates one who sells himself into slavery to another. But as this is archaic, few today understand its force.

[1:1]  ¹⁷³ tc Many important mss, as well as several others (̲⁶ א A G Ψ 33 1739 1881 Ï), have a reversed order of these words and read “Jesus Christ” rather than “Christ Jesus” (̹⁰ B 81 pc). The meaning is not affected in either case, but the reading “Christ Jesus” is preferred as slightly more difficult and thus more likely the original (a scribe who found it would be prone to change it to the more common expression). At the same time, Paul is fond of the order “Christ Jesus,” especially in certain letters such as Romans, Galatians, and Philippians. As well, the later Pauline letters almost uniformly use this order in the salutations. A decision is difficult, but “Christ Jesus” is slightly preferred.

[1:1]  ¹⁷⁴ tn Grk “a called apostle.”

[1:1]  ¹⁷⁵ tn The genitive in the phrase εὐαγγέλιον θεοῦ (euangelion qeou, “the gospel of God”) could be translated as (1) a subjective genitive (“the gospel which God brings”) or (2) an objective genitive (“the gospel about God”). Either is grammatically possible. This is possibly an instance of a plenary genitive (see ExSyn 119-21; M. Zerwick, Biblical Greek, §§36-39). If so, an interplay between the two concepts is intended: The gospel which God brings is in fact the gospel about himself. However, in view of God’s action in v. 2 concerning this gospel, a subjective genitive notion (“the gospel which God brings”) is slightly preferred.

[1:2]  ¹⁷⁶ tn Grk “the gospel of God, which he promised.” Because of the length and complexity of this sentence in Greek, it was divided into shorter English sentences in keeping with contemporary English style. To indicate the referent of the relative pronoun (“which”), the word “gospel” was repeated at the beginning of v. 2.

[1:3]  ¹⁸¹ tn Grk “born of the seed” (an idiom).

[1:3]  ¹⁸² tn Grk “according to the flesh,” indicating Jesus’ earthly life, a reference to its weakness. This phrase implies that Jesus was more than human; otherwise it would have been sufficient to say that he was a descendant of David, cf. L. Morris, Romans, 44.

[1:4]  ¹⁸⁶ sn Appointed the Son-of-God-in-power. Most translations render the Greek participle ὁρισθέντος (Jorisqentos, from ὁρίζω, Jorizw) “declared” or “designated” in order to avoid the possible interpretation that Jesus was appointed the Son of God by the resurrection. However, the Greek term ὁρίζω is used eight times in the NT, and it always has the meaning “to determine, appoint.” Paul is not saying that Jesus was appointed the “Son of God by the resurrection” but “Son-of-God-in-power by the resurrection,” as indicated by the hyphenation. He was born in weakness in human flesh (with respect to the flesh, v. 3) and he was raised with power. This is similar to Matt 28:18 where Jesus told his disciples after the resurrection, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”

[1:4]  ¹⁸⁷ tn Grk “spirit of holiness.” Some interpreters take the phrase to refer to Christ’s own inner spirit, which was characterized by holiness.

[1:4]  ¹⁸⁸ tn Or “by his resurrection.” Most interpreters see this as a reference to Jesus’ own resurrection, although some take it to refer to the general resurrection at the end of the age, of which Jesus’ resurrection is the first installment (cf. 1 Cor 15:23).

[1:5]  ¹⁹¹ tn Grk “through whom.”

[1:5]  ¹⁹² tn Some interpreters understand the phrase “grace and apostleship” as a hendiadys, translating “grace [i.e., gift] of apostleship.” The pronoun “our” is supplied in the translation to clarify the sense of the statement.

[1:5]  ¹⁹³ tn Grk “and apostleship for obedience.”

[1:5]  ¹⁹⁴ tn The phrase ὑπακοὴν πίστεως has been variously understood as (1) an objective genitive (a reference to the Christian faith, “obedience to [the] faith”); (2) a subjective genitive (“the obedience faith produces [or requires]”); (3) an attributive genitive (“believing obedience”); or (4) as a genitive of apposition (“obedience, [namely] faith”) in which “faith” further defines “obedience.” These options are discussed by C. E. B. Cranfield, Romans (ICC), 1:66. Others take the phrase as deliberately ambiguous; see D. B. Garlington, “The Obedience of Faith in the Letter to the Romans: Part I: The Meaning of ὑπακοὴ πίστεως (Rom 1:5; 16:26),” WTJ 52 (1990): 201-24.

[1:6]  ¹⁹⁶ tn Grk “among whom you also are called.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation. The NIV, with its translation “And you also are among those who are called,” takes the phrase ἐν οἳς ἐστε to refer to the following clause rather than the preceding, so that the addressees of the letter (“you also”) are not connected with “all the Gentiles” mentioned at the end of v. 5. It is more likely, however, that the relative pronoun οἳς has τοῖς ἔθνεσιν as its antecedent, which would indicate that the church at Rome was predominantly Gentile.

[1:6]  ¹⁹⁷ tn Grk “called of Jesus Christ.”

[1:7]  ²⁰¹ map For location see JP4 A1.

[1:7]  ²⁰² tn Although the first part of v. 7 is not a complete English sentence, it maintains the “From…to” pattern used in all the Pauline letters to indicate the sender and the recipients. Here, however, there are several intervening verses (vv. 2-6), which makes the first half of v. 7 appear as an isolated sentence fragment.

[1:7]  ²⁰³ tn Grk “Grace to you and peace.”

[1:8]  ²⁰⁶ tn Grk “First.” Paul never mentions a second point, so J. B. Phillips translated “I must begin by telling you….”

[1:9]  ²¹¹ tn Grk “whom I serve in my spirit in the gospel.”

[1:9]  ²¹² tn Grk “as.”

[1:10]  ²¹⁶ tn Grk “remember you, always asking.”

[1:10]  ²¹⁷ tn Grk “succeed in coming to you in the will of God.”

[1:11]  ²²¹ sn Paul does not mean here that he is going to bestow upon the Roman believers what is commonly known as a “spiritual gift,” that is, a special enabling for service given to believers by the Holy Spirit. Instead, this is either a metonymy of cause for effect (Paul will use his own spiritual gifts to edify the Romans), or it simply means something akin to a blessing or benefit in the spiritual realm. It is possible that Paul uses this phrase to connote specifically the broader purpose of his letter, which is for the Romans to understand his gospel, but this seems less likely.

[1:12]  ²²⁶ tn Grk “that is, to be comforted together with you through the faith in one another.”

[1:13]  ²³¹ sn The expression “I do not want you to be unaware [Grk ignorant]” also occurs in 1 Cor 10:1; 12:1; 1 Thess 4:13. Paul uses the phrase to signal that he is about to say something very important.

[1:13]  ²³² tn Grk “brothers,” but the Greek word may be used for “brothers and sisters” or “fellow Christians” as here (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 1, where considerable nonbiblical evidence for the plural ἀδελφοί [adelfoi] meaning “brothers and sisters” is cited).

[1:13]  ²³³ tn Grk “in order that I might have some fruit also among you just as also among the rest of the Gentiles.”

[1:14]  ²³⁶ tn Or “obligated.”

[1:15]  ²⁴¹ tn Or “willing, ready”; Grk “so my eagerness [is] to preach…” The word πρόθυμος (proqumo", “eager, willing”) is used only elsewhere in the NT in Matt 26:41 = Mark 14:38: “the spirit indeed is willing (πρόθυμος), but the flesh is weak.”

[1:15]  ²⁴² map For location see JP4 A1.

[1:16]  ²⁴⁶ sn Here the Greek refers to anyone who is not Jewish.

[1:17]  ²⁵¹ 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]  ²⁵² tn Grk “in it”; the referent (the gospel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:17]  ²⁵³ 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]  ²⁵⁴ sn A quotation from Hab 2:4.

[1:18]  ²⁵⁶ 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]  ²⁵⁷ tn “Their” is implied in the Greek, but is supplied because of English style.

[1:18]  ²⁵⁸ tn Or “by means of unrighteousness.” Grk “in (by) unrighteousness.”

[1:19]  ²⁶¹ tn Grk “is manifest to/in them.”

[1:20]  ²⁶⁶ tn Grk “they”; the referent (people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:21]  ²⁷¹ tn Grk “heart.”

[1:22]  ²⁷⁶ tn The participle φάσκοντες (faskonte") is used concessively here.

[1:23]  ²⁸¹ 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]  ²⁸² sn Possibly an allusion to Ps 106:19-20.

[1:24]  ²⁸⁶ sn Possibly an allusion to Ps 81:12.

[1:24]  ²⁸⁷ 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]  ²⁸⁸ tn Grk “among them.”

[1:25]  ²⁹¹ 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]  ²⁹² tn Grk “the lie.”

[1:25]  ²⁹³ tn Or “creature, created things.”

[1:26]  ²⁹⁶ 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]  ³⁰¹ tn Grk “likewise so also the males abandoning the natural function of the female.”

[1:27]  ³⁰² tn Grk “burned with intense desire” (L&N 25.16).

[1:27]  ³⁰³ 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]  ³⁰⁶ tn Grk “and just as they did not approve to have God in knowledge.”

[1:28]  ³⁰⁷ tn Grk “the things that are improper.”

[1:29]  ³¹¹ 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]  ³¹² 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]  ³¹⁶ tn Or “promise-breakers.”

[1:32]  ³²¹ 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]  ³²² tn Grk “are worthy of death.”

[1:32]  ³²³ 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.