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The Believer’s Relationship to the Law

Or do you not know, brothers and sisters[a] (for I am speaking to those who know the law), that the law is lord over a person[b] as long as he lives? For a married woman is bound by law to her husband as long as he lives, but if her[c] husband dies, she is released from the law of the marriage.[d] So then,[e] if she is joined to another man while her husband is alive, she will be called an adulteress. But if her[f] husband dies, she is free from that law, and if she is joined to another man, she is not an adulteress. So, my brothers and sisters,[g] 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.[h] For when we were in the flesh,[i] the sinful desires,[j] aroused by the law, were active in the members of our body[k] to bear fruit for death. But now we have been released from the law, because we have died[l] to what controlled us, so that we may serve in the new life of the Spirit and not under the old written code.[m]

What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Absolutely not! Certainly, I[n] 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[o] if the law had not said, “Do not covet.”[p] But sin, seizing the opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of wrong desires.[q] For apart from the law, sin is dead. And I was once alive apart from the law, but with the coming of the commandment sin became alive 10 and I died. So[r] I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life brought death![s] 11 For sin, seizing the opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it I died.[t] 12 So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous, and good.

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. 14 For we know that the law is spiritual—but I am unspiritual, sold into slavery to sin.[u] 15 For I don’t understand what I am doing. For I do not do what I want—instead, I do what I hate.[v] 16 But if I do what I don’t want, I agree that the law is good.[w] 17 But now it is no longer me doing it, but sin that lives in me. 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.[x] 19 For I do not do the good I want, but I do the very evil I do not want! 20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer me doing it but sin that lives in me.

21 So, I find the law that when I want to do good, evil is present with me. 22 For I delight in the law of God in my inner being. 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. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be[y] to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then,[z] I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but[aa] with my flesh I serve[ab] the law of sin.

The Believer’s Relationship to the Holy Spirit

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.[ac] For the law of the life-giving Spirit[ad] in Christ Jesus has set you[ae] free from the law of sin and death. For God achieved what the law could not do because[af] 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, 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.

For those who live according to the flesh have their outlook shaped by[ag] the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit have their outlook shaped by the things of the Spirit. For the outlook[ah] of the flesh is death, but the outlook of the Spirit is life and peace, 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. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in[ai] 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. 10 But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, but[aj] the Spirit is your life[ak] because of righteousness. 11 Moreover if the Spirit of the one[al] who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, the one who raised Christ[am] from the dead will also make your mortal bodies alive through his Spirit who lives in you.[an]

12 So then,[ao] brothers and sisters,[ap] we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh 13 (for if you live according to the flesh, you will[aq] die),[ar] but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body you will live. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are[as] the sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery leading again to fear,[at] but you received the Spirit of adoption,[au] by whom[av] we cry, “Abba,[aw] Father.” 16 The Spirit himself bears witness to[ax] our spirit that we are God’s children. 17 And if children, then heirs (namely, heirs of God and also fellow heirs with Christ)[ay]—if indeed we suffer with him so we may also be glorified with him.

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

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

31 What then shall we say about these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 Indeed, he who[bl] 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? 33 Who will bring any charge against God’s elect?[bm] It is God who justifies. 34 Who is the one who will condemn? Christ[bn] 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. 35 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will trouble, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?[bo] 36 As it is written, “For your sake we encounter death all day long; we were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”[bp] 37 No, in all these things we have complete victory[bq] through him[br] who loved us! 38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor heavenly rulers,[bs] nor things that are present, nor things to come, nor powers, 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

[bt] I am telling the truth in Christ (I am not lying!), for my conscience assures me[bu] in the Holy Spirit— I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart.[bv] For I could wish[bw] that I myself were accursed—cut off from Christ—for the sake of my people,[bx] my fellow countrymen,[by] who are Israelites. To them belong[bz] the adoption as sons,[ca] the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the temple worship,[cb] and the promises. To them belong the patriarchs,[cc] and from them,[cd] by human descent,[ce] came the Christ,[cf] who is God over all, blessed forever![cg] Amen.

It is not as though the word of God had failed. For not all those who are descended from Israel are truly Israel,[ch] nor are all the children Abraham’s true descendants; rather “through Isaac will your descendants be counted.”[ci] This means[cj] it is not the children of the flesh[ck] who are the children of God; rather, the children of promise are counted as descendants. For this is what the promise declared:[cl]About a year from now[cm] I will return and Sarah will have a son.”[cn] 10 Not only that, but when Rebekah had conceived children by one man,[co] our ancestor Isaac— 11 even before they were born or had done anything good or bad (so that God’s purpose in election[cp] would stand, not by works but by[cq] his calling)[cr] 12 [cs] it was said to her, “The older will serve the younger,”[ct] 13 just as it is written: “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”[cu]

14 What shall we say then? Is there injustice with God? Absolutely not! 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.”[cv] 16 So then,[cw] it does not depend on human desire or exertion,[cx] but on God who shows mercy. 17 For the scripture says to Pharaoh:[cy]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.”[cz] 18 So then,[da] God[db] has mercy on whom he chooses to have mercy, and he hardens whom he chooses to harden.[dc]

19 You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For who has ever resisted his will?” 20 But who indeed are you—a mere human being[dd]—to talk back to God?[de] Does what is molded say to the molder, “Why have you made me like this?[df] 21 Has the potter no right to make from the same lump of clay[dg] one vessel for special use and another for ordinary use?[dh] 22 But what if God, willing to demonstrate his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience the objects[di] of wrath[dj] prepared for destruction?[dk] 23 And what if he is willing to make known the wealth of his glory on the objects[dl] of mercy that he has prepared beforehand for glory— 24 even us, whom he has called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles? 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,[dm]My beloved.’”[dn]
26 And in the very place[do] where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’
there they will be calledsons of the living God.’”[dp]

27 And Isaiah cries out on behalf of Israel, “Though the number of the children[dq] of Israel are as the sand of the sea, only the remnant will be saved, 28 for the Lord will execute his sentence on the earth completely and quickly.”[dr] 29 Just[ds] as Isaiah predicted,

“If the Lord of Heaven’s Armies[dt] had not left us descendants,
we would have become like Sodom,
and we would have resembled Gomorrah.”[du]

Israel’s Rejection Culpable

30 What shall we say then?—that the Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness obtained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith, 31 but Israel even though pursuing[dv] a law of righteousness[dw] did not attain it.[dx] 32 Why not? Because they pursued[dy] it not by faith but (as if it were possible) by works.[dz] They stumbled over the stumbling stone,[ea] 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,[eb]
yet the one who believes in him will not be put to shame.[ec]

Footnotes

  1. Romans 7:1 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:13.
  2. Romans 7:1 sn Here person refers to a human being.
  3. Romans 7:2 tn Grk “the,” with the article used as a possessive pronoun (ExSyn 215).
  4. Romans 7:2 tn Grk “husband.”sn Paul’s example of the married woman and the law of the marriage illustrates that death frees a person from obligation to the law. Thus, in spiritual terms, a person who has died to what controlled us (v. 6) has been released from the law to serve God in the new life produced by the Spirit.
  5. Romans 7:3 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.
  6. Romans 7:3 tn Grk “the,” with the article used as a possessive pronoun (ExSyn 215).
  7. Romans 7:4 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:13.
  8. Romans 7:4 tn Grk “that we might bear fruit to God.”
  9. Romans 7:5 tn That is, before we were in Christ.
  10. Romans 7:5 tn Or “sinful passions.”
  11. Romans 7:5 tn Grk “our members”; the words “of our body” have been supplied to clarify the meaning.
  12. Romans 7:6 tn Grk “having died.” The participle ἀποθανόντες (apothanontes) has been translated as a causal adverbial participle.
  13. Romans 7:6 tn Grk “in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter.”
  14. Romans 7:7 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).
  15. Romans 7:7 tn Grk “I would not have known covetousness.”
  16. Romans 7:7 sn A quotation from Exod 20:17 and Deut 5:21.
  17. Romans 7:8 tn Or “covetousness.”
  18. Romans 7:10 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.
  19. Romans 7:10 tn Grk “and there was found in/for me the commandment which was for life—this was for death.”
  20. Romans 7:11 tn Or “and through it killed me.”
  21. Romans 7:14 tn Grk “under sin.”
  22. Romans 7:15 tn Grk “but what I hate, this I do.”
  23. Romans 7:16 tn Grk “I agree with the law that it is good.”
  24. Romans 7:18 tn Grk “For to wish is present in/with me, but not to do it.”
  25. Romans 7:25 tc ‡ Most mss (א* A 1739 1881 M sy) read “I give thanks to God” rather than “Now thanks be to God” (א1 [B] Ψ 33 81 104 365 1506), the reading of NA28. The reading with the verb (εὐχαριστῶ τῷ θεῷ, eucharistō tō theō) 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), 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 M lat sy), and its addition can be explained as an insertion to smooth out the transition between v. 24 and 25.
  26. Romans 7:25 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.
  27. Romans 7:25 tn Greek emphasizes the contrast between these two clauses more than can be easily expressed in English.
  28. Romans 7:25 tn The words “I serve” have been repeated here for clarity.
  29. Romans 8:1 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 co), have no additional words for v. 1. Later scribes (A D1 Ψ 81 365 629 vg) added the words μὴ κατὰ σάρκα περιπατοῦσιν (mē kata sarka peripatousin, “who do not walk according to the flesh”), while even later ones (א2 D2 33vid M) 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 M.
  30. Romans 8:2 tn Grk “for the law of the Spirit of life.”
  31. Romans 8:2 tc Most mss read the first person singular pronoun με (me) here (A D 1175 1241 1505 1739c 1881 2464 M lat sa). The second person singular pronoun σε (se) is superior because of external support (א B (F: 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, ēleutherōsen; “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.
  32. Romans 8:3 tn Grk “in that.”
  33. Romans 8:5 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.
  34. Romans 8:6 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.
  35. Romans 8:9 tn Or “are not controlled by the flesh but by the Spirit.”
  36. Romans 8:10 tn Greek emphasizes the contrast between these two clauses more than can be easily expressed in English.
  37. Romans 8:10 tn Or “life-giving.” Grk “the Spirit is life.”
  38. Romans 8:11 sn The one who raised Jesus from the dead refers to God (also in the following clause).
  39. Romans 8:11 tc Several mss read ᾿Ιησοῦν (Iēsoun, “Jesus”) after Χριστόν (Christon, “Christ”; א* A D* 630 1506 1739 1881 bo); C 81 104 lat have ᾿Ιησοῦν Χριστόν. The shorter reading is more likely to be autographic, though, both because of external evidence (א2 B D2 F G Ψ 33 1175 1241 1505 2464 M 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).
  40. Romans 8:11 tc Most mss (B D F G Ψ 33 1175 1241 1739 1881 M 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.
  41. Romans 8:12 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.
  42. Romans 8:12 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:13.
  43. Romans 8:13 tn Grk “are about to, are certainly going to.”
  44. Romans 8:13 sn This remark is parenthetical to Paul’s argument.
  45. Romans 8:14 tn Grk “For as many as are being led by the Spirit of God, these are.”
  46. Romans 8:15 tn Grk “slavery again to fear.”
  47. Romans 8:15 tn The Greek term υἱοθεσία (huiothesia) 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).”
  48. Romans 8:15 tn Or “in that.”
  49. Romans 8:15 tn The term “Abba” is the Greek transliteration of the Aramaic אַבָּא (’abba’), literally meaning “my father” but taken over simply as “father,” used in prayer and in the family circle, and later taken over by the early Greek-speaking Christians (BDAG 1 s.v. ἀββα).sn This Aramaic word is found three times in the New Testament (Mark 14:36; Rom 8:15; Gal 4:6), and in each case is followed by its Greek equivalent, which is translated “father.” It is a term expressing warm affection and filial confidence. It has no perfect equivalent in English. It has passed into European languages as an ecclesiastical term, “abbot.” Over the past fifty years a lot has been written about this term and Jesus’ use of it. Joachim Jeremias argued that Jesus routinely addressed God using this Aramaic word, and he also noted this was a “child’s word,” leading many to conclude its modern equivalent was “Daddy.” This conclusion Jeremias soon modified (the term on occasion is used of an adult son addressing his father) but the simplistic equation of abba with “Daddy” is still heard in some circles today. Nevertheless, the term does express a high degree of closeness with reverence, and in addition to the family circle could be used by disciples of a much loved and revered teacher.
  50. Romans 8:16 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 (summartureō) originally bore an associative idea, it developed in the direction of merely intensifying μαρτυρέω (martureō). 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.”
  51. Romans 8:17 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.
  52. Romans 8:18 tn Grk “are not worthy [to be compared].”
  53. Romans 8:20 tn Grk “because of the one”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  54. Romans 8:23 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.
  55. Romans 8:23 tn See the note on “adoption” in v. 15.
  56. Romans 8:23 tn Grk “body.”
  57. Romans 8:25 tn Or “perseverance.”
  58. Romans 8:26 tn Or “for we do not know what we ought to pray for.”
  59. Romans 8:27 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).
  60. Romans 8:27 tn Grk “he,” or “it”; the referent (the Spirit) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  61. Romans 8:28 tc ὁ θεός (ho theos, “God”) is found after the verb συνεργεῖ (sunergei, “work”) in v. 28 in P46 A B 81 sa; the shorter reading is found in א C D F G Ψ 33 1175 1241 1505 1739 1881 2464 M 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).
  62. Romans 8:29 tn Grk “he”; the referent (God’s Son) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  63. Romans 8:29 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:13.
  64. Romans 8:32 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?”
  65. Romans 8:33 sn An allusion to Isa 50:8 where the reference is singular; Paul applies this to all believers (“God’s elect” is plural here).
  66. Romans 8:34 tc ‡ A number of significant and early witnesses, along with several others (P46vid א A C F G L Ψ 6 33 81 104 365 1505 al lat bo), read ᾿Ιησοῦς (Iēsous, “Jesus”) after Χριστός (Christos, “Christ”) in v. 34. But the shorter reading is not unrepresented (B D 0289 1175 1241 1739 1881 M 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. NA28 has the word in brackets, indicating doubt as to its authenticity.tn Grk “who also.”
  67. Romans 8:35 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).
  68. Romans 8:36 sn A quotation from Ps 44:22.
  69. Romans 8:37 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.”
  70. Romans 8:37 tn Here the referent could be either God or Christ, but in v. 39 it is God’s love that is mentioned.
  71. Romans 8:38 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).
  72. Romans 9:1 sn Rom 9:1-11:36. 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.
  73. Romans 9:1 tn Or “my conscience bears witness to me.”
  74. Romans 9:2 tn Grk “my sorrow is great and the anguish in my heart is unceasing.”
  75. Romans 9:3 tn Or “For I would pray.” The implied condition is “if this could save my fellow Jews.”
  76. Romans 9:3 tn Grk “brothers.” See BDAG 18-19 s.v. ἀδελφός 2.b.
  77. Romans 9:3 tn Grk “my kinsmen according to the flesh.”
  78. Romans 9:4 tn Grk “of whom.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
  79. Romans 9:4 tn The Greek term υἱοθεσία (huiothesia) 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.”
  80. Romans 9:4 tn Or “cultic service.”
  81. Romans 9:5 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.
  82. Romans 9:5 tn Grk “from whom.” Here the relative pronoun has been replaced by a personal pronoun.
  83. Romans 9:5 tn Grk “according to the flesh.”
  84. Romans 9:5 tn Or “Messiah.” (Both Greek “Christ” and Hebrew and Aramaic “Messiah” mean “one who has been anointed.”)
  85. Romans 9:5 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 (ho ōn, “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.
  86. Romans 9:6 tn Grk “For not all those who are from Israel are Israel.”
  87. Romans 9:7 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.sn A quotation from Gen 21:12.
  88. Romans 9:8 tn Grk “That is,” or “That is to say.”
  89. Romans 9:8 tn Because it forms the counterpoint to “the children of promise” the expression “children of the flesh” has been retained in the translation.sn The expression the children of the flesh refers to the natural offspring.
  90. Romans 9:9 tn Grk “For this is the word of promise.”
  91. Romans 9:9 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.
  92. Romans 9:9 sn A quotation from Gen 18:10, 14.
  93. Romans 9:10 tn Or possibly “by one act of sexual intercourse.” See D. Moo, Romans (NICNT), 579.
  94. Romans 9:11 tn Grk “God’s purpose according to election.”
  95. Romans 9:11 tn Or “not based on works but based on…”
  96. Romans 9:11 tn Grk “by the one who calls.” sn The entire clause is something of a parenthetical remark.
  97. Romans 9:12 sn Many translations place this verse division before the phrase “not by works but by his calling” (NA28/UBS5, 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.
  98. Romans 9:12 sn A quotation from Gen 25:23.
  99. Romans 9:13 sn A quotation from Mal 1:2-3.
  100. Romans 9:15 sn A quotation from Exod 33:19.
  101. Romans 9:16 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.
  102. Romans 9:16 tn Grk “So then, [it does] not [depend] on the one who desires nor on the one who runs.”
  103. Romans 9:17 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.
  104. Romans 9:17 sn A quotation from Exod 9:16.
  105. Romans 9:18 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.
  106. Romans 9:18 tn Grk “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  107. Romans 9:18 tn Grk “So then, he has mercy on whom he desires, and he hardens whom he desires.”
  108. Romans 9:20 tn Grk “O man.”
  109. Romans 9:20 tn Grk “On the contrary, O man, who are you to talk back to God?”
  110. Romans 9:20 sn A quotation from Isa 29:16; 45:9.
  111. Romans 9:21 tn Grk “Or does not the potter have authority over the clay to make from the same lump.”
  112. Romans 9:21 tn Grk “one vessel for honor and another for dishonor.”
  113. Romans 9:22 tn Grk “vessels.” This is the same Greek word used in v. 21.
  114. Romans 9:22 tn Or “vessels destined for wrath.” The genitive ὀργῆς (orgēs) could be taken as a genitive of destination.
  115. Romans 9:22 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 (katartizō) 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.
  116. Romans 9:23 tn Grk “vessels.” This is the same Greek word used in v. 21.
  117. Romans 9:25 tn Grk “and her who was not beloved, ‘Beloved.’”
  118. Romans 9:25 sn A quotation from Hos 2:23.
  119. Romans 9:26 tn Grk “And it will be in the very place.”
  120. Romans 9:26 sn A quotation from Hos 1:10.
  121. Romans 9:27 tn Grk “sons.”
  122. Romans 9:28 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 (P46 א* A B 6 1506 1739 1881 co), while the longer reading is found principally in Western and Byzantine mss (א2 D F G Ψ 33 1175 1241 1505 2464 M 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. tn There is a wordplay in Greek (in both the LXX and here) on the phrase translated “completely and quickly” (συντελῶν καὶ συντέμνων, suntelōn kai suntemnōn). These participles are translated as adverbs for smoothness; a more literal (and more cumbersome) rendering would be: “The Lord will act by closing the account [or completing the sentence], and by cutting short the time.” The interpretation of this text is notoriously difficult. Cf. BDAG 975 s.v. συντέμνω.sn A modified quotation from Isa 10:22-23. Since it is not exact, it has been printed as italics only.
  123. Romans 9:29 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
  124. Romans 9:29 tn Traditionally, “Lord of Hosts”; or “Lord Sabaoth,” which means “Lord of the [heavenly] armies,” sometimes translated more generally as “Lord Almighty.”
  125. Romans 9:29 sn A quotation from Isa 1:9.
  126. Romans 9:31 tn Or “who pursued.” The participle could be taken adverbially or adjectivally.
  127. Romans 9:31 tn Or “a legal righteousness,” that is, a righteousness based on law. This translation would treat the genitive δικαιοσύνης (dikaiosunēs) as an attributed genitive (see ExSyn 89-91).
  128. Romans 9:31 tn Grk “has not attained unto the law.”
  129. Romans 9:32 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.
  130. Romans 9:32 tc Most mss, especially the later ones (א2 D Ψ 33 1175 1241 1505 2464 M 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 lat co. The longer reading thus is weaker externally and internally, apparently being motivated by a need to clarify.tn Grk “but as by works.”
  131. Romans 9:32 tn Grk “the stone of stumbling.”
  132. Romans 9:33 tn Grk “a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.”
  133. Romans 9:33 sn A quotation from Isa 28:16; 8:14.

Released From the Law, Bound to Christ

Do you not know, brothers and sisters(A)—for I am speaking to those who know the law—that the law has authority over someone only as long as that person lives? For example, by law a married woman is bound to her husband as long as he is alive, but if her husband dies, she is released from the law that binds her to him.(B) So then, if she has sexual relations with another man while her husband is still alive, she is called an adulteress.(C) But if her husband dies, she is released from that law and is not an adulteress if she marries another man.

So, my brothers and sisters, you also died to the law(D) through the body of Christ,(E) that you might belong to another,(F) to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God. For when we were in the realm of the flesh,[a](G) the sinful passions aroused by the law(H) were at work in us,(I) so that we bore fruit for death.(J) But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law(K) so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.(L)

The Law and Sin

What shall we say, then?(M) Is the law sinful? Certainly not!(N) Nevertheless, I would not have known what sin was had it not been for the law.(O) For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.”[b](P) But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment,(Q) produced in me every kind of coveting. For apart from the law, sin was dead.(R) Once I was alive apart from the law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died. 10 I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life(S) actually brought death. 11 For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment,(T) deceived me,(U) and through the commandment put me to death. 12 So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good.(V)

13 Did that which is good, then, become death to me? By no means! Nevertheless, in order that sin might be recognized as sin, it used what is good(W) to bring about my death,(X) so that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful.

14 We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual,(Y) sold(Z) as a slave to sin.(AA) 15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.(AB) 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good.(AC) 17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me.(AD) 18 For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature.[c](AE) For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.(AF) 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.(AG)

21 So I find this law at work:(AH) Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being(AI) I delight in God’s law;(AJ) 23 but I see another law at work in me, waging war(AK) against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin(AL) at work within me. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?(AM) 25 Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!(AN)

So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law,(AO) but in my sinful nature[d] a slave to the law of sin.(AP)

Life Through the Spirit

Therefore, there is now no condemnation(AQ) for those who are in Christ Jesus,(AR) because through Christ Jesus(AS) the law of the Spirit who gives life(AT) has set you[e] free(AU) from the law of sin(AV) and death. For what the law was powerless(AW) to do because it was weakened by the flesh,[f](AX) God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh(AY) to be a sin offering.[g](AZ) And so he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement(BA) of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.(BB)

Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires;(BC) but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.(BD) The mind governed by the flesh is death,(BE) but the mind governed by the Spirit is life(BF) and peace. The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God;(BG) it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those who are in the realm of the flesh(BH) cannot please God.

You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh(BI) but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you.(BJ) And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ,(BK) they do not belong to Christ. 10 But if Christ is in you,(BL) then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life[h] because of righteousness. 11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead(BM) is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies(BN) because of[i] his Spirit who lives in you.

12 Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it.(BO) 13 For if you live according to the flesh, you will die;(BP) but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body,(BQ) you will live.(BR)

14 For those who are led by the Spirit of God(BS) are the children of God.(BT) 15 The Spirit(BU) you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again;(BV) rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship.[j] And by him we cry, “Abba,[k] Father.”(BW) 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit(BX) that we are God’s children.(BY) 17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs(BZ)—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings(CA) in order that we may also share in his glory.(CB)

Present Suffering and Future Glory

18 I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.(CC) 19 For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God(CD) to be revealed. 20 For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it,(CE) in hope 21 that[l] the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay(CF) and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.(CG)

22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning(CH) as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit,(CI) groan(CJ) inwardly as we wait eagerly(CK) for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies.(CL) 24 For in this hope we were saved.(CM) But hope that is seen is no hope at all.(CN) Who hopes for what they already have? 25 But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.(CO)

26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit(CP) himself intercedes for us(CQ) through wordless groans. 27 And he who searches our hearts(CR) knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes(CS) for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.

28 And we know that in all things God works for the good(CT) of those who love him, who[m] have been called(CU) according to his purpose.(CV) 29 For those God foreknew(CW) he also predestined(CX) to be conformed to the image of his Son,(CY) that he might be the firstborn(CZ) among many brothers and sisters. 30 And those he predestined,(DA) he also called;(DB) those he called, he also justified;(DC) those he justified, he also glorified.(DD)

More Than Conquerors

31 What, then, shall we say in response to these things?(DE) If God is for us,(DF) who can be against us?(DG) 32 He who did not spare his own Son,(DH) but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33 Who will bring any charge(DI) against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34 Who then is the one who condemns?(DJ) No one. Christ Jesus who died(DK)—more than that, who was raised to life(DL)—is at the right hand of God(DM) and is also interceding for us.(DN) 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?(DO) Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?(DP) 36 As it is written:

“For your sake we face death all day long;
    we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”[n](DQ)

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors(DR) through him who loved us.(DS) 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[o] neither the present nor the future,(DT) nor any powers,(DU) 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God(DV) that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.(DW)

Paul’s Anguish Over Israel

I speak the truth in Christ—I am not lying,(DX) my conscience confirms(DY) it through the Holy Spirit— I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself(DZ) were cursed(EA) and cut off from Christ for the sake of my people,(EB) those of my own race,(EC) the people of Israel.(ED) Theirs is the adoption to sonship;(EE) theirs the divine glory,(EF) the covenants,(EG) the receiving of the law,(EH) the temple worship(EI) and the promises.(EJ) Theirs are the patriarchs,(EK) and from them is traced the human ancestry of the Messiah,(EL) who is God over all,(EM) forever praised![p](EN) Amen.

God’s Sovereign Choice

It is not as though God’s word(EO) had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel.(EP) Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham’s children. On the contrary, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.”[q](EQ) In other words, it is not the children by physical descent who are God’s children,(ER) but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring.(ES) For this was how the promise was stated: “At the appointed time I will return, and Sarah will have a son.”[r](ET)

10 Not only that, but Rebekah’s children were conceived at the same time by our father Isaac.(EU) 11 Yet, before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad(EV)—in order that God’s purpose(EW) in election might stand: 12 not by works but by him who calls—she was told, “The older will serve the younger.”[s](EX) 13 Just as it is written: “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”[t](EY)

14 What then shall we say?(EZ) Is God unjust? Not at all!(FA) 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.”[u](FB)

16 It does not, therefore, depend on human desire or effort, but on God’s mercy.(FC) 17 For Scripture says to Pharaoh: “I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.”[v](FD) 18 Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden.(FE)

19 One of you will say to me:(FF) “Then why does God still blame us?(FG) For who is able to resist his will?”(FH) 20 But who are you, a human being, to talk back to God?(FI) “Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it,(FJ) ‘Why did you make me like this?’”[w](FK) 21 Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for special purposes and some for common use?(FL)

22 What if God, although choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience(FM) the objects of his wrath—prepared for destruction?(FN) 23 What if he did this to make the riches of his glory(FO) known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory(FP) 24 even us, whom he also called,(FQ) not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles?(FR) 25 As he says in Hosea:

“I will call them ‘my people’ who are not my people;
    and I will call her ‘my loved one’ who is not my loved one,”[x](FS)

26 and,

“In the very place where it was said to them,
    ‘You are not my people,’
    there they will be called ‘children of the living God.’”[y](FT)

27 Isaiah cries out concerning Israel:

“Though the number of the Israelites be like the sand by the sea,(FU)
    only the remnant will be saved.(FV)
28 For the Lord will carry out
    his sentence on earth with speed and finality.”[z](FW)

29 It is just as Isaiah said previously:

“Unless the Lord Almighty(FX)
    had left us descendants,
we would have become like Sodom,
    we would have been like Gomorrah.”[aa](FY)

Israel’s Unbelief

30 What then shall we say?(FZ) That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith;(GA) 31 but the people of Israel, who pursued the law as the way of righteousness,(GB) have not attained their goal.(GC) 32 Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone.(GD) 33 As it is written:

“See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes people to stumble
    and a rock that makes them fall,
    and the one who believes in him will never be put to shame.”[ab](GE)

Footnotes

  1. Romans 7:5 In contexts like this, the Greek word for flesh (sarx) refers to the sinful state of human beings, often presented as a power in opposition to the Spirit.
  2. Romans 7:7 Exodus 20:17; Deut. 5:21
  3. Romans 7:18 Or my flesh
  4. Romans 7:25 Or in the flesh
  5. Romans 8:2 The Greek is singular; some manuscripts me
  6. Romans 8:3 In contexts like this, the Greek word for flesh (sarx) refers to the sinful state of human beings, often presented as a power in opposition to the Spirit; also in verses 4-13.
  7. Romans 8:3 Or flesh, for sin
  8. Romans 8:10 Or you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive
  9. Romans 8:11 Some manuscripts bodies through
  10. Romans 8:15 The Greek word for adoption to sonship is a term referring to the full legal standing of an adopted male heir in Roman culture; also in verse 23.
  11. Romans 8:15 Aramaic for father
  12. Romans 8:21 Or subjected it in hope. 21 For
  13. Romans 8:28 Or that all things work together for good to those who love God, who; or that in all things God works together with those who love him to bring about what is good—with those who
  14. Romans 8:36 Psalm 44:22
  15. Romans 8:38 Or nor heavenly rulers
  16. Romans 9:5 Or Messiah, who is over all. God be forever praised! Or Messiah. God who is over all be forever praised!
  17. Romans 9:7 Gen. 21:12
  18. Romans 9:9 Gen. 18:10,14
  19. Romans 9:12 Gen. 25:23
  20. Romans 9:13 Mal. 1:2,3
  21. Romans 9:15 Exodus 33:19
  22. Romans 9:17 Exodus 9:16
  23. Romans 9:20 Isaiah 29:16; 45:9
  24. Romans 9:25 Hosea 2:23
  25. Romans 9:26 Hosea 1:10
  26. Romans 9:28 Isaiah 10:22,23 (see Septuagint)
  27. Romans 9:29 Isaiah 1:9
  28. Romans 9:33 Isaiah 8:14; 28:16