Is this blessedness only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised?(A) We have been saying that Abraham’s faith was credited to him as righteousness.(B) 10 Under what circumstances was it credited? Was it after he was circumcised, or before? It was not after, but before! 11 And he received circumcision as a sign, a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised.(C) So then, he is the father(D) of all who believe(E) but have not been circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them. 12 And he is then also the father of the circumcised who not only are circumcised but who also follow in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.

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Is this blessedness[a] then for[b] the circumcision[c] or also for[d] the uncircumcision? For we say, “faith was credited to Abraham as righteousness.”[e] 10 How then was it credited to him? Was he circumcised at the time, or not? No, he was not circumcised but uncircumcised! 11 And he received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised,[f] so that he would become[g] the father of all those who believe but have never been circumcised,[h] that they too could have righteousness credited to them. 12 And he is also the father of the circumcised,[i] who are not only circumcised, but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham possessed when he was still uncircumcised.[j]

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Footnotes

  1. Romans 4:9 tn Or “happiness.”
  2. Romans 4:9 tn Grk “upon.”
  3. Romans 4:9 sn See the note on “circumcision” in 2:25.
  4. Romans 4:9 tn Grk “upon.”
  5. Romans 4:9 sn A quotation from Gen 15:6.
  6. Romans 4:11 tn Grk “of the faith, the one [existing] in uncircumcision.”
  7. Romans 4:11 tn Grk “that he might be,” giving the purpose of v. 11a.
  8. Romans 4:11 tn Grk “through uncircumcision.”
  9. Romans 4:12 tn Grk “the father of circumcision.”
  10. Romans 4:12 tn Grk “the ‘in-uncircumcision faith’ of our father Abraham.”