Romans 10

Translator Notes

1. Paul reaffirms his personal anguish (cf. 9:1-3). The word eudokia ('desire, delight, good pleasure') expresses a deep longing of the will, not merely a wish. The fact that Paul prays for Israel's salvation implies it is still possible — they are not irreversibly rejected. Some manuscripts read 'for Israel' (hyper tou Israēl) rather than 'for them' (hyper autōn); the SBLGNT follows the shorter reading.

Translator Notes

1. Paul speaks from personal experience — he himself had the same misdirected zeal before his conversion (Philippians 3:6; Galatians 1:14). The word zēlon ('zeal, jealousy, enthusiasm') is positive but insufficient. The word epignōsin ('full knowledge, recognition, understanding') with the epi- prefix implies accurate, deep comprehension rather than mere information.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. The word agnoontes ('being ignorant, not recognizing') does not excuse Israel but diagnoses their error. The phrase idian dikaiosynēn ('their own righteousness') is righteousness achieved by human effort — Paul's pre-conversion pursuit (Philippians 3:9). The verb hypētagēsan ('submitted') suggests that receiving God's righteousness requires surrender of self-generated righteousness.

Translator Notes

1. The word telos ('end, goal, culmination, fulfillment') is deliberately ambiguous: Christ is both the goal toward which the law pointed and the termination of the law as a means of achieving righteousness. We render 'culmination' to capture both dimensions. The qualifier panti tō pisteuonti ('to everyone who believes') universalizes the offer — not just Jews or just Gentiles but everyone. This verse is the theological hinge between Israel's failed pursuit (v. 3) and the accessibility of faith-righteousness (vv. 5-13).

Translator Notes

1. Paul quotes Leviticus 18:5. The 'do and live' principle defines law-righteousness: perfect obedience yields life. But as Paul has shown (3:20; 7:7-13), no one actually achieves this. The law's righteousness is real but unattainable by sinful humanity. This sets up the contrast with faith-righteousness in the following verses.
2. [TCR Cross-Reference] This verse quotes Leviticus 18:5 — see the TCR rendering of that passage for the Hebrew source text and translation decisions.

Translator Notes

1. Paul personifies faith-righteousness as a speaker and paraphrases Deuteronomy 30:12-14. In Moses' original context, the point was that the Torah was accessible — no one needed to go to heaven to find it. Paul applies the same accessibility to Christ: the gospel does not require impossible feats. The interpretive gloss 'that is, to bring Christ down' (tout' estin Christon katagagein) replaces Moses' reference to the commandment with Christ.
2. [TCR Cross-Reference] Quotes Deuteronomy 30:12-14. The TCR rendering of that OT passage preserves the Hebrew source text and documents the translation decisions behind it.

Translator Notes

1. Deuteronomy 30:13 originally said 'who will cross the sea?' Paul substitutes 'the abyss' (abyssos), the realm of the dead, and interprets it as referring to Christ's resurrection. No human effort is needed to accomplish incarnation (v. 6) or resurrection (v. 7) — God has already done both. The gospel is near, not distant.
2. [TCR Cross-Reference] Draws on Deuteronomy 30:12-14. Consult the TCR rendering of that passage for the underlying Hebrew and the rationale for key translation choices.

Translator Notes

1. Paul quotes Deuteronomy 30:14. What Moses said about the Torah, Paul says about the gospel: it is near, accessible, ready to be received. The phrase rhēma tēs pisteōs ('word of faith') identifies the gospel message that demands and enables faith. The two locations — mouth and heart — correspond to the confession and belief of verse 9.
2. [TCR Cross-Reference] References Deuteronomy 30:12-14 — the TCR OT rendering of that text provides the Hebrew source and explains the translation decisions involved.

Translator Notes

1. This is the earliest Christian confession formula. The verbal confession kyrion Iēsoun ('Jesus is Lord') was the baptismal declaration and the most concise summary of Christian faith. In the Roman world, 'Lord' (kyrios) was a title for Caesar; confessing Jesus as Lord was both a theological claim and a political act. The heart-belief specified is the resurrection — the historical event that vindicated Jesus' identity. Mouth (external confession) and heart (internal belief) together constitute saving faith.

Translator Notes

1. Paul reverses the order of verse 9 (mouth/heart → heart/mouth), creating a chiastic structure. The two clauses are not describing two separate events but two dimensions of one reality: believing leads to righteousness (dikaiosynēn, justification), and confessing leads to salvation (sōtērian). These are not sequential steps but simultaneous aspects of faith.

Translator Notes

1. Paul returns to Isaiah 28:16 (quoted in 9:33) but adds the crucial word pas ('everyone') — making the promise explicitly universal. No one who trusts Christ will be disappointed or disgraced. The verb kataischynthēsetai ('will be put to shame') has eschatological force: at the final judgment, those who believed will be vindicated.
2. [TCR Cross-Reference] Quotes Isaiah 28:16. The TCR rendering of that OT passage preserves the Hebrew source text and documents the translation decisions behind it.

Translator Notes

1. The phrase ou diastolē ('no distinction') echoes 3:22. The universality of sin (3:22-23) corresponds to the universality of salvation (10:12-13). The participle ploutōn ('being rich, bestowing richly') describes God's generosity as inexhaustible — there is enough grace for all who call.

Translator Notes

1. Paul quotes Joel 2:32 (LXX 3:5). In Joel's original context, 'the Lord' (kyrios) translates YHWH. Paul applies this to Jesus as Lord — those who call on Jesus' name receive the salvation promised to those who call on YHWH's name. This is one of the clearest implicit affirmations of Christ's divine status in Paul's letters.
2. [TCR Cross-Reference] References Joel 2:32 — the TCR OT rendering of that text provides the Hebrew source and explains the translation decisions involved.

Translator Notes

1. Paul constructs a chain of necessary conditions working backward from calling to believing to hearing to preaching. Each link depends on the prior one. The logic establishes the necessity of gospel proclamation — faith is not a spontaneous human achievement but a response to a proclaimed message. The Greek hou ouk ēkousan can mean 'whom they have not heard' (hearing Christ himself through the preacher) or 'of whom they have not heard' (hearing about Christ).

Translator Notes

1. The chain's final link: preaching requires sending (apostalōsin, from apostellō — the root of 'apostle'). Paul quotes Isaiah 52:7, which describes messengers bringing news of Israel's return from exile. Paul applies it to gospel preachers. The SBLGNT has a shorter quotation than the KJV, omitting 'the gospel of peace' — which appears in the fuller Isaiah text.
2. [TCR Cross-Reference] This verse quotes Isaiah 52:7 — see the TCR rendering of that passage for the Hebrew source text and translation decisions.

Translator Notes

1. The verb hypēkousan ('obeyed') equates believing the gospel with obeying it — consistent with the 'obedience of faith' framework (1:5; 16:26). Paul quotes Isaiah 53:1, the opening of the Suffering Servant passage. The word akoē ('what is heard, report, message') connects to the hearing-chain of verse 14. Isaiah's lament is that the message was proclaimed but not believed.
2. [TCR Cross-Reference] Quotes Isaiah 53:1. The TCR rendering of that OT passage preserves the Hebrew source text and documents the translation decisions behind it.

Translator Notes

1. Paul summarizes the chain: faith originates in hearing (ex akoēs), and hearing is mediated by the word of Christ (dia rhēmatos Christou). The SBLGNT reads 'word of Christ' (Christou) rather than the KJV's 'word of God' (theou) — the critical text attributes the gospel message specifically to Christ. The rhēma ('word, message, spoken word') is the concrete, proclaimed gospel.

Translator Notes

1. Paul addresses a potential excuse: perhaps Israel did not hear. He refutes this with Psalm 19:4 (LXX 18:5), which originally described creation's testimony to God. Paul applies it to the gospel's proclamation — the message has reached everywhere. Israel's failure is not for lack of hearing.
2. [TCR Cross-Reference] References Psalms 19:4 — the TCR OT rendering of that text provides the Hebrew source and explains the translation decisions involved.

Translator Notes

1. A second potential excuse: perhaps Israel did not understand. Paul quotes Deuteronomy 32:21 — God himself predicted that he would provoke Israel's jealousy through Gentile inclusion. The Gentiles, once considered 'no nation' (ouk ethnei) and 'foolish' (asyneto), now receive what Israel rejected. This theme of provoking jealousy will be central to 11:11-14.
2. [TCR Cross-Reference] Echoes Deuteronomy 32:21. See the TCR's OT rendering for the Hebrew behind this passage and the translation rationale.

Translator Notes

1. Paul quotes Isaiah 65:1. The verb apotolma ('dares, is bold enough') acknowledges that Isaiah's statement is provocative. God was found by those not seeking him and revealed himself to those not asking — this is the Gentile experience of unexpected grace. The verbs are passive/reflexive from God's perspective: God actively reveals himself to those who had no claim on him.
2. [TCR Cross-Reference] This verse quotes Isaiah 65:1 — see the TCR rendering of that passage for the Hebrew source text and translation decisions.

Translator Notes

1. Paul quotes Isaiah 65:2. The image of God stretching out his hands (exepetasa tas cheiras) is one of the most poignant in Scripture — God reaching out, arms extended, to a people who refuse to come. The two adjectives apeithonta ('disobedient, rebellious') and antilegonta ('contradicting, opposing') describe Israel's active resistance, not passive ignorance. The chapter ends with this image of divine longing and human stubbornness — but the outstretched hands suggest God has not given up. This sets up chapter 11's argument.
2. [TCR Cross-Reference] Quotes Isaiah 65:2. The TCR rendering of that OT passage preserves the Hebrew source text and documents the translation decisions behind it.