Romans 3

Translator Notes

1. The diatribe continues with the interlocutor's implied objection: if circumcision can become uncircumcision (2:25), why be Jewish at all? Paul takes this objection seriously rather than dismissing it — his answer affirms real advantage while denying automatic immunity from judgment.

Translator Notes

1. Paul says prōton ('first'), suggesting a list, but never returns to give a second or third point — he is sidetracked by the implications of his first point. The word logia ('oracles, sayings') refers to the Scriptures, particularly God's covenant promises to Israel. The passive episteuthēsan ('were entrusted') emphasizes both privilege and responsibility.

Translator Notes

1. The wordplay on pistis is central: ēpistēsan ('were unfaithful/unbelieving'), apistia ('unfaithfulness'), and pistin tou theou ('faithfulness of God') all share the same root. 'Some' (tines) is an understatement — Paul is diplomatic. The verb katargēsei ('nullify, render ineffective') is a strong word Paul uses frequently for the cancellation of a power or reality.

Translator Notes

1. The exclamation mē genoito ('may it never be!') is Paul's strongest negation, used ten times in Romans. We render it 'absolutely not' rather than the KJV's 'God forbid,' which imports God's name where the Greek does not. Paul quotes Psalm 51:4 (LXX 50:6), where David acknowledges God's righteousness in judging. The application is that God's faithfulness stands regardless of human failure — when the two are weighed, God is always vindicated.
2. [TCR Cross-Reference] Echoes Psalms 51:4. See the TCR's OT rendering for the Hebrew behind this passage and the translation rationale.

Translator Notes

1. The verb synistēsin ('demonstrates, commends, establishes') suggests that human sin inadvertently showcases God's righteousness by contrast. The parenthetical kata anthrōpon legō ('I speak according to a human perspective') is Paul's disclaimer that this objection represents flawed human reasoning, not his own theology.

Translator Notes

1. Paul's reductio ad absurdum: if God cannot punish sin that highlights his righteousness, then God cannot judge anyone, since all sin ultimately serves to display divine attributes. But God's role as world-judge is non-negotiable in Jewish theology (Genesis 18:25).
2. [TCR Cross-Reference] Quotes Genesis 18:25. The TCR rendering of that OT passage preserves the Hebrew source text and documents the translation decisions behind it.

Translator Notes

1. The first-person singular shifts from the corporate 'our' (v. 5) to the individual 'my' — Paul voices the objection from the sinner's own perspective. The verb eperisseusen ('abounded, overflowed') anticipates the 'where sin increased, grace overflowed' language of 5:20.

Translator Notes

1. Paul reveals that opponents have caricatured his gospel of grace as moral license — an accusation he takes up again in 6:1 and 6:15. The phrase hōn to krima endikon estin ('their condemnation is just') delivers a sharp verdict on those who distort the gospel into antinomianism. Paul does not argue the point here but dismisses it with a judicial pronouncement.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. The verb proechometha is debated — it can mean 'are we better?' (middle) or 'are we at a disadvantage?' (passive). The context favors 'are we better?' with the answer 'not at all.' The phrase hyph' hamartian ('under sin') presents sin as a ruling power, not just a collection of misdeeds — a personification Paul develops in chapters 5-7. This is the thesis that the following Scripture chain will support.

Translator Notes

1. Paul begins a catena (chain) of Old Testament quotations, primarily from the Psalms, to establish universal human sinfulness. This verse echoes Psalm 14:1-3 (LXX 13:1-3) and Ecclesiastes 7:20. The emphatic double negative (ouk...oude heis) leaves no exceptions.
2. [TCR Cross-Reference] This verse quotes Psalms 14:1-3 — see the TCR rendering of that passage for the Hebrew source text and translation decisions.
3. [TCR Cross-Reference] This verse quotes Ecclesiastes 7:20 — see the TCR rendering of that passage for the Hebrew source text and translation decisions.

Translator Notes

1. Continuing from Psalm 14:2. The two deficiencies — understanding and seeking — correspond to the intellectual and volitional dimensions of the human failure described in 1:21-23. The claim is not that people never have religious impulses but that no one naturally and consistently pursues the true God.
2. [TCR Cross-Reference] Quotes Psalms 14:1-3. The TCR rendering of that OT passage preserves the Hebrew source text and documents the translation decisions behind it.

Translator Notes

1. The conclusion of the Psalm 14 quotation. The verb exeklinan ('turned aside, deviated') uses a road metaphor — humanity has left the right path. The verb ēchreōthēsan ('became worthless, became useless') means to become sour or rancid, like spoiled milk — a vivid image of moral corruption.
2. [TCR Cross-Reference] Draws on Psalms 14:1-3. Consult the TCR rendering of that passage for the underlying Hebrew and the rationale for key translation choices.

Translator Notes

1. Paul draws from Psalm 5:9 (LXX 5:10) and Psalm 140:3 (LXX 139:3). The anatomy of sin moves from throat to tongue to lips — speech organs become instruments of death. The 'open grave' metaphor suggests speech that brings death and corruption. The progression creates a portrait of verbal violence.
2. [TCR Cross-Reference] References Psalms 5:9 — the TCR OT rendering of that text provides the Hebrew source and explains the translation decisions involved.
3. [TCR Cross-Reference] References Psalm 140:3 — the TCR OT rendering of that text provides the Hebrew source and explains the translation decisions involved.

Translator Notes

1. From Psalm 10:7 (LXX 9:28). The word aras ('cursing') and pikrias ('bitterness') complete the anatomy of sinful speech — from the throat (v. 13a) through the tongue (v. 13b) and lips (v. 13c) to the mouth (v. 14).
2. [TCR Cross-Reference] Echoes Psalms 10:7. See the TCR's OT rendering for the Hebrew behind this passage and the translation rationale.

Translator Notes

1. From Isaiah 59:7. The quotation shifts from organs of speech to feet — from verbal violence to physical violence. The adjective oxeis ('swift, quick, sharp') suggests eagerness for bloodshed.
2. [TCR Cross-Reference] This verse quotes Isaiah 59:7-8 — see the TCR rendering of that passage for the Hebrew source text and translation decisions.

Translator Notes

1. Continuing Isaiah 59:7. The nouns syntrimma ('destruction, ruin, crushing') and talaipōria ('wretchedness, misery') describe the devastation that sinful humanity leaves in its wake.
2. [TCR Cross-Reference] Quotes Isaiah 59:7-8. The TCR rendering of that OT passage preserves the Hebrew source text and documents the translation decisions behind it.

Translator Notes

1. From Isaiah 59:8. The word eirēnēs ('peace') corresponds to the Hebrew shalom — the wholeness and well-being that humanity was created for but has abandoned. The path they follow produces the opposite of shalom.
2. [TCR Cross-Reference] Draws on Isaiah 59:7-8. Consult the TCR rendering of that passage for the underlying Hebrew and the rationale for key translation choices.

Translator Notes

1. From Psalm 36:1 (LXX 35:2). This final quotation names the root cause: the absence of reverent awe before God. In the wisdom tradition, 'the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom' (Proverbs 9:10). Without this fear, the moral collapse described in the preceding quotations is inevitable.
2. [TCR Cross-Reference] References Psalms 36:1 — the TCR OT rendering of that text provides the Hebrew source and explains the translation decisions involved.
3. [TCR Cross-Reference] References Proverbs 9:10 — the TCR OT rendering of that text provides the Hebrew source and explains the translation decisions involved.

Translator Notes

1. Paul draws a crucial inference: the Old Testament quotations (vv. 10-18) address Jews first ('those under the law'), so Jews cannot claim exemption from the universal indictment. The result is universal: 'every mouth silenced' — no defense can be offered. The adjective hypodikos ('accountable, liable to judgment') is a legal term meaning 'under judicial sentence.'

Translator Notes

1. Paul echoes Psalm 143:2 (LXX 142:2). The phrase ex ergōn nomou ('by works of the law') has been debated: does it mean 'by doing what the law commands' or 'by the identity markers (circumcision, food laws, Sabbath) that define the Jewish community'? Both dimensions are likely in view. The word sarx ('flesh') here means 'human being' — no mortal creature can achieve right standing through law-keeping. The law's function is diagnostic, not curative: it identifies sin but cannot heal it.
2. [TCR Cross-Reference] This verse quotes Psalm 143:2 — see the TCR rendering of that passage for the Hebrew source text and translation decisions.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. The adverb nyni ('but now') is both temporal (the Christ-event has happened) and logical (the argument has reached its resolution). The perfect tense pephanerōtai ('has been revealed and remains revealed') emphasizes the permanence of this disclosure. The phrase chōris nomou ('apart from the law') qualifies the means, not the content: the righteousness is consistent with the law but does not come through law-keeping.

Translator Notes

1. The phrase dia pisteōs Iēsou Christou ('through faith in/of Jesus Christ') is the center of the 'pistis Christou' debate. The objective genitive reading ('faith in Jesus Christ') makes human faith the instrument by which righteousness is received. The subjective genitive reading ('the faithfulness of Jesus Christ') makes Christ's own fidelity the ground. Both are theologically valid; we render the traditional objective genitive. The phrase ou gar estin diastolē ('there is no distinction') eliminates any Jew-Gentile differential in access to salvation.

Translator Notes

1. The aorist hēmarton ('sinned') views humanity's sin as a historical fact, while the present tense hysterountai ('fall short, lack') describes an ongoing condition. The phrase 'glory of God' (doxēs tou theou) refers to the divine image and splendor humanity was created to reflect (cf. 1:23 and 8:29-30) — sin has caused humanity to lose its designed glory. The prefix hystero- suggests falling behind, being left wanting.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. Three metaphors converge: legal (dikaoumenoi, 'being justified' — declared righteous in court), commercial (dōrean, 'freely, as a gift' — without payment), and redemptive (apolytrōseōs, 'redemption' — liberation by payment of a ransom). The word apolytrōsis originally described the purchase of a slave's freedom and echoes the Hebrew ga'al (kinsman-redemption) tradition.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. The verb proetheto ('put forward, set forth publicly') indicates a deliberate, public divine act — not something hidden but something God displayed openly. The word hilastērion can be translated 'propitiation' (turning away wrath), 'expiation' (cleansing sin), or 'mercy seat' (the place of atonement). We render 'propitiation' because the context of divine wrath (1:18) demands resolution, but the mercy seat allusion is noted in the expanded rendering.
2. The phrase dia pisteōs ('through faith') specifies how the propitiation is received by the individual. The phrase en tō autou haimati ('by his blood') specifies the means of the atoning act — the death of Christ. The word paresin ('passing over') differs from aphesis ('forgiveness') — it means a temporary passing by, not permanent cancellation, suggesting that God's forbearance in the old covenant awaited the cross for final resolution.

Translator Notes

1. The phrase dikaion kai dikaiounta ('just and the justifier') is the theological climax of the passage. The same root (dik-) appears in both words, underscoring that God's justifying act is itself an expression of his justice, not a contradiction of it. The phrase en tō nyn kairō ('at the present time') contrasts with the past era of forbearance — the cross is the moment when God's righteousness is definitively displayed.

Translator Notes

1. The word kauchēsis ('boasting') returns from 2:17, 23. If justification is by grace through faith, no one can claim credit. Paul uses nomos ('law') in an unusual sense here — 'principle' or 'system' rather than the Mosaic Torah. The 'law of faith' is the principle that right standing before God comes through trust, not achievement.

Translator Notes

1. The verb logizometha ('we reckon, hold, conclude') is a deliberate summary statement. This verse became the watchword of the Protestant Reformation. Luther famously added 'alone' (allein) after 'faith' in his German translation — the word is not in the Greek but captures Paul's intent in this context. The phrase chōris ergōn nomou ('apart from works of the law') does not mean faith is opposed to obedience but that the ground of justification is trust in Christ, not law-keeping performance.

Translator Notes

1. Paul's argument now appeals to monotheism: if there is one God (the fundamental Jewish confession, the Shema), then he must be God of all peoples, not Jews exclusively. The theological ground for Gentile inclusion is not a new revelation but the oldest confession in Israel's faith.

Translator Notes

1. Paul varies the prepositions — ek pisteōs ('from/by faith') for the circumcised and dia tēs pisteōs ('through faith') for the uncircumcised — but the variation is likely stylistic rather than theologically significant. Both groups are justified by the same faith. The one God has one means of justification for all.

Translator Notes

1. The verb katargoumen ('abolish, overthrow, nullify') is the same word from verse 3. Paul anticipates the charge that justification by faith makes the law irrelevant. His emphatic denial (mē genoito) is followed by the claim that faith actually 'establishes' (histanomen, 'causes to stand') the law. How faith upholds the law is not explained here but is developed through the Abraham argument in chapter 4 and the Spirit's work in chapter 8.