Romans 8–9

Footnotes

1. 1 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 follows the longest reading found in 𝔐.
2. 2 Grk “for the law of the Spirit of life.”
3. 3 Most read the first person singular pronoun με (me) here (A D 1739c 1881 𝔐 lat sa). The second person singular pronoun σε (se) is superior because of external support (א B {F which reads 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.
4. 4 Grk “in that.”
5. 5 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.
6. 6 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.
7. 7 Or “are not controlled by the flesh but by the Spirit.”
8. 8 Greek emphasizes the contrast between these two clauses more than can be easily expressed in English.
9. 9 Or “life-giving.” Grk “the Spirit is life.”
10. 10 The one who raised Jesus from the dead refers to God (also in the following clause).
11. 11 Several read Ἰησοῦν (Iēsoun, “Jesus”) after Χριστόν (Christon, “Christ”; א* A D* 630 1506 1739 1881 bo); C 81 104 lat have Ἰησοῦν Χριστόν. The shorter reading is more likely to be original, though, both because of external evidence (א2 B D2 F G Ψ 33 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).
12. 12 Most (B D F G Ψ 33 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.
13. 13 There is a double connective here that cannot be easily preserved in English: “consequently therefore,” emphasizing the conclusion of what he has been arguing.
14. 14 Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in .
15. 15 Grk “are about to, are certainly going to.”
16. 16 This remark is parenthetical to Paul’s argument.
17. 17 Grk “For as many as are being led by the Spirit of God, these are.”
18. 18 Grk “slavery again to fear.”
19. 19 The Greek term υἱοθεσία (huiothesia) was originally a legal technical term for adoption as a son with full rights of inheritance. 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).”
20. 20 Or “in that.”
21. 21 Or possibly “with.” , however, notes the following: “At issue, grammatically, is whether the Spirit testifies alongside of our spirit ( 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 of association (and is supported by , , etc.). But there are three reasons why πνεύματι (pneumati) should not be taken as association: (1) Grammatically, a 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 (Rom 9:1). (3) Contextually, a 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 [], 1:]. 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.”
22. 22 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 μέν … δέ (men … de, “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.
23. 23 Grk “are not worthy [to be compared].”
24. 24 Grk “because of the one”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
25. 25 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. , .
26. 26 See the note on “adoption” in v. .
27. 27 Grk “body.”
28. 28 Or “perseverance.”
29. 29 Or “for we do not know what we ought to pray for.”
30. 30 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).
31. 31 Grk “he,” or “it”; the referent (the Spirit) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
32. 32 ὁ θεός (ho theos, “God”) is found after the verb συνεργεῖ (sunergei, “work”) in v. 28 by 𝔓46 A B 81 sa; the shorter reading is found in א C D F G Ψ 33 1739 1881 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 [], 1:).
33. 33 Grk “he”; the referent (God’s Son) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
34. 34 Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in .
35. 35 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?”
36. 36 An allusion to Isa 50:8 where the reference is singular; Paul applies this to all believers (“God’s elect” is plural here).
37. 37 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 lat bo), read Ἰησοῦς (Iēsous, “Jesus”) after χριστός (Christos, “Christ”) in v. 34. But the shorter reading is not unrepresented (B D 0289 1739 1881 𝔐 sa). Once Ἰησοῦς 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. has the word in brackets, indicating doubt as to its authenticity. Grk “who also.”
38. 38 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).
39. 39 A quotation from Ps 44:22.
40. 40 ὑπερνικάω states, “as a heightened form of νικᾶν prevail completely ὑπερνικῶμεν we are winning a most glorious victory Ro 8:37.”
41. 41 Here the referent could be either God or Christ, but in v. 39 it is God’s love that is mentioned.
42. 42 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 (, ).
43. 1 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 (), 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,” 22 (1984): 37–52.
44. 2 Or “my conscience bears witness to me.”
45. 3 Grk “my sorrow is great and the anguish in my heart is unceasing.”
46. 4 Or “For I would pray.” The implied condition is “if this could save my fellow Jews.”
47. 5 Grk “brothers.” See ἀδελφός 2.b.
48. 6 Grk “my kinsmen according to the flesh.”
49. 7 Grk “of whom.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
50. 8 The Greek term υἱοθεσία (huiothesia) was originally a legal technical term for adoption as a son with full rights of inheritance. 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. , ESV), the retention of this component of meaning was accomplished in the present translation by the phrase “as sons.”
51. 9 Or “cultic service.”
52. 10 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.
53. 11 Grk “from whom.” Here the relative pronoun has been replaced by a personal pronoun.
54. 12 Grk “according to the flesh.”
55. 13 Or “Messiah.” (Both Greek “Christ” and Hebrew and Aramaic “Messiah” mean “one who has been anointed.”)
56. 14 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.
57. 15 Grk “For not all those who are from Israel are Israel.”
58. 16 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. A quotation from Gen 21:12.
59. 17 Grk “That is,” or “That is to say.”
60. 18 Because it forms the counterpoint to “the children of promise” the expression “children of the flesh” has been retained in the translation. The expression the children of the flesh refers to the natural offspring.
61. 19 Grk “For this is the word of promise.”
62. 20 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.
63. 21 A quotation from Gen 18:10, 14.
64. 22 Or possibly “by one act of sexual intercourse.” See D. Moo, Romans (), 579.
65. 23 Grk “God’s purpose according to election.”
66. 24 Or “not based on works but based on …”
67. 25 Grk “by the one who calls.” The entire clause is something of a parenthetical remark.
68. 26 Many translations place this verse division before the phrase “not by works but by his calling” (/, , , , ). Other translations place this verse division in the same place that the translation above does (, , , , ). The translation has followed the latter to avoid breaking the parenthetical statement.
69. 27 A quotation from Gen 25:23.
70. 28 A quotation from Mal 1:2–3.
71. 29 A quotation from Exod 33:19.
72. 30 There is a double connective here that cannot be easily preserved in English: “consequently therefore,” emphasizing the conclusion of what he has been arguing.
73. 31 Grk “So then, [it does] not [depend] on the one who desires nor on the one who runs.”
74. 32 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.
75. 33 A quotation from Exod 9:16.
76. 34 There is a double connective here that cannot be easily preserved in English: “consequently therefore,” emphasizing the conclusion of what he has been arguing.
77. 35 Grk “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
78. 36 Grk “So then, he has mercy on whom he desires, and he hardens whom he desires.”
79. 37 Grk “O man.”
80. 38 Grk “On the contrary, O man, who are you to talk back to God?”
81. 39 A quotation from Isa 29:16; 45:9.
82. 40 Grk “Or does not the potter have authority over the clay to make from the same lump.”
83. 41 Grk “one vessel for honor and another for dishonor.”
84. 42 Grk “vessels.” This is the same Greek word used in v. 21.
85. 43 Or “vessels destined for wrath.” The genitive ὀργῆς (orgēs) could be taken as a genitive of destination.
86. 44 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). 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.
87. 45 Grk “vessels.” This is the same Greek word used in v. 21.
88. 46 Grk “and her who was not beloved, ‘Beloved.’ ”
89. 47 A quotation from Hos 2:23.
90. 48 Grk “And it will be in the very place.”
91. 49 A quotation from Hos 1:10.
92. 50 Grk “sons.”
93. 51 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 (𝔓46 א* A B 6 1506 1739 1881 co), while the longer reading is found principally in Western and Byzantine (א2 D F G Ψ 33 𝔐 lat). The longer reading follows Isa 10:22–23 () verbatim, while Paul in the previous verse quoted the 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. There is a wordplay in Greek (in both the 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. συντέμνω. A modified quotation from Isa 10:22–23. Since it is not exact, it has been printed as italics only.
94. 52 Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
95. 53 Traditionally, “Lord of hosts”; Grk “Lord Sabaoth,” which means “Lord of the [heavenly] armies,” sometimes translated more generally as “Lord Almighty.”
96. 54 A quotation from Isa 1:9.
97. 55 Or “who pursued.” The participle could be taken adverbially or adjectivally.
98. 56 Or “a legal righteousness,” that is, a righteousness based on law. This translation would treat the genitive δικαιοσύνης (dikaiosunēs) as an attributed genitive (see ).
99. 57 Grk “has not attained unto the law.”
100. 58 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.
101. 59 Most , especially the later ones (א2 D Ψ 33 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, being motivated apparently by a need to clarify. Grk “but as by works.”
102. 60 Grk “the stone of stumbling.”
103. 61 Grk “a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.”
104. 62 A quotation from Isa 28:16; 8:14.