Romans 1

The opening of a letter to those in Rome — Paul, slave and apostle; the Son from the seed of David according to the flesh, appointed Son of God according to the Spirit of holiness; grace and peace. A longing to see them and a road prevented until now. I am not ashamed of the gospel — the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith, Habakkuk’s the righteous one by faith will live. Then wrath revealed from heaven: people who saw the unseen and changed the glory, handed over three times, a list of twenty-one words.

Παῦλος δοῦλος ⸂Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ⸃, κλητὸς ἀπόστολος, ἀφωρισμένος εἰς εὐαγγέλιον θεοῦ

Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, a called apostle, set apart for the gospel of God —

first here Christ Χριστός Christos

first here Jesus Ἰησοῦς Iēsous

Why this rendering

Rom.1.1 Observation

Syntactic observation

Παῦλος δοῦλος Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ, κλητὸς ἀπόστολος, ἀφωρισμένος εἰς εὐαγγέλιον θεοῦ — Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, a called apostle, set apart for the gospel of God. Verses 1-7 are one sentence, opening on the nominative Paul with no verb and closing on the dative to all those in Rome (v.7); this edition keeps that frame with dashes and breaks the relative clauses between into sentences. δοῦλος, slave, is the word of Matt 8:9 and John 13:16 — not raised to servant. ἀφωρισμένος, set apart, is the verb ἀφορίζω of Acts 13:2, set apart for me Barnabas and Saul — the letter’s first verse answers the sentence at Antioch. V.4 τοῦ ὁρισθέντος υἱοῦ θεοῦ, appointed Son of God: ὁρίζω is the verb of Acts 10:42 (the one appointed) and 17:31 — not paraphrased as declared. Vv.3-4 set κατὰ σάρκα against κατὰ πνεῦμα ἁγιωσύνης (according to the flesh / according to the Spirit of holiness). V.5 ὑπακοὴν πίστεως, the obedience of faith, keeps the genitive unresolved — obedience that comes from faith and obedience that is faith both stay open. V.7 χάρις ὑμῖν καὶ εἰρήνη has no verb, rendered in the shape of John 20:19, peace to you. κλητός, called, stands three times (vv.1, 6, 7) — the word of Matt 22:14, many are called.

Rendering options · 2

Adopted

“appointed” — ὁρίζω as at Acts 10:42, 17:31

Basis One verb, one word.

“declared”

Basis The convention of received translations.

Rejected ὁρίζω is determine/appoint, not proclaim (κηρύσσω) — theology is not allowed to change the word.

ὃ προεπηγγείλατο διὰ τῶν προφητῶν αὐτοῦ ἐν γραφαῖς ἁγίαις

which he promised beforehand through his prophets in holy scriptures,

περὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ, τοῦ γενομένου ἐκ σπέρματος Δαυὶδ κατὰ σάρκα,

concerning his Son, who came from the seed of David according to the flesh,

first here daughter Δαυίδ Dauid

τοῦ ὁρισθέντος υἱοῦ θεοῦ ἐν δυνάμει κατὰ πνεῦμα ἁγιωσύνης ἐξ ἀναστάσεως νεκρῶν, Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν,

who was appointed Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness from the resurrection of the dead — Jesus Christ our Lord,

δι’ οὗ ἐλάβομεν χάριν καὶ ἀποστολὴν εἰς ὑπακοὴν πίστεως ἐν πᾶσιν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ὑπὲρ τοῦ ὀνόματος αὐτοῦ,

through whom we received grace and apostleship for the obedience of faith among all the nations for the sake of his name,

ἐν οἷς ἐστε καὶ ὑμεῖς κλητοὶ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ,

among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ —

πᾶσιν τοῖς οὖσιν ἐν Ῥώμῃ ἀγαπητοῖς θεοῦ, κλητοῖς ἁγίοις· χάρις ὑμῖν καὶ εἰρήνη ἀπὸ θεοῦ πατρὸς ἡμῶν καὶ κυρίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ.

to all those in Rome who are beloved of God, called holy ones: grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Πρῶτον μὲν εὐχαριστῶ τῷ θεῷ μου διὰ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ ⸀περὶ πάντων ὑμῶν, ὅτι ἡ πίστις ὑμῶν καταγγέλλεται ἐν ὅλῳ τῷ κόσμῳ.

First, I give thanks to my God through Jesus Christ concerning all of you, because your faith is being announced in the whole world.

μάρτυς γάρ μού ἐστιν ὁ θεός, ᾧ λατρεύω ἐν τῷ πνεύματί μου ἐν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ, ὡς ἀδιαλείπτως μνείαν ὑμῶν ποιοῦμαι

For God is my witness, whom I serve in my spirit in the gospel of his Son, how unceasingly I make remembrance of you,

πάντοτε ἐπὶ τῶν προσευχῶν μου, δεόμενος εἴ πως ἤδη ποτὲ εὐοδωθήσομαι ἐν τῷ θελήματι τοῦ θεοῦ ἐλθεῖν πρὸς ὑμᾶς.

always in my prayers, begging that somehow now at last I may be prospered on my way, in the will of God, to come to you.

ἐπιποθῶ γὰρ ἰδεῖν ὑμᾶς, ἵνα τι μεταδῶ χάρισμα ὑμῖν πνευματικὸν εἰς τὸ στηριχθῆναι ὑμᾶς,

For I long to see you, so that I may share some spiritual gift of grace with you for you to be strengthened —

τοῦτο δέ ἐστιν συμπαρακληθῆναι ἐν ὑμῖν διὰ τῆς ἐν ἀλλήλοις πίστεως ὑμῶν τε καὶ ἐμοῦ.

that is, to be comforted together among you through the faith that is in one another, both yours and mine.

οὐ θέλω δὲ ὑμᾶς ἀγνοεῖν, ἀδελφοί, ὅτι πολλάκις προεθέμην ἐλθεῖν πρὸς ὑμᾶς, καὶ ἐκωλύθην ἄχρι τοῦ δεῦρο, ἵνα τινὰ καρπὸν σχῶ καὶ ἐν ὑμῖν καθὼς καὶ ἐν τοῖς λοιποῖς ἔθνεσιν.

And I do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, that many times I purposed to come to you — and was prevented until now — so that I might have some fruit among you also, just as among the rest of the nations.

Ἕλλησίν τε καὶ βαρβάροις, σοφοῖς τε καὶ ἀνοήτοις ὀφειλέτης εἰμί·

To Greeks and to barbarians, to wise and to foolish, I am a debtor;

first here Greeks Ἕλλην Hellēn

οὕτως τὸ κατ’ ἐμὲ πρόθυμον καὶ ὑμῖν τοῖς ἐν Ῥώμῃ εὐαγγελίσασθαι.

so, for my part, there is eagerness to bring the good news to you also who are in Rome.

Οὐ γὰρ ἐπαισχύνομαι τὸ ⸀εὐαγγέλιον, δύναμις γὰρ θεοῦ ἐστιν εἰς σωτηρίαν παντὶ τῷ πιστεύοντι, Ἰουδαίῳ τε πρῶτον καὶ Ἕλληνι·

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and to the Greek.

first here Jews Ἰουδαῖος Ioudaios

δικαιοσύνη γὰρ θεοῦ ἐν αὐτῷ ἀποκαλύπτεται ἐκ πίστεως εἰς πίστιν, καθὼς γέγραπται· Ὁ δὲ δίκαιος ἐκ πίστεως ζήσεται.

For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, as it stands written: “But the righteous one by faith will live.”

Why this rendering

Rom.1.17 Observation

Syntactic observation

δικαιοσύνη γὰρ θεοῦ ἐν αὐτῷ ἀποκαλύπτεται ἐκ πίστεως εἰς πίστιν, καθὼς γέγραπται· Ὁ δὲ δίκαιος ἐκ πίστεως ζήσεται — for in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, as it stands written: but the righteous one by faith will live. δικαιοσύνη θεοῦ, the righteousness of God, keeps its genitive unresolved — the righteousness God has, gives and does are all inside the two words. ἀποκαλύπτεται, is revealed, comes twice in the same present passive (vv.17, 18): righteousness is revealed, wrath is revealed. The quotation is Habakkuk 2:4, but with neither the Hebrew by his faith(fulness) nor the Septuagint by my faith — simply by faith, no pronoun. And ἐκ πίστεως stands between the subject ὁ δίκαιος and the verb ζήσεται, able to attach to either: the one righteous by faith will live, or the righteous one will live by faith. This language can hold the phrase in the same middle position — the righteous one by faith will live — and so keeps the openness. V.16 Ἰουδαίῳ τε πρῶτον καὶ Ἕλληνι: to the Jew first and to the Greek — both halves of τε … καί stand. V.16 ἐπαισχύνομαι, be ashamed, is the verb of Mark 8:38, whoever is ashamed of me and of my words.

Rendering options · 2

Adopted

“by faith” — no pronoun; “the righteousness of God” — the genitive as it stands

Basis What the base text leaves open stays open.

“the one who is righteous by faith will live”

Basis A reading fitted to Paul’s argument.

Rejected The base text leaves both readings — closing to one turns translation into commentary.

Lost in translation

ἐκ πίστεως stands between subject and verb and can attach to either; this language can leave the phrase in the same middle position (the righteous one by faith will live), so the openness is carried, at the cost of an unusual word order.

Survives in · this edition — 1 of the nine carry it (this language among them)

Ἀποκαλύπτεται γὰρ ὀργὴ θεοῦ ἀπ’ οὐρανοῦ ἐπὶ πᾶσαν ἀσέβειαν καὶ ἀδικίαν ἀνθρώπων τῶν τὴν ἀλήθειαν ἐν ἀδικίᾳ κατεχόντων,

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven upon all impiety and unrighteousness of men who hold down the truth in unrighteousness,

διότι τὸ γνωστὸν τοῦ θεοῦ φανερόν ἐστιν ἐν αὐτοῖς, ὁ ⸂θεὸς γὰρ⸃ αὐτοῖς ἐφανέρωσεν.

because what is known of God is manifest among them; for God manifested it to them.

τὰ γὰρ ἀόρατα αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ κτίσεως κόσμου τοῖς ποιήμασιν νοούμενα καθορᾶται, ἥ τε ἀΐδιος αὐτοῦ δύναμις καὶ θειότης, εἰς τὸ εἶναι αὐτοὺς ἀναπολογήτους,

For his unseen things, both his everlasting power and divinity, are clearly seen from the creation of the world, being perceived by the things made, so that they are without defence;

Why this rendering

Rom.1.20 Observation

Syntactic observation

τὰ γὰρ ἀόρατα αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ κτίσεως κόσμου τοῖς ποιήμασιν νοούμενα καθορᾶται — for his unseen things are clearly seen from the creation of the world, being perceived by the things made. ἀόρατα, the unseen things, is the subject of καθορᾶται, are clearly seen — both are words of ὁράω, and the play the unseen is seen stands in the base text; this language joins the root with unseen … seen. ἀναπολογήτους, without defence, is the negation of ἀπολογία (defence: Acts 22:1, 25:16) — the courtroom word now falls on everyone. V.19 τὸ γνωστὸν τοῦ θεοῦ, what is known of God: γνωστός is the word of Acts 28:28, let it be known to you. V.21 ἐματαιώθησαν, became futile, shares its root with Acts 14:15, from these futile things (μάταιος); διαλογισμός, reasonings, is the word of Luke 5:22 and 24:38. V.23 sets ἀφθάρτου against φθαρτοῦ (imperishable / perishable) inside one verse, and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things are the three of Peter’s sheet at Acts 10:12 and 11:6 — here, in the order of Genesis 1, they become the list of idols.

Rendering options · 1

Adopted

“unseen things … clearly seen” — the root of ὁράω twice

Basis A play on a root is carried by the root.

διότι γνόντες τὸν θεὸν οὐχ ὡς θεὸν ἐδόξασαν ἢ ηὐχαρίστησαν, ἀλλὰ ἐματαιώθησαν ἐν τοῖς διαλογισμοῖς αὐτῶν καὶ ἐσκοτίσθη ἡ ἀσύνετος αὐτῶν καρδία·

because, knowing God, they did not glorify him as God or give thanks, but became futile in their reasonings, and their heart without understanding was darkened.

φάσκοντες εἶναι σοφοὶ ἐμωράνθησαν,

Asserting themselves to be wise, they became foolish,

καὶ ἤλλαξαν τὴν δόξαν τοῦ ἀφθάρτου θεοῦ ἐν ὁμοιώματι εἰκόνος φθαρτοῦ ἀνθρώπου καὶ πετεινῶν καὶ τετραπόδων καὶ ἑρπετῶν.

and changed the glory of the imperishable God into a likeness of an image of perishable man and of birds and of four-footed animals and of creeping things.

⸀Διὸ παρέδωκεν αὐτοὺς ὁ θεὸς ἐν ταῖς ἐπιθυμίαις τῶν καρδιῶν αὐτῶν εἰς ἀκαθαρσίαν τοῦ ἀτιμάζεσθαι τὰ σώματα αὐτῶν ἐν ⸀αὐτοῖς,

Therefore God handed them over, in the desires of their hearts, to uncleanness, for their bodies to be dishonoured among themselves —

Why this rendering

Rom.1.24 Observation

Syntactic observation

Διὸ παρέδωκεν αὐτοὺς ὁ θεὸς ἐν ταῖς ἐπιθυμίαις τῶν καρδιῶν αὐτῶν εἰς ἀκαθαρσίαν — therefore God handed them over, in the desires of their hearts, to uncleanness. παρέδωκεν, handed over, stands three times in the same form (vv.24, 26, 28) — the verb by which Judas handed Jesus over (Matt 26:15) and by which Paul was handed over into the hands of the Romans (Acts 28:17); this edition keeps all three as handed over and does not soften to gave up. V.23 ἤλλαξαν (changed) and vv.25-26 μετήλλαξαν (exchanged) are different words, and this language keeps them apart. V.25 τῇ κτίσει παρὰ τὸν κτίσαντα, the creation rather than the one who created — one root, two words, the pair of Mark 13:19, the creation that God created. V.28 οὐκ ἐδοκίμασαν … εἰς ἀδόκιμον νοῦν is a play on δοκιμάζω (test and approve) and its negation ἀδόκιμος (failing the test): this language carries it as approve / unapproved. V.26 θήλειαι and v.27 ἄρσενες are the two words of Matt 19:4, male and female (ἄρσεν καὶ θῆλυ) — not changed to women and men. V.27 ἀντιμισθία, recompense, is a word of μισθός, wage.

Rendering options · 2

Adopted

“handed over” three times — Judas’s verb as it stands

Basis A refrain keeps its word.

“gave them up”

Basis The softened convention.

Rejected παραδίδωμι is hand over, and this edition has rendered it so since Matt 26:15 — changing it here erases that the refrain is Judas’s verb.

Lost in translation

V.28 δοκιμάζω ↔ ἀδόκιμος, one root — this language keeps it as approve / unapproved.

Survives in · this edition — 1 of the nine carry it (this language among them)

οἵτινες μετήλλαξαν τὴν ἀλήθειαν τοῦ θεοῦ ἐν τῷ ψεύδει, καὶ ἐσεβάσθησαν καὶ ἐλάτρευσαν τῇ κτίσει παρὰ τὸν κτίσαντα, ὅς ἐστιν εὐλογητὸς εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας· ἀμήν.

who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and revered and served the creation rather than the one who created, who is blessed to the ages. Amen.

Διὰ τοῦτο παρέδωκεν αὐτοὺς ὁ θεὸς εἰς πάθη ἀτιμίας· αἵ τε γὰρ θήλειαι αὐτῶν μετήλλαξαν τὴν φυσικὴν χρῆσιν εἰς τὴν παρὰ φύσιν,

For this reason God handed them over to passions of dishonour; for their females exchanged the natural use for that which is against nature,

ὁμοίως τε καὶ οἱ ἄρσενες ἀφέντες τὴν φυσικὴν χρῆσιν τῆς θηλείας ἐξεκαύθησαν ἐν τῇ ὀρέξει αὐτῶν εἰς ἀλλήλους, ἄρσενες ἐν ἄρσεσιν τὴν ἀσχημοσύνην κατεργαζόμενοι καὶ τὴν ἀντιμισθίαν ἣν ἔδει τῆς πλάνης αὐτῶν ἐν ⸀ἑαυτοῖς ἀπολαμβάνοντες.

and likewise also the males, leaving the natural use of the female, burned in their craving for one another, males with males working out the shameless deed and receiving back in themselves the recompense that was due for their deception.

Καὶ καθὼς οὐκ ἐδοκίμασαν τὸν θεὸν ἔχειν ἐν ἐπιγνώσει, παρέδωκεν αὐτοὺς ὁ θεὸς εἰς ἀδόκιμον νοῦν, ποιεῖν τὰ μὴ καθήκοντα,

And as they did not approve of having God in knowledge, God handed them over to an unapproved mind, to do the things not fitting,

πεπληρωμένους πάσῃ ⸀ἀδικίᾳ πονηρίᾳ πλεονεξίᾳ κακίᾳ, μεστοὺς φθόνου φόνου ἔριδος δόλου κακοηθείας, ψιθυριστάς,

filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, malice; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malignity; whisperers,

Why this rendering

Rom.1.29 Observation

Syntactic observation

πεπληρωμένους πάσῃ ἀδικίᾳ πονηρίᾳ πλεονεξίᾳ κακίᾳ, μεστοὺς φθόνου φόνου ἔριδος δόλου κακοηθείας, ψιθυριστάς — filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, malice; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malignity; whisperers. Vv.29-31 are a list without conjunctions — four datives, five genitives, twelve accusatives. This edition strings them as in Mark 7:21-22 and sets the twelve accusatives, which name people, as a run of nouns. φθόνου φόνου (envy, murder) is a sound-pair one letter apart, and so is ἀσυνέτους ἀσυνθέτους (without understanding, breakers of agreements) — neither pair has a body in this language (recorded as a loss). The four of v.31 are all ἀ-privatives (ἀσύνετος, ἀσύνθετος, ἄστοργος, ἀνελεήμων): without understanding, breakers of agreements, without affection, unmerciful. Seven words stand nowhere else in the New Testament: κακοήθεια (malignity), ψιθυριστής (whisperers), κατάλαλος (backbiters), θεοστυγής (God-haters), ἐφευρετής (inventors), ἀσύνθετος (breakers of agreements), ἀνελεήμων (unmerciful). πονηρία, wickedness, is the word of Mark 7:22 and Luke 11:39, and κακία is the word of Acts 8:22; since both come in one verse, κακία is set apart here as malice (a site rule). V.32 δικαίωμα, ordinance, is the word of Luke 1:6, all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord.

Rendering options · 1

Adopted

the asyndetic list as a run of nouns

Basis In the same key as the list of Mark 7:21-22.

Lost in translation

The sound-pairs φθόνου φόνου and ἀσυνέτους ἀσυνθέτους — envy, murder and without understanding, breakers of agreements keep no echo of the sound.

this edition — none of the nine carries it (measured)

καταλάλους, θεοστυγεῖς, ὑβριστάς, ὑπερηφάνους, ἀλαζόνας, ἐφευρετὰς κακῶν, γονεῦσιν ἀπειθεῖς,

backbiters, God-haters, insolent, proud, braggarts, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,

ἀσυνέτους, ἀσυνθέτους, ⸀ἀστόργους, ἀνελεήμονας·

without understanding, breakers of agreements, without affection, unmerciful;

οἵτινες τὸ δικαίωμα τοῦ θεοῦ ἐπιγνόντες, ὅτι οἱ τὰ τοιαῦτα πράσσοντες ἄξιοι θανάτου εἰσίν, οὐ μόνον αὐτὰ ποιοῦσιν ἀλλὰ καὶ συνευδοκοῦσιν τοῖς πράσσουσιν.

who, recognising the ordinance of God, that those who practise such things are worthy of death, not only do them but even consent to those who practise them.