Romans 13
Be subject to the higher authorities — there is no authority except by God. To oppose is to withstand God’s ordinance. The authority is God’s servant for the good and does not wear the sword for nothing — a bringer of justice for wrath on the evildoer. Not only for wrath’s sake but for conscience. Tribute, customs, fear, honour — repay the debts. Owe nothing but love — the commandments are recapitulated in one word, and love is the fullness of law. The hour to wake from sleep; the night has advanced, the day is near — throw off the works of the dark, put on the weapons of light, put on the Lord Jesus Christ.
Why this rendering
Rom.13.1 Observation
Syntactic observation
Πᾶσα ψυχὴ ἐξουσίαις ὑπερεχούσαις ὑποτασσέσθω … αἱ δὲ οὖσαι ὑπὸ θεοῦ τεταγμέναι εἰσίν. ὥστε ὁ ἀντιτασσόμενος τῇ ἐξουσίᾳ τῇ τοῦ θεοῦ διαταγῇ ἀνθέστηκεν — let every life be subject to the higher authorities … those that exist have been appointed by God; so the one opposing the authority has withstood the ordinance of God. Verses 1-2 are woven on one root — ὑποτάσσω (be placed under: be subject), τάσσω (place: appoint), ἀντιτάσσομαι (place oneself against: oppose), διαταγή (what is placed in order: ordinance). The text draws order with four shapes of one verb ‘to place’; English receives them as subject, appoint, oppose, ordinance — four unrelated roots — and Korean likewise. In v.2 ἀντιτάσσομαι (Acts 18:6 oppose) and ἀνθίστημι (Matt 5:39 withstand) are two verbs; English keeps two words, Korean has one. Πᾶσα ψυχή is the Hebraic ‘every person’ of 2:9 — the ψυχή = life word in use.
Rendering options · 2
Basis One verb, one word — the word used of the spirits (Luke 10:17) and of God’s law (8:7).
Basis The familiar civic word.
Rejected ‘Obey’ is ὑπακούω’s word (to hear under); ὑποτάσσω is to be placed under.
Lost in translation
ὑποτάσσω · τάσσω · ἀντιτάσσομαι · διαταγή — four words on one root in vv.1-2.
v.2 ἀντιτάσσομαι ↔ ἀνθίστημι — two verbs, kept as oppose / withstand.
Why this rendering
Rom.13.4 Observation
Syntactic observation
θεοῦ γὰρ διάκονός ἐστιν σοὶ εἰς τὸ ἀγαθόν … οὐ γὰρ εἰκῇ τὴν μάχαιραν φορεῖ· θεοῦ γὰρ διάκονός ἐστιν, ἔκδικος εἰς ὀργὴν τῷ τὸ κακὸν πράσσοντι — it is God’s servant to you for the good … it does not wear the sword for nothing … a bringer of justice for wrath to the one practising the evil. In vv.3-4 the second person drops to the singular (θέλεις, ποίει, σοί, ποιῇς, φοβοῦ), as in 11:17-24. The authority bears two names — διάκονος in v.4 (servant, the word of Mark 10:43) and λειτουργός in v.6 (holder of a public office; the person of λειτουργία, Luke 1:23). English keeps servant/minister; Korean has one word. ἔκδικος shares its root with ἐκδίκησις of 12:19 — the one who said ‘justice is mine’ entrusts that work to the authority, and the link sits in the word. ποιῇς (do) and πράσσοντι (practise) in v.4 are two verbs and are kept apart. τελεῖτε in v.6 can be read as indicative (you pay) or imperative (pay); it is left indicative and open.
Rendering options · 2
Basis On the root of ἐκδίκησις, fixed as justice.
Basis The familiar rendering.
Rejected It cuts the link to 12:19 — this is the very word God claimed as his own.
Lost in translation
διάκονος v.4 ↔ λειτουργός v.6 — kept as servant / minister.
τελεῖτε in v.6, indicative or imperative — closed as ‘you pay’.
Why this rendering
Rom.13.8 Observation
Syntactic observation
ὁ γὰρ ἀγαπῶν τὸν ἕτερον νόμον πεπλήρωκεν … ἐν τῷ λόγῳ τούτῳ ἀνακεφαλαιοῦται … πλήρωμα οὖν νόμου ἡ ἀγάπη — the one loving the other has filled up the law … is recapitulated in this word … love is the fullness of law. The perfect πεπλήρωκεν in v.8 and the noun πλήρωμα in v.10 are one root, kept as fill up / fullness (8:4 ‘be fulfilled’ is a site-bound rendering; Matt 13:14 ‘the prophecy is filled up’ is the same site rule). ἀνακεφαλαιοῦται in v.9 is built on κεφαλή (head) — many commandments gathered under one head; recapitulate carries the picture through Latin caput. The four commandments are future indicatives (Οὐ μοιχεύσεις …), the shape of 7:7 ‘You shall not desire’, and take the same rendering. τὸν ἕτερον is ‘the other’, not ‘the neighbour’ (πλησίον) — the two words come separately in v.8 and vv.9-10.
Rendering options · 2
Basis As fixed in Matt 13:14 and Rom 11:12; the echo between the verses lives in the word.
Basis Following 8:4 ‘be fulfilled’.
Rejected πλήρωμα is fixed as fullness in 11:12, 25; ‘fulfil’ in v.8 alone would cut the pair.
Lost in translation
The κεφαλή (head) inside ἀνακεφαλαιόω — recapitulate keeps it through caput.
Why this rendering
Rom.13.12 Observation
Syntactic observation
ἡ νὺξ προέκοψεν, ἡ δὲ ἡμέρα ἤγγικεν. ἀποβαλώμεθα οὖν τὰ ἔργα τοῦ σκότους, ἐνδυσώμεθα δὲ τὰ ὅπλα τοῦ φωτός — the night has advanced, the day has drawn near; let us throw off the works of the dark and put on the weapons of the light. προκόπτω is the verb of Luke 2:52, where Jesus ‘advanced’ in wisdom — the night has advanced. ἀποβάλλω is Bartimaeus’ verb in Mark 10:50, throwing off his garment, and ἐνδύω is to put on — the two verbs of clothing change the dark’s works for light’s weapons. σκότος is ‘the dark’ of Matt 6:23 and Acts 26:18, kept apart from σκοτία ‘darkness’ (John 1:5) so that the two words can be counted (Acts 2:20 and 13:11 were realigned the same day). The base text marks ⸀ἀποβαλώμεθα as a variant (some manuscripts read a different verb, ‘lay aside’). The list in v.13 comes in pairs — κώμοις καὶ μέθαις · κοίταις καὶ ἀσελγείαις · ἔριδι καὶ ζήλῳ. κοίτη is the ‘bed’ of 9:10 and stays literal. ζῆλος splits by site between zeal (John 2:17) and jealousy (Acts 5:17); beside strife it is jealousy.
Rendering options · 2
Basis One verb, one word; both verbs carry the picture of clothing.
Basis The familiar phrase.
Rejected ‘Cast off’ loses the gesture of Mark 10:50, the garment thrown aside.
Lost in translation
προκόπτω — one verb with Luke 2:52 ‘advanced’; ‘the night has advanced’ keeps it.