Romans 3

What the Jew has more — the oracles of God entrusted. Unbelief does not abolish God’s faithfulness: may it not be, three times. All under sin — a chain of Psalms and Isaiah, throats like opened graves, feet swift for blood. Through law, only knowledge of sin. But now, apart from law, the righteousness of God manifested — through the faith of Jesus Christ, freely, redemption and a propitiatory. Boasting shut out; God is one; faith establishes law.

Τί οὖν τὸ περισσὸν τοῦ Ἰουδαίου, ἢ τίς ἡ ὠφέλεια τῆς περιτομῆς;

What then is the more that the Jew has, or what is the profit of circumcision?

first here Jews Ἰουδαῖος Ioudaios

πολὺ κατὰ πάντα τρόπον. πρῶτον μὲν ⸀γὰρ ὅτι ἐπιστεύθησαν τὰ λόγια τοῦ θεοῦ.

Much in every way. For first, that they were entrusted with the oracles of God.

τί γάρ; εἰ ἠπίστησάν τινες, μὴ ἡ ἀπιστία αὐτῶν τὴν πίστιν τοῦ θεοῦ καταργήσει;

What then? If some did not believe, will their unbelief abolish the faithfulness of God?

Why this rendering

Rom.3.3 Observation

Syntactic observation

εἰ ἠπίστησάν τινες, μὴ ἡ ἀπιστία αὐτῶν τὴν πίστιν τοῦ θεοῦ καταργήσει; μὴ γένοιτο — if some did not believe, will their unbelief abolish the faithfulness of God? May it not be! One verse holds ἀπιστέω (not believe), ἀπιστία (unbelief) and πίστις (faith) on one root; when πίστις belongs to God it is faithfulness, and this language loses the root in unbelief ↔ faithfulness (recorded as a loss). μὴ γένοιτο is the letter’s refrain (3:4, 6, 31; 6:2, 15; 7:7, 13; 9:14; 11:1, 11) — rendered as the optative of γίνομαι, may it not be — the very cry of the people at Luke 20:16 — not paraphrased as certainly not. V.4 γινέσθω δὲ ὁ θεὸς ἀληθής is the imperative of the same verb (let God be true) — two verses tied by one verb. πᾶς δὲ ἄνθρωπος ψεύστης is Psalm 116:11 without a citation formula; the as it stands written that follows is Psalm 51:4. V.2 τὰ λόγια τοῦ θεοῦ, the oracles of God, is Stephen’s word at Acts 7:38, living oracles (λόγια). ἐπιστεύθησαν, were entrusted, is the passive of πιστεύω — the use of Luke 16:11, who will entrust the true to you.

Rendering options · 2

Adopted

“May it not be” — the optative of γίνομαι, as at Luke 20:16

Basis A refrain keeps one shape.

“Certainly not”

Basis The received idiom.

Rejected The verb disappears, and its tie to let God be in v.4 is lost.

Lost in translation

ἀπιστία ↔ πίστις (τοῦ θεοῦ), one root — this language splits them into unbelief ↔ faithfulness and loses it.

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

μὴ γένοιτο· γινέσθω δὲ ὁ θεὸς ἀληθής, πᾶς δὲ ἄνθρωπος ψεύστης, ⸀καθὼς γέγραπται· Ὅπως ἂν δικαιωθῇς ἐν τοῖς λόγοις σου καὶ ⸀νικήσεις ἐν τῷ κρίνεσθαί σε.

May it not be! Rather, let God be true, and every man a liar, as it stands written: “So that you may be justified in your words and will overcome when you are judged.”

εἰ δὲ ἡ ἀδικία ἡμῶν θεοῦ δικαιοσύνην συνίστησιν, τί ἐροῦμεν; μὴ ἄδικος ὁ θεὸς ὁ ἐπιφέρων τὴν ὀργήν; κατὰ ἄνθρωπον λέγω.

But if our unrighteousness commends the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unrighteous who brings upon us the wrath? I speak according to man.

μὴ γένοιτο· ἐπεὶ πῶς κρινεῖ ὁ θεὸς τὸν κόσμον;

May it not be! For then how will God judge the world?

εἰ ⸀δὲ ἡ ἀλήθεια τοῦ θεοῦ ἐν τῷ ἐμῷ ψεύσματι ἐπερίσσευσεν εἰς τὴν δόξαν αὐτοῦ, τί ἔτι κἀγὼ ὡς ἁμαρτωλὸς κρίνομαι,

But if the truth of God abounded in my falsehood to his glory, why am I still also judged as a sinner?

καὶ μὴ καθὼς βλασφημούμεθα καὶ καθώς φασίν τινες ἡμᾶς λέγειν ὅτι Ποιήσωμεν τὰ κακὰ ἵνα ἔλθῃ τὰ ἀγαθά; ὧν τὸ κρίμα ἔνδικόν ἐστιν.

And why not — as we are blasphemed, and as some assert that we say — “Let us do the evil things so that the good things may come”? Their judgement is just.

Τί οὖν; προεχόμεθα; οὐ πάντως, προῃτιασάμεθα γὰρ Ἰουδαίους τε καὶ Ἕλληνας πάντας ὑφ’ ἁμαρτίαν εἶναι,

What then? Are we ahead? Not at all; for we charged beforehand that Jews and Greeks are all under sin,

first here Greeks Ἕλλην Hellēn

Why this rendering

Rom.3.9 Observation

Syntactic observation

Τί οὖν; προεχόμεθα; οὐ πάντως — what then? are we ahead? not at all. προεχόμεθα stands nowhere else in the New Testament, and whether it is middle or passive — are we ahead, or are we excelled — stays open; this edition keeps the active-leaning are we ahead and records the other reading here. οὐ πάντως too stands between not at all and not entirely (πάντως, surely: Luke 4:23); the context (all under sin) chooses the first. Vv.10-18 are a chain of six quotations — Psalm 14:1-3, 5:9, 140:3, 10:7, Isaiah 59:7-8, Psalm 36:1 — opened by one as it stands written and joined without marks. The words of the body come in order: throat, tongue, lips, mouth, feet, eyes. V.12 ἠχρεώθησαν, became useless, shares its root with Matt 25:30, the useless slave (ἀχρεῖος) — which is why ἀδόκιμος at 1:28 is kept apart as unapproved. V.13 ἀσπίς, asp, is a different snake from Matt 3:7 ἔχιδνα, viper. V.9 ὑφ’ ἁμαρτίαν, under sin, is the first place in the letter where sin stands as a power — kept as under sin.

Rendering options · 1

Adopted

“Are we ahead?” — the other reading recorded here

Basis An open place: one reading in the text, the other in the analysis.

καθὼς γέγραπται ὅτι Οὐκ ἔστιν δίκαιος οὐδὲ εἷς,

as it stands written: “There is none righteous, not even one;

οὐκ ἔστιν ⸀ὁ συνίων, οὐκ ἔστιν ⸁ὁ ἐκζητῶν τὸν θεόν·

there is none who understands, there is none who seeks out God.

πάντες ἐξέκλιναν, ἅμα ἠχρεώθησαν· οὐκ ⸀ἔστιν ποιῶν χρηστότητα, οὐκ ἔστιν ἕως ἑνός.

All turned aside, together they became useless; there is none who does kindness, there is not so much as one.

τάφος ἀνεῳγμένος ὁ λάρυγξ αὐτῶν, ταῖς γλώσσαις αὐτῶν ἐδολιοῦσαν, ἰὸς ἀσπίδων ὑπὸ τὰ χείλη αὐτῶν,

Their throat is an opened grave; with their tongues they used deceit; the venom of asps is under their lips;

ὧν τὸ στόμα ἀρᾶς καὶ πικρίας γέμει·

whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.

ὀξεῖς οἱ πόδες αὐτῶν ἐκχέαι αἷμα,

Their feet are swift to pour out blood;

σύντριμμα καὶ ταλαιπωρία ἐν ταῖς ὁδοῖς αὐτῶν,

ruin and misery are in their ways,

καὶ ὁδὸν εἰρήνης οὐκ ἔγνωσαν.

and the way of peace they did not know.

οὐκ ἔστιν φόβος θεοῦ ἀπέναντι τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν αὐτῶν.

There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

Οἴδαμεν δὲ ὅτι ὅσα ὁ νόμος λέγει τοῖς ἐν τῷ νόμῳ λαλεῖ, ἵνα πᾶν στόμα φραγῇ καὶ ὑπόδικος γένηται πᾶς ὁ κόσμος τῷ θεῷ·

Now we know that whatever the law says, it speaks to those in the law, so that every mouth may be stopped and the whole world become answerable to God;

διότι ἐξ ἔργων νόμου οὐ δικαιωθήσεται πᾶσα σὰρξ ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ, διὰ γὰρ νόμου ἐπίγνωσις ἁμαρτίας.

because from works of law no flesh will be justified before him, for through law is knowledge of sin.

Νυνὶ δὲ χωρὶς νόμου δικαιοσύνη θεοῦ πεφανέρωται, μαρτυρουμένη ὑπὸ τοῦ νόμου καὶ τῶν προφητῶν,

But now, apart from law, the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets —

δικαιοσύνη δὲ θεοῦ διὰ πίστεως Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, εἰς ⸀πάντας τοὺς πιστεύοντας, οὐ γάρ ἐστιν διαστολή.

the righteousness of God through the faith of Jesus Christ, for all who believe; for there is no distinction.

first here Jesus Ἰησοῦς Iēsous

first here Christ Χριστός Christos

Why this rendering

Rom.3.22 Observation

Syntactic observation

δικαιοσύνη δὲ θεοῦ διὰ πίστεως Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, εἰς πάντας τοὺς πιστεύοντας — the righteousness of God through the faith of Jesus Christ, for all who believe. πίστεως Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ is a genitive: faith in Jesus Christ (objective) and the faithfulness of Jesus Christ (subjective) both lie inside the two words, and this edition keeps the faith of Jesus Christ so that both stay open (v.26 τὸν ἐκ πίστεως Ἰησοῦ likewise, the one who is of the faith of Jesus). Unlike v.3, where God’s πίστις had to become faithfulness, here faith carries both readings. V.21 πεφανέρωται, has been manifested, is a perfect — a different verb and tense from 1:17’s present ἀποκαλύπτεται, is revealed. V.24 δωρεάν, freely, is the word of Matt 10:8, freely you received, freely give, and ἀπολύτρωσις, redemption, is the word of Luke 21:28, your redemption draws near — once in the four Gospels, here for the second time. V.25 ἱλαστήριον is, in the Septuagint, the cover of the ark (the mercy seat), here applied to a person; this edition renders it propitiatory, a word that names either the place or the means and keeps its root with Luke 18:13, be propitiated (ἱλάσκομαι). πάρεσις, passing over, stands nowhere else in the New Testament and is not ἄφεσις, forgiveness.

Rendering options · 2

Adopted

“the faith of Jesus Christ” — the genitive unresolved

Basis What the base text leaves open stays open.

“faith in Jesus Christ”

Basis The received objective-genitive reading.

Rejected It closes the subjective genitive (Christ’s faithfulness) — the base text leaves both.

Lost in translation

V.25 ἱλαστήριον is open between place (mercy seat) and means (propitiation); propitiatory in this language names either and keeps it open.

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

πάντες γὰρ ἥμαρτον καὶ ὑστεροῦνται τῆς δόξης τοῦ θεοῦ,

For all sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

δικαιούμενοι δωρεὰν τῇ αὐτοῦ χάριτι διὰ τῆς ἀπολυτρώσεως τῆς ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ·

being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,

ὃν προέθετο ὁ θεὸς ἱλαστήριον ⸀διὰ πίστεως ἐν τῷ αὐτοῦ αἵματι εἰς ἔνδειξιν τῆς δικαιοσύνης αὐτοῦ διὰ τὴν πάρεσιν τῶν προγεγονότων ἁμαρτημάτων

whom God set forth as a propitiatory, through faith, in his blood, for a showing of his righteousness because of the passing over of the sins that had come before

ἐν τῇ ἀνοχῇ τοῦ θεοῦ, πρὸς ⸀τὴν ἔνδειξιν τῆς δικαιοσύνης αὐτοῦ ἐν τῷ νῦν καιρῷ, εἰς τὸ εἶναι αὐτὸν δίκαιον καὶ δικαιοῦντα τὸν ἐκ πίστεως Ἰησοῦ.

in the forbearance of God — for the showing of his righteousness in the present time, so that he is righteous and justifies the one who is of the faith of Jesus.

Ποῦ οὖν ἡ καύχησις; ἐξεκλείσθη. διὰ ποίου νόμου; τῶν ἔργων; οὐχί, ἀλλὰ διὰ νόμου πίστεως.

Where then is boasting? It was shut out. Through what law? Of works? No, but through a law of faith.

λογιζόμεθα ⸀γὰρ ⸂δικαιοῦσθαι πίστει⸃ ἄνθρωπον χωρὶς ἔργων νόμου.

For we reckon that a man is justified by faith apart from works of law.

ἢ Ἰουδαίων ὁ θεὸς μόνον; ⸀οὐχὶ καὶ ἐθνῶν; ναὶ καὶ ἐθνῶν,

Or is God of Jews only? Is he not also of nations? Yes, of nations also,

⸀εἴπερ εἷς ὁ θεός, ὃς δικαιώσει περιτομὴν ἐκ πίστεως καὶ ἀκροβυστίαν διὰ τῆς πίστεως.

since indeed God is one, who will justify circumcision from faith and foreskin through the faith.

νόμον οὖν καταργοῦμεν διὰ τῆς πίστεως; μὴ γένοιτο, ἀλλὰ νόμον ⸀ἱστάνομεν.

Do we then abolish law through the faith? May it not be! Rather, we establish law.

Why this rendering

Rom.3.31 Observation

Syntactic observation

νόμον οὖν καταργοῦμεν διὰ τῆς πίστεως; μὴ γένοιτο, ἀλλὰ νόμον ἱστάνομεν — do we then abolish law through the faith? May it not be! Rather, we establish law. καταργέω, abolish, stands in v.3 and v.31 and frames the chapter — first of God’s faithfulness, then of law. ἱστάνομεν, we establish, is a form of ἵστημι and shares its root with v.5 συνίστησιν, commends. V.27 νόμος πίστεως, a law of faith, faces τῶν ἔργων, of works, but νόμος is one word — this edition keeps law and does not paraphrase as principle. V.28 χωρὶς ἔργων νόμου, apart from works of law, repeats v.21 χωρὶς νόμου — χωρίς is the word of John 1:3, apart from him. V.30 εἷς ὁ θεός, God is one, is the Shema of Deuteronomy 6:4 and the phrase of Mark 12:29, 32 — the reason circumcision and foreskin are justified by the same faith is set in God being one. ἐκ πίστεως and διὰ τῆς πίστεως differ in v.30 (from faith / through the faith) — preposition and article kept. V.29 ναί, yes, is the word of Luke 11:51.

Rendering options · 2

Adopted

“law” — v.27 νόμος πίστεως with the same word

Basis One word, one word.

“the principle of faith”

Basis The paraphrasing convention.

Rejected The point of v.27 is that law of works and law of faith stand on the same word.