Romans 6

Shall we stay on in sin — may it not be. Baptized into Christ, into his death; buried together, crucified together, to live together; walking in newness of life. He died to sin once for all and lives to God — reckon yourselves so. Let sin not reign in the mortal body; present your members to God as weapons of righteousness. Slaves and lords — from slaves of sin to slaves of righteousness, fruit for sanctification. The pay of sin is death; the gift of grace of God, eternal life.

Τί οὖν ἐροῦμεν; ⸀ἐπιμένωμεν τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ, ἵνα ἡ χάρις πλεονάσῃ;

What then shall we say? Shall we stay on in sin, so that grace may increase?

μὴ γένοιτο· οἵτινες ἀπεθάνομεν τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ, πῶς ἔτι ζήσομεν ἐν αὐτῇ;

May it not be! We who died to sin, how shall we still live in it?

ἢ ἀγνοεῖτε ὅτι ὅσοι ἐβαπτίσθημεν εἰς Χριστὸν Ἰησοῦν εἰς τὸν θάνατον αὐτοῦ ἐβαπτίσθημεν;

Or are you ignorant that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?

first here Christ Χριστός Christos

first here Jesus Ἰησοῦς Iēsous

συνετάφημεν οὖν αὐτῷ διὰ τοῦ βαπτίσματος εἰς τὸν θάνατον, ἵνα ὥσπερ ἠγέρθη Χριστὸς ἐκ νεκρῶν διὰ τῆς δόξης τοῦ πατρός, οὕτως καὶ ἡμεῖς ἐν καινότητι ζωῆς περιπατήσωμεν.

We were buried together with him, then, through baptism into death, so that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so also we might walk in newness of life.

Why this rendering

Rom.6.4 Observation

Syntactic observation

συνετάφημεν οὖν αὐτῷ διὰ τοῦ βαπτίσματος εἰς τὸν θάνατον — we were buried together with him, then, through baptism into death. The chapter has three συν- (together) verbs — συνετάφημεν (buried together, v.4), συνεσταυρώθη (crucified together, v.6), συζήσομεν (live together, v.8) — and an adjective, σύμφυτοι (grown together, v.5); this language carries the prefix each time with together. V.3 ἐβαπτίσθημεν εἰς Χριστὸν Ἰησοῦν, baptized into Christ Jesus: εἰς is the preposition of Matt 28:19, into the name of the Father — kept as into. V.5 drops its predicate — τῆς ἀναστάσεως ἐσόμεθα (we will be of the resurrection) — and this edition does not reinsert likeness. V.6 ὁ παλαιὸς ἡμῶν ἄνθρωπος, our old man: παλαιός is the word of Matt 9:16, an old garment. V.4 καινότης, newness, stands only here and at 7:6 in the New Testament and is the noun of καινός, new (Matt 9:17, new wine); περιπατέω, walk, is the verb of John 8:12, will not walk in the darkness.

Rendering options · 1

Adopted

“buried together · crucified together · live together” — all three συν-

Basis A prefix is carried by a word.

Εἰ γὰρ σύμφυτοι γεγόναμεν τῷ ὁμοιώματι τοῦ θανάτου αὐτοῦ, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς ἀναστάσεως ἐσόμεθα·

For if we have become grown together with the likeness of his death, we will also be so of the resurrection;

τοῦτο γινώσκοντες ὅτι ὁ παλαιὸς ἡμῶν ἄνθρωπος συνεσταυρώθη, ἵνα καταργηθῇ τὸ σῶμα τῆς ἁμαρτίας, τοῦ μηκέτι δουλεύειν ἡμᾶς τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ,

knowing this, that our old man was crucified together with him, so that the body of sin might be abolished, so that we might no longer be slaves to sin;

ὁ γὰρ ἀποθανὼν δεδικαίωται ἀπὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας.

for the one who died has been justified from sin.

εἰ δὲ ἀπεθάνομεν σὺν Χριστῷ, πιστεύομεν ὅτι καὶ συζήσομεν αὐτῷ·

And if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live together with him,

εἰδότες ὅτι Χριστὸς ἐγερθεὶς ἐκ νεκρῶν οὐκέτι ἀποθνῄσκει, θάνατος αὐτοῦ οὐκέτι κυριεύει·

knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, no longer dies; death no longer lords it over him.

ὃ γὰρ ἀπέθανεν, τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ ἀπέθανεν ἐφάπαξ· ὃ δὲ ζῇ, ζῇ τῷ θεῷ.

For the death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.

Why this rendering

Rom.6.10 Observation

Syntactic observation

ὃ γὰρ ἀπέθανεν, τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ ἀπέθανεν ἐφάπαξ· ὃ δὲ ζῇ, ζῇ τῷ θεῷ — for the death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ, τῷ θεῷ are datives — kept as to sin / to God (vv.2 and 11 have the same dative). ἐφάπαξ, once for all, is here for the first time in the New Testament and is a word of Hebrews (7:27; 9:12; 10:10). V.9 κυριεύει, lords it over, is the verb of Luke 22:25, the kings of the nations lord it over them, and in v.14 sin becomes its subject — the verb of κύριος, lord, so lord is kept. V.11 λογίζεσθε, reckon, is the verb of chapter 4 returning as an imperative — what God reckoned, people are now to reckon. V.12 θνητός, mortal, is the adjective of θάνατος, death, and stands in this letter here and at 8:11 — mortal body. V.13 παριστάνετε … παραστήσατε are the present and aorist imperatives of one verb (do not present … present) — the verb of Luke 2:22, to present him to the Lord. ὅπλα, weapons, is the word of John 18:3, lanterns and torches and weapons.

Rendering options · 2

Adopted

“to sin / to God” — the datives as they stand

Basis No preposition is added.

“died for sin”

Basis The reading as atonement.

Rejected Vv.2 and 11 have the same dative of us, we died to sin — and we did not die for sin.

οὕτως καὶ ὑμεῖς λογίζεσθε ἑαυτοὺς ⸂εἶναι νεκροὺς μὲν⸃ τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ ζῶντας δὲ τῷ θεῷ ἐν Χριστῷ ⸀Ἰησοῦ.

So also you, reckon yourselves to be dead to sin but living to God in Christ Jesus.

Μὴ οὖν βασιλευέτω ἡ ἁμαρτία ἐν τῷ θνητῷ ὑμῶν σώματι εἰς τὸ ⸀ὑπακούειν ταῖς ἐπιθυμίαις αὐτοῦ,

Let sin, then, not reign in your mortal body, so as to obey its desires,

μηδὲ παριστάνετε τὰ μέλη ὑμῶν ὅπλα ἀδικίας τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ, ἀλλὰ παραστήσατε ἑαυτοὺς τῷ θεῷ ⸀ὡσεὶ ἐκ νεκρῶν ζῶντας καὶ τὰ μέλη ὑμῶν ὅπλα δικαιοσύνης τῷ θεῷ.

nor present your members to sin as weapons of unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as living from the dead, and your members to God as weapons of righteousness.

ἁμαρτία γὰρ ὑμῶν οὐ κυριεύσει, οὐ γάρ ἐστε ὑπὸ νόμον ἀλλὰ ὑπὸ χάριν.

For sin will not lord it over you; for you are not under law but under grace.

Τί οὖν; ⸀ἁμαρτήσωμεν ὅτι οὐκ ἐσμὲν ὑπὸ νόμον ἀλλὰ ὑπὸ χάριν; μὴ γένοιτο·

What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? May it not be!

οὐκ οἴδατε ὅτι ᾧ παριστάνετε ἑαυτοὺς δούλους εἰς ὑπακοήν, δοῦλοί ἐστε ᾧ ὑπακούετε, ἤτοι ἁμαρτίας εἰς θάνατον ἢ ὑπακοῆς εἰς δικαιοσύνην;

Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one you obey — whether of sin, to death, or of obedience, to righteousness?

χάρις δὲ τῷ θεῷ ὅτι ἦτε δοῦλοι τῆς ἁμαρτίας ὑπηκούσατε δὲ ἐκ καρδίας εἰς ὃν παρεδόθητε τύπον διδαχῆς,

But grace to God, that you were slaves of sin yet obeyed from the heart the pattern of teaching to which you were handed over,

Why this rendering

Rom.6.17 Observation

Syntactic observation

χάρις δὲ τῷ θεῷ ὅτι ἦτε δοῦλοι τῆς ἁμαρτίας ὑπηκούσατε δὲ ἐκ καρδίας εἰς ὃν παρεδόθητε τύπον διδαχῆς — but grace to God, that you were slaves of sin yet obeyed from the heart the pattern of teaching to which you were handed over. χάρις τῷ θεῷ is a verbless exclamation — χάρις is this letter’s grace, and this edition does not turn it into thanks (Luke 6:32, what grace is that to you, has the same word). In vv.16-22 δοῦλος, slave, comes six times and δουλόω (be enslaved) twice (vv.18, 22), with δουλεύω (be a slave) once in v.6 — slaves of sin ↔ slaves of obedience, of righteousness, of God; δοῦλος has been slave since Matt 8:9. παρεδόθητε, you were handed over, is the verb of 1:24 and 4:25, now with people handed over to a teaching — the base text writes not the teaching handed over to you but you handed over to the pattern of teaching (the case of the relative). τύπος, pattern, is the word of 5:14, a pattern of the one to come. V.19 ἀνθρώπινον λέγω, I speak in a human way, is a different construction from 3:5 κατὰ ἄνθρωπον λέγω, I speak according to man — rendered differently. ἁγιασμός, sanctification (vv.19, 22), is the noun of ἁγιάζω, sanctify, here for the first time in the New Testament.

Rendering options · 2

Adopted

“grace to God” — χάρις not turned into thanks

Basis One word, one word.

“thanks be to God”

Basis The idiom.

Rejected εὐχαριστέω, give thanks, is a separate word, and χάρις in this letter is grace — the idiom is not allowed to cover the word.

ἐλευθερωθέντες δὲ ἀπὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἐδουλώθητε τῇ δικαιοσύνῃ·

and having been freed from sin, you were enslaved to righteousness.

ἀνθρώπινον λέγω διὰ τὴν ἀσθένειαν τῆς σαρκὸς ὑμῶν· ὥσπερ γὰρ παρεστήσατε τὰ μέλη ὑμῶν δοῦλα τῇ ἀκαθαρσίᾳ καὶ τῇ ἀνομίᾳ εἰς τὴν ἀνομίαν, οὕτως νῦν παραστήσατε τὰ μέλη ὑμῶν δοῦλα τῇ δικαιοσύνῃ εἰς ἁγιασμόν.

I speak in a human way because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves to uncleanness and to lawlessness, to lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, to sanctification.

Ὅτε γὰρ δοῦλοι ἦτε τῆς ἁμαρτίας, ἐλεύθεροι ἦτε τῇ δικαιοσύνῃ.

For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in relation to righteousness.

τίνα οὖν καρπὸν εἴχετε τότε ἐφ’ οἷς νῦν ἐπαισχύνεσθε; τὸ γὰρ τέλος ἐκείνων θάνατος·

What fruit, then, did you have at that time? Things of which you are now ashamed; for the end of those things is death.

νυνὶ δέ, ἐλευθερωθέντες ἀπὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας δουλωθέντες δὲ τῷ θεῷ, ἔχετε τὸν καρπὸν ὑμῶν εἰς ἁγιασμόν, τὸ δὲ τέλος ζωὴν αἰώνιον.

But now, having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you have your fruit for sanctification, and the end, eternal life.

τὰ γὰρ ὀψώνια τῆς ἁμαρτίας θάνατος, τὸ δὲ χάρισμα τοῦ θεοῦ ζωὴ αἰώνιος ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ τῷ κυρίῳ ἡμῶν.

For the pay of sin is death, but the gift of grace of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Why this rendering

Rom.6.23 Observation

Syntactic observation

τὰ γὰρ ὀψώνια τῆς ἁμαρτίας θάνατος, τὸ δὲ χάρισμα τοῦ θεοῦ ζωὴ αἰώνιος — for the pay of sin is death, but the gift of grace of God is eternal life. ὀψώνιον, pay, is what a soldier receives — the word of Luke 3:14, be content with your pay (to soldiers) — and with v.13’s weapons (ὅπλα) it makes the chapter’s military figure. This edition keeps it apart from μισθός, wage (4:4, to the one who works the wage), and realigned Luke 3:14 at this place. ὀψώνια is plural, θάνατος singular. The opposing word is χάρισμα, gift of grace — pay is earned, the gift is free. Vv.21-22 τέλος, end, is the word of Matt 10:22, the one who endures to the end — not paraphrased as result. V.21 leaves the boundary of question and answer open — what fruit did you have? things of which you are now ashamed — or, what fruit did you have in the things of which you are now ashamed? This edition breaks it.

Rendering options · 1

Adopted

“pay” — the soldier’s word kept apart from μισθός (wage)

Basis A different word, a different word.