4:15a

because: The word because here introduces an explanation for what Paul said in 4:14a–c. Translate that meaning in a way that is natural in your language.

the law brings wrath: This clause implies that people cannot obey all the law of Moses all the time. When they break the law, God becomes angry.

In some languages translating literally would not have the correct meaning. If that is true in your language, you may want to:

• Translate literally and explain its meaning in a footnote. Here is an example footnote:

This clause implies that people cannot obey all the law of Moses all the time, and so God becomes angry at people when they break the law.

• Include some or all of the implied information in your translation. For example:

the law can only bring God’s anger (New Century Version)
-or-
God becomes angry when his Law is broken (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
It is God’s anger that we get from his Law ⌊because we break it⌋
-or-
the Law is the reason God is angry with us because we cannot obey it

the law: The word law here refers to the law of Moses, as in 4:13–14. See how you translated it there.

wrath: The word wrath refers to violent anger. It implies punishment for breaking the law.

4:15b

And:
The Greek begins with a word that the Berean Standard Bible and many English versions literally translate as And. Many languages would see contrast between 4:15a and 4:15b. Translate it in a way that is most natural to connect 4:15b to 4:15a.

where there is no law, there is no transgression: This probably refers to the time before God gave the law to Moses. Abraham could not break the law of Moses, because God gave it to Moses hundreds of years after Abraham died. So God could not be angry with Abraham (4:15a) when he did things that would have broken the laws of Moses. Here are other ways to translate these words:

where there is no law, there is no disobeying of the law (Good News Translation)
-or-
where laws don’t exist, they can’t be broken (God’s Word)
-or-
if there is no law, it cannot be disobeyed
-or-
The only (situation) in which no-one would be breaking laws is if there were no laws

In some languages it is more natural or clear to state this without using no twice. For example:

a person can only break a law that has already been put in place

where: Here this word refers to locations where “there is no law.” It is not used to signal a question. Translate this word in a way that does not signal a question. See examples above.

transgression: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as transgression means “to disobey a law or custom.” Here it refers to knowingly disobeying or breaking a law. See examples above.

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