7:17a
This verse begins with a Greek conjunction that is often translated as “and” or “but.” This conjunction introduces something more that Paul wanted to say. Some languages will see “it is not longer I who do it” contrasting with “I do what I do not want.” For example:
But (NET Bible)
Other languages will not see contrast with “I do what I do not want.” For example:
And
In that case: The phrase In that case here refers to generally “at this time.” It goes with the present tense of the verb “do.” It refers to the current time and situation in Paul’s life.
it is no longer I who do it: The word I is emphasized here. The words here indicate that the situation is different than it was before.
it: This word refers to “what I do not want to do” in 7:16. In some languages the plural word would be more natural here. For example:
them
7:17b
sin living in me that does it: The words “do it” are implied from 7:17a. In some languages these words must be explicit. For this reason, the Berean Standard Bible adds the words that does it.
Again, Paul spoke of sin as if it were a living thing that lived inside him. Some languages cannot speak of sin in that way. If that is true in your language, you may want to make it a simile. For example:
it was sin ⌊which is like someone who⌋ lives in me and does those things/deeds
living in me that does it: The word living indicates that sin is always present in Paul’s life. He is never free of sin’s influence. Here are other ways to translate this clause:
but sin that dwells in me (English Standard Version)
-or-
it is my sinfulness
-or-
sin that is residing in me, that’s the underlying-cause of the evil that I do
© 2020 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.
