2:14a

having canceled the debt ascribed to us in the decrees: Scholars understand this in one of two ways:

(1) The word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as the debt is literally “record of debts” in Greek. Here it is used as a figure of speech. Paul was using legal language to explain how God sets people free from the guilt that is the result of sin. In the court, a person’s debts were written either on a papyrus or on a clay tablet. When the debts were paid, the papyrus or clay tablet was wiped clean and there was no more record of debts or charges against the person.

(2) The Berean Standard Bible phrase the debt refers to the written Jewish law with all of its many regulations. Paul was saying that the law was against us and opposed to us because God condemned the people who did not obey these regulations. Therefore, when Christ died on the cross, God broke the power that the law has.

There are valid reasons to choose either of these interpretations. The Display follows the first option (1) for the following reasons:

(a) The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates the debt was a common term used in Greek courts. It was a written statement of the charges against a person. The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates decrees usually referred to an official proclamation of the charges against the person. Therefore, it appears to refer to the official written statement of the charges against sinners.

(b) The words that Paul used about the document being canceled and “taken away” seem too strong to refer to what happened to the law of Moses when Christ died. Jesus himself said that he did not come to destroy the Law but to fulfill it (Matthew 5:17).

canceled: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates canceled means “to erase, wipe out.” When God forgives someone, it is as if he “erases” everything that was written down about that person—all his sins and guilt.

that stood against us: In Greek Paul says that “the debt ascribed to us in the decrees” was against us and “stood opposed to us” (New International Version). These two phrases are similar and it is difficult to find a difference between them. So most modern English versions combine them into one phrase, like the Berean Standard Bible’s stood against us. (See Good News Translation, God’s Word, Revised Standard Version, Contemporary English Version, New Century Version, New Jerusalem Bible, New Living Translation (2004).) Unless you have a clear way to make a difference between the two phrases, you should follow one of these versions. For example:

the charges which were brought against us (God’s Word)

2:14b

nailing it to the cross!: This is another figure of speech. There were no lists of sins nailed to the cross on which Jesus died. However, when Christ was nailed to the cross he suffered the punishment for the sins of all people. So it was as if everyone’s sins were nailed to the cross in the body of Christ. If your readers are confused by this figure of speech, you could try translating this part of the verse without using the figure of speech; see the second meaning line in the Display for one way to do this.

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All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
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