1:5a
Paul talked about the gospel in 1:2a–1:4c. In 1:5a he again discussed more about himself and his work for Jesus. But he connected his next words to “Jesus Christ our Lord” with “through Him.” In the Greek, the sentence continues. However, the Berean Standard Bible begins a new sentence here. In some languages, a new sentence here would be more natural or more clear. For example:
Through him we have received… (New American Bible, Revised Edition)
Through Him and on behalf of His name: The phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Through Him is literally “through whom.” This clause further describes Jesus. It does not separate this Jesus from other men named Jesus. For the correct meaning in some languages, translators must avoid the word “whom.” The word Through indicates that Paul received grace and apostleship by means of Jesus. God enabled Jesus to give Paul grace and apostleship. Here are other ways to translate this word:
by the authority given to him he gave to us
-or-
⌊God⌋ enabled him to give us
-or-
⌊God⌋ gave power to Jesus and so he/Jesus was kind to us and gave us the work of being apostles
on behalf of His name: This phrase refers to helping, causing advantage for, or honoring the one named. The apostles taught others about Jesus, spread the news of Jesus, and did good deeds in his name.
In some languages it is more natural to say “him” instead of His name here. Here are other ways to translate this phrase:
for the honor of his name (God’s Word)
-or-
for him (New Century Version)
-or-
to benefit him
This phrase connects to the end of the clause (1:5c). For example:
…5c of winning the obedience of faith among all the nations 5a for the honour of his name (New Jerusalem Bible)
1:5b
we received: In English, the word received implies someone gave what was received. The English word “take” does not imply that someone gave it. It is implied here that God graciously gave Paul and others apostleship.
Many languages have the same word for both “receive” and “take.” In some of those languages a literal translation would wrongly indicate that God did not graciously give apostleship but Paul just took it. If that is true in your language, you should use “give” here. For example:
have been given
-or-
⌊he⌋ has given
we: Sometimes in NT letters, the writer referred to himself with we instead of “I.” There are two ways to interpret the word we here:
(1) Paul referred to himself and others. For example:
we (NET Bible)
(Berean Standard Bible, Revised Standard Version, New International Version, New Jerusalem Bible, New American Standard Bible, New American Bible, Revised Edition, English Standard Version, King James Version, NET Bible, God’s Word, New Living Translation (2004))
(2) Paul referred to himself. For example:
I (Revised English Bible)
(Good News Translation, New Century Version, Contemporary English Version, Revised English Bible)
It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), because Paul consistently used the first person singular to refer to his apostolic mission in the rest of Romans, but he used we here instead. So, he probably had a reason not to use “I” here.
grace and apostleship: There are two ways to interpret the phrase grace and apostleship :
(1) This is a figure of speech that means gracious apostleship. In kindness, God made Paul and others apostles. For example:
the privilege of being an apostle (Good News Translation)
(Good News Translation, New American Bible, Revised Edition, Revised English Bible, New Century Version)
(2) This is not a figure of speech, but refers to two things, grace and apostleship. For example:
grace and apostleship (Revised Standard Version)
(Berean Standard Bible, Revised Standard Version, New International Version, New Jerusalem Bible, New American Standard Bible, English Standard Version, King James Version, NET Bible, God’s Word, Contemporary English Version)
It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), because Paul was establishing his apostleship in these verses and not speaking generally of God’s grace to us. Here are other ways to translate this phrase according to interpretation (1):
the ⌊free⌋ gift of apostleship
-or-
the grace that enabled us to be apostles
-or-
the privilege and authority as apostles (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
he was kind, giving us the work of apostles
grace: This word refers to kindness that is given to people without requiring anything in return. This kindness is not given because they have done anything to deserve it. See the examples above.
apostleship: The word apostleship refers to the work that an apostle does. For example:
to be an/his apostle
-or-
becoming his ⌊special⌋ representative
See how you translated “apostle” in 1:1.
1:5c
to call…to…obedience: The word to introduces the purpose of being an apostle: to call the Gentiles to obey the gospel of Jesus. The phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as to call…to…obedience is literally “unto/to obedience.” Here are other ways to translate this phrase:
for the obedience of those among the Gentiles
-or-
so that the people among the Gentiles would obey
-or-
to lead people…to…obey (Good News Translation)
all those among the Gentiles: This phrase connects to the phrase “the obedience of faith.” For example:
the obedience of faith among all the nations for the honour of his name (New Jerusalem Bible)
There are two ways to interpret the Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Gentiles here:
(1) It refers to all people groups, excluding the Jews. For example:
all the Gentiles (New International Version)
(New International Version, Berean Standard Bible, New American Standard Bible, New Revised Standard Version, New American Bible, Revised Edition, NET Bible, New Living Translation (2004))
(2) It means all people groups, including the Jews. For example:
all the nations (Revised Standard Version)
(Revised Standard Version, New Jerusalem Bible, Good News Translation, English Standard Version, King James Version, Revised English Bible, New Century Version, God’s Word, Contemporary English Version)
It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), because 1:6 has “in whom you (plur.) ” in the Greek, which seems to indicate only some of those in “To all those in Rome” (1:7).
Gentiles: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Gentiles refers to ethnic groups or people groups rather than to political states or countries. Here are other ways to translate this word:
tribes
-or-
peoples
-or-
peoples of one language/culture
the obedience that comes from faith: The phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as the obedience that comes from faith is literally “the obedience of faith.” There are three main ways to interpret the words “the obedience of faith” here:
(1) It indicates that faith is a basis for the obedience. Faith produces obedience. People obey because they believe. For example:
the obedience that comes from faith (New International Version)
(New International Version, Berean Standard Bible)
(2) It indicates that a person obeys all the teachings connected to faith. For example:
obedience to the faith (King James Version)
(King James Version, Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)
(3) It means and faith. For example:
believe and obey (Good News Translation)
(Good News Translation, New Living Translation (2004), Contemporary English Version, Revised English Bible, New Century Version)
The Revised Standard Version, the New Jerusalem Bible, and a number of English versions translate the Greek as “the obedience of faith.” Both the Greek and that English translation are ambiguous, possibly meaning either interpretation (1) or (2). A number of scholars say that Paul meant several things here.
So if you can translate in a way that allows interpretation (1) or (2), you should do so. However, if you must make a choice, it is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). Here are other ways to translate this phrase according to interpretation (1):
the obedience produced by faith
-or-
obedience based on faith
-or-
people obey ⌊Christ⌋ because they believe ⌊the message about him⌋
-or-
believing obedience
-or-
faith’s obedience
obedience: This word means “doing as told, directed, or asked.” In some languages a verb is required or more natural here. For example:
obey ⌊him⌋
-or-
follow ⌊him⌋
faith: To have faith in a person refers to believing in him, who he is, and who he claims to be.
In some languages a verb is required or more natural here. For example:
believe ⌊the gospel⌋
-or-
believing it
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