6:2a
Certainly not!: The Greek is literally “May it not be.” It indicates a very strong “no.” Believers are not to continue sinning so that God will be more gracious to them. Here are other ways to translate this clause:
Not at all!
-or-
By no means! (English Standard Version)
-or-
Of course not! (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
No, indeed!
The words you use here should support that believers are not to continue sinning so that God will be more gracious to them. See how you translated this phrase in 3:4 or 3:31.
6:2b
How can we who died to sin live in it any longer?: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as can is literally the future tense. There are two ways to interpret it:
(1) It indicates that believers must not still live in sin. For example:
We have died to sin; how could we go on living in it? (New Jerusalem Bible)
(New Jerusalem Bible, King James Version)
(2) It indicates that believers are unable to still live in sin. For example:
How is it possible that we who died to sin still live in it?
(Berean Standard Bible, Revised Standard Version, New International Version, Good News Translation, English Standard Version, New American Bible, Revised Edition, New Living Translation (2004), God’s Word, Contemporary English Version, NET Bible, Revised English Bible, New Century Version)
It is difficult to decide which interpretation is best. It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), because 6:3–4 seems to be an exhortation to live in the new way of life as a Christian, which allows that living in sin might be possible for Christians.
How can we…live in it any longer?: This is a rhetorical question. It emphasizes that believers cannot or should not still live in sin. Translate this clause with that meaning. Here are some ways:
• As a rhetorical question. For example:
how could we go on living in it? (New Jerusalem Bible)
• As a statement. For example:
It is wrong to suppose/expect that we should still live in it/sin.
• As a command. For example:
Do not suppose/expect that we should still live in it/sin.
live in it any longer: This figure of speech speaks of sin as if it were a place to live. By living in this place, it indicates that we are controlled by sin.
Some languages can translate this figure of speech literally and the meaning of the translation is correct. But in some languages the correct meaning must be translated in another way. For example:
still live under sin’s influence (God’s Word)
-or-
still obey/follow it
-or-
go on sinning (Contemporary English Version)
we who died to sin: The clause we who died to sin refers to all believers. In some languages the word who would wrongly indicate that only some believers have died to sin. If that is true in your language, translate in a way that refers to all believers. For example:
We have died to sin, ⌊so⌋ how can we still live in it?
Also, the words “we have died to sin” is a true statement. Those words are not being questioned. In some languages they must be separated from the question. For example:
We have died to sin. ⌊So⌋ how can we still live in it?
died to sin: This figure of speech indicates that sin no longer has power over us. Some languages must change this metaphor into a simile. For example:
became ⌊as⌋ a dead person to sin
-or-
became ⌊as if⌋ dead to sin ⌊telling us what to do⌋
-or-
became ⌊as if⌋ dead ⌊to the commands⌋ to sin
sin: The singular word sin refers to sin as a concept. Here its power to make people sin is implied. In some languages, a different translation is necessary to make that clear. For example:
sins
-or-
⌊the power of⌋ sin
© 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.