6:21a–b

What fruit did you reap at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed?: There are two ways to interpret where the question mark goes:

(1) It should occur after the word ashamed. For example:

What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? (New International Version)

(Berean Standard Bible, Revised Standard Version, New International Version, Good News Translation, New American Standard Bible, King James Version, New American Bible, Revised Edition, NET Bible, GNT3)

(2) It should occur after the phrase at that time. For example:

and what did you gain from living like that? Experiences of which you are now ashamed (New Jerusalem Bible)

(New Jerusalem Bible, New Living Translation (2004), God’s Word, Contemporary English Version, Revised English Bible, GNT4,5)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), because interpretation (2) forces the plural Greek relative pronoun to connect to the singular fruit, but that is not good Greek grammar.

This is a rhetorical question. It emphasizes that those deeds that the believers were now ashamed of did not benefit them. Translate this clause with that meaning. Here are some ways:

• As a rhetorical question. For example:

what benefit were you then deriving from the things of which you are now ashamed? (New American Standard Bible)

• As a statement. For example:

you were getting no ⌊good⌋ fruit from the things ⌊you did⌋ then that you are now ashamed of

6:21a

The Greek of 6:21a begins with a word that is usually translated as “but.” Here, it probably does not indicate contrast. Rather, it was likely used to show that Paul continued to speak about the same kinds of things as he had before this verse. Some languages will not see contrast here to 6:20. For example:

What… (Berean Standard Bible, New International Version)
-or-
And what… (Revised English Bible)

What fruit: Here the word fruit is a metaphor that refers to the results of people’s deeds. Paul questioned what good result could have possibly come from the things they were now ashamed of. Some languages do not use the word fruit to refer to the results of deeds. For example:

what did you gain
-or-
good thing/way

did you reap: Like harvesting fruit, this phrase asks what benefit the believers received from those evil deeds. Here are other ways to translate this phrase:

were you gaining
-or-
were you receiving

The Greek tense indicates that they were doing those things over a period of time. But in some languages it is more natural to refer generally to that time, only implying that this occurred over a period of time. For example:

did you gain
-or-
did you receive

at that time: Here this phrase refers to the time before the believers in Rome believed in Jesus, when they were enslaved to sin (6:20).

6:21b

the things of which you are now ashamed: The word things here refers to deeds of impurity, lawlessness and other kinds of sin. The believers in Rome were now ashamed of those deeds.

now: Here this word refers to the time that Paul wrote to the believers in Rome.

ashamed: The word ashamed refers to feeling humiliation, moral discomfort, or loss of self-respect when that person has done something wrong.

6:21c

The Greek of 6:21c begins with a word that is usually translated as “for.” Here this word introduces why the believers were ashamed. Some languages can omit this word and still connect 6:21c to 6:21b with the right meaning.

The outcome of those things is death: Here the word outcome refers to the end or result of those deeds that the believers were now ashamed of. Here are other ways to translate this phrase:

Those things result in death! (New International Version)
-or-
the result of those things is death! (English Standard Version)
-or-
they lead to death

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