8:38a–39c
neither death nor life, neither angels nor principalities, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord: The word neither means “not” and introduces a list of things that are introduced with nor. The word nor means “and not.” Many languages will use “and” and “not” here. For example:
not death and not life, and not angels and not principalities, and not the present and not the future, and not any powers, and not height and not depth, and not anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God
-or-
death and life, and angels and principalities, and the present and the future, and any powers, and height and depth, and anything else in all creation, cannot separate us from the love of God cannot
-or-
not death or life, or angels or principalities, or the present or the future, or any powers, or height or depth, or anything else in all creation, is able to separate us from the love of God
Some English versions group together pairs of terms (for example, the Berean Standard Bible says death nor life) by not using a comma inside each pair.
8:38a
For: This word introduces an explanation about conquering in all those situations (8:37).
I am convinced: This clause indicates that Paul was certain about what he was about to say. Here are other ways to translate this clause:
I am sure (English Standard Version)
-or-
I am certain (Good News Translation)
death: Here this word refers to physical death.
life: Here this word refers to life here on earth.
8:38b
angels: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as angels means “messengers.” It refers here to spirit beings whom God made to serve him. Some angels rebelled against God, and the Bible sometimes calls these angels “demons” or “evil spirits.” Only demons would try to separate believers from Christ’s love. If the word or phrase you use for angels only refers to good spirit beings, you may want to:
• Explain the meaning in your translation. For example:
⌊evil⌋ angels
• Use the word “demons” or the phrase “evil spirits.” For example:
demons
principalities: Some scholars think this word refers here to demons who are leaders. Other scholars think this word refers here to people who are leaders. If possible, translate this word in a way that it could refer to either group. If you must refer either to people or demons, refer to people who are leaders here, because of the meaning of “angels” above and “powers” in 8:38b–c.
8:38c
the present: There are two ways to translate the Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as the present :
(1) It refers to things that exist at the time called now for the reader of this verse. For example:
anything in the present (God’s Word)
(Revised Standard Version, New Jerusalem Bible, New American Standard Bible, King James Version, New American Bible, Revised Edition, English Standard Version, God’s Word, NET Bible, Revised English Bible, New Century Version)
(2) It refers to the time called “the present” for the reader of this verse. For example:
the present (Berean Standard Bible)
(Berean Standard Bible, New International Version, Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version)
It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), because Paul spoke of objects or events that can possibly separate us from Christ. So speaking about a time we call the present doesn’t seem to fit here. Here are other ways to translate this phrase according to interpretation (1):
things that exist now
-or-
what happens today
the future: There are two ways to translate the Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as the future :
(1) It refers to things that will exist later for the reader of this verse. For example:
anything in the future (God’s Word)
(Revised Standard Version, New Jerusalem Bible, New American Standard Bible, King James Version, New American Bible, Revised Edition, English Standard Version, God’s Word, NET Bible, Revised English Bible, New Century Version)
(2) It refers to the time called “the future” for the reader of this verse. For example:
the future (Berean Standard Bible)
(Berean Standard Bible, New International Version, Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version)
It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), because Paul spoke of objects or events that can possibly separate us from Christ. So speaking about a time we call the future doesn’t seem to fit here. Here are other ways to translate this phrase according to interpretation (1):
things that will exist later
-or-
what has not yet happened
any powers:
This word can refer to any being that has power of any kind. But here it refers to any powerful being that might try to separate believers from Christ’s love for them. Here are other ways to translate this word:
⌊those with⌋ power
-or-
others that have power
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