In this verse Paul indicates that God’s purpose in condemning all men for their disobedience was in order that he might show his mercy to all of them. The phrase made all men prisoners of disobedience is perhaps to be taken in the sense of “made all men prisoners of their own disobedience.” The thought is similar to what is expressed in 1.24, 26, 28; but here the purpose of mercy is made explicit.

In some languages to speak of prisoners of disobedience one must use some such expression as “God caused all men to be like prisoners because they disobey” or “As the result of all men disobeying God, they have become like prisoners; God has caused them to be this way.”

The final clause of verse 32, that he might show mercy to them all, is an expression of purpose, and it may be necessary to refer again to the main verb if an expression such as prisoners of disobedience is expanded into a clause—for example, “For God has made all men like prisoners because they have disobeyed him; he has done this in order that he might show mercy to all of them.”

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on Paul’s Letter to the Romans. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1973. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .