Appetites (many translations) is literally “stomach.” Although a similar expression is used in Philippians 3.19, it is difficult to define precisely what Paul means by this phrase. An American Translation* rendered it by “base passions” and Moffatt by “base desires,” but some commentators understand it in the sense of undue concern with laws about what one can or cannot eat. Something of the parallelism between serving Christ our Lord and their own appetites may be indicated by “For those who do such things are not concerned with helping Christ our Lord; they are only concerned with what they should eat and what they should not eat.” One may also say: “… are not thinking about helping Christ our Lord, but are only thinking about what they should or should not eat.”

Fine words (New English Bible “smooth … words”; New American Bible “smooth … speech”) translates a word which appears only here in the New Testament. The reference is to speech that may sound reasonable or “plausible” (An American Translation*). By their fine words and flattering speech may be translated as “They use beautiful words and they flatter people; in this way they deceive.”

Minds is literally “hearts,” but in Semitic thought the heart was the seat of intellectual activity. In some languages deceive the minds of innocent people may be rendered as “mix up the hearts of people who have not experienced these evils.”

Paul uses two different words in verses 18 and 19, both of which are translated innocent by the Good News Translation. The Revised Standard Version translates the first of these terms by “simple-minded” (so An American Translation*), and the New English Bible translates the second by “simpletons.” Etymologically the two words are different, but they should be translated with essentially the same meaning. The first literally means “inexperienced as far as evil is concerned”—therefore innocent. The second literally means “unmixed,” and when followed by the phrase in what is evil, the construction means innocent in what is evil.

Your loyalty to the gospel may be translated as “how strongly you hold to the gospel” or “how well you obey the gospel.”

For this reason I am happy about you is rendered in some languages as “therefore you cause me to be happy.”

Wise about what is good may be rendered as “wise in knowing what is good.” In contrast with this, innocent in what is evil may be rendered as “innocent in doing what is evil” or “innocent as far as doing what is evil is concerned.”

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 .