When (so also Jerusalem Bible) is literally “how” (Revised Standard Version) and has been rendered “in what circumstances” by the New English Bible. Paul is not asking how God did this, as a literal rendering might imply; rather he is asking whether Abraham was circumcised or uncircumcised at the time, and so the nearest equivalent in English is when, since the next questions clarify fully the significance of this question.

Did … take place translates once again the word discussed in Rom 4.6, and which appeared also in verses 3, 4, 5 and 8.

The rhetorical questions can, of course, be changed into positive statements—for example, “This took place before Abraham was circumcised, and not after he was circumcised.” However, before and after may be variously expressed—for example, “This took place when Abraham was not yet circumcised; it was not when he was already circumcised.” It may even be necessary to be somewhat more specific in rendering the expression “this took place”—for example, “God accepted Abraham as righteous when he was not yet circumcised.”

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 .