The Good News Translation (see also Revised Standard Version and Jerusalem Bible) restructures this verse rather considerably for its English readers; the New English Bible (“for it was not through law that Abraham, or his posterity, was given the promise…”) follows very much the Greek word order. God promised Abraham and his descendants is literally “the promise to Abraham or to his seed.” The noun phrase in Greek (“the promise to Abraham”) must be restructured into a verb phrase for English readers; and so many modern translations render this by a passive verb construction (New English Bible “was given”; Jerusalem Bible “was made”), while the Revised Standard Version speaks of the promise coming to Abraham. The promise, of course, did not come on its own, it was given; and since God is the one who gave it, the Good News Translation makes this information explicit: God promised.
In Hebrew to speak of one’s “seed” is to speak of one’s descendants, and most translations render “his seed” by his descendants.
In some languages his descendants are simply “his children” or “his grand-children.” In other instances one may employ “those who followed after him” or “those who came down from him.”
That the world would belong to him is literally “that he would be heir of the world.” In biblical language the noun “heir” frequently means simply “one who receives or gains possession of something,” without the necessity of a death involved, as the English word often implies. So then, the expression “heir of the world” merely means the world would belong to him. The reference is probably to Genesis 22.17-18 (see also 18.18), and it is interesting to note that the Hebrew text of Genesis 22.17 has “will possess” while the Septuagint reads “will inherit.”
In view of the fact that the promise was made to both Abraham and his descendants, it may be necessary to employ the pronoun “them” at the end of this first sentence—for example, “that the world would belong to them” or “that they should inherit the world.”
In Greek verse 13 is one sentence, and the words this promise was made, not because Abraham obeyed the Law appear first in the Greek sentence structure (literally “for not through law”). The force of this construction in Greek is to emphasize the words “for not through law.” However, since the subject of the sentence in Greek is “the promise,” it is more natural in English to introduce this information first, and then qualify it later. That is why so many modern translations, including the Good News Translation, restructure the order of the Greek sentence. This promise was made may be shifted into an active form by saying “God made this promise” or “God promised Abraham.”
Throughout Romans Paul uses the word “law” in a variety of ways, and it is not always easy to discern which particular meaning he has in mind in a given passage. In the present context the Good News Translation understands “law” as a specific reference to the Jewish Law (so also Moffatt, An American Translation*, Phillips, and so it seems, the Revised Standard Version), while the New English Bible (“it was not through law”) and the Jerusalem Bible (“was … on account of any law”) take it in a more general sense. To be sure, it is in keeping with Paul’s thought that no man can be put right with God through any sort of legalistic religious system, but in the present context he seems to be dealing specifically with the Jewish Law in this regard.
Obeyed the Law may be rendered as “did what the Law said he should do,” “followed the words of the Law,” or, negatively, “did not transgress against what the Law said.”
But because he believed and was accepted as righteous by God (literally “but through righteousness of faith”) renders essentially the same phrase discussed in verse 11 above.
It may be necessary to relate but because he believed and was accepted as righteous by God as “but because he believed and as a result was accepted as righteous by God,” “… and therefore was accepted as righteous by God,” or “… and hence God accepted him as righteous.”
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 .