This verse also contains an “if” clause which is assumed to be true to fact (see v. 15). Once again Paul follows a typical rabbinic method of argument, but here he goes from the lesser to the greater (see v. 9). The intention of this verse is to validate and to carry further the argument begun in the previous verse. The significance of the aorist tense of the verb “to rule” in the present context is to place the emphasis upon the initiation of the action, and so the Good News Translation renders began to rule.
The first sentence of verse 17 may be treated in a manner similar to the second sentence of verse 15, with which it is parallel. The special complication of the sentence is due to the expression of both means and cause. The sin of Adam is indicated not only as a means by which death rules, but that one man (Adam) is indicated as the cause. In some languages it is necessary to combine the two ideas, since Adam must be made explicit as the subject of sin. Therefore, one may translate: “It is true that, because one man sinned, death began to control all men” or “… the power of death began to rule all men.” In some languages in which one cannot speak of “death ruling,” it is still possible to talk about “the power of death ruling.” If neither of these possibilities exists, one may employ essentially the same expression as in verse 15, “all men had to die.”
The last half of this verse is rather drastically restructured by the Good News Translation. In Greek the last half of verse 17 is one clause, which the Good News Bible divides into two sentences for the sake of clarity. The first of these sentences combines the first and last elements of this Greek clause (“how much more … through the one man Jesus Christ”). The Jerusalem Bible maintains the same number of clauses as has the Greek, but its translation closely parallels that of the Good News Translation at this point: “it is even more certain that one man, Jesus Christ, will cause….”
The Good News Translation uses its second sentence to describe the result of what was done by the one man, Jesus Christ. Along with other translations, it makes explicit the fact that the abundant grace referred to is God’s grace (see New English Bible).
The exclamatory sentence in verse 17 may be transformed into an emphatic positive sentence in some languages—for example, “but what the one man, Jesus Christ, was able to accomplish is so much greater” or “what the one man, Jesus Christ, did was so much more powerful than what happened because one man sinned.”
The free gift of his righteousness is ambiguous and requires some further comment. The phrase may mean either (1) the gift that comes from God because he is righteous or (2) the gift of being put into a right relation with God. Though it is difficult to separate these two concepts, it is more probable that the latter is in focus in this passage. Only two translations make this reference explicit, and both seem to favor this interpretation (An American Translation* “gift of uprightness”; Jerusalem Bible “the free gift … of being made righteous”). This exegesis, then, concludes that the free gift of his righteousness describes the initial experience of salvation in which one is put into a right relation with God, while the phrase will rule in life describes the ultimate and future goal of salvation. Perhaps Paul used this rather exotic figure, will rule in life, because of the mention of rule in reference to death earlier in the verse. Will rule in life is simply another way of saying “will have eternal life.” That is made possible through Christ; the shorter phrase through Christ is used here because the full phrase by the one man, Jesus Christ has already been used earlier in this verse.
The rendering of the last sentence of verse 17 is particularly complex in some languages. It is difficult in some instances to speak of “receiving grace.” People can only be the goal of God’s showing grace or giving grace; therefore the first clause may be rendered as “all to whom God has shown his grace abundantly.”
The expression the free gift of his righteousness may be either “to whom God has given freely because he is righteous” or “to whom God has given a gift, namely, putting them right with himself.”
Will rule in life should not be translated in such a way as to imply that these persons will have power over other individuals as earthly rulers. Rather they will have spiritual strength, and this is sometimes expressed as “they will be strong in their lives,” “they will live with strength,” or “they will live overcoming.”
Through Christ may be rendered as means or cause—for example, “by means of Christ” or “because of what Christ has done.”
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 .