Translation commentary on Romans 2:3

In Greek this verse is one sentence, a question. For the sake of carrying the force of Paul’s statement for the English reader, the Good News Translation divides this into two sentences, the first an exclamation, and the second a question. In the Greek the second you of do you think you is in the stressed position.

The rhetorical question Do you think you will escape God’s judgment? must in many languages be changed into an emphatic negative, since this is not a request for information but a strong denial of the possibility of escaping. An appropriate rendering may therefore be “you certainly will not escape God’s judgment,” “you certainly will not be able to get away without God judging you,” or “you will certainly not avoid God when he judges you.”

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 .

Translation commentary on Romans 3:10 – 3:12

As the Scriptures say is the same formula as in verse 4 above. The reason for the difference in translation is that in this series of quotes (vv. 11-18) Paul is using various passages from the Old Testament as a summary of the entire content of its message. The accumulative effect of keeping all these verses together is seen in verse 19-20, that is, to indicate that all men have sinned and so are under God’s judgment.

These verses come from Psalm 14.1-3 (parallel 53.1-3). In the Psalm the first and sixth lines read the same, but Paul has made a significant change by introducing into the quote the word righteous. This word appears neither in the Hebrew nor in the Septuagint, but it is a basic element in Paul’s theology. For Paul this phrase would mean there is not a man who is in a right relation with God. It is significant that in verse 20 Paul summarizes his total argument from the scriptures by the quotation from Psalm 143.2: because no man is put right in God’s sight by doing what the Law requires. To translate as the Jerusalem Bible does (“there is not a good man left, no, not one”) is to translate the Psalm rather than what Paul intends.

In view of the particular manner in which Paul uses righteous in this context, it may be necessary in some languages to use the phrase “right before God,” “righteous in God’s eyes,” or “seen as righteous by God.” This is certainly more than merely “doing right.”

In a number of languages one cannot use an expression such as who understands without indicating something of the nature of what is or is not understood. The most neutral and contextually appropriate goal of such understanding is probably “what is right.” Therefore one may translate: “There is not one person who really understands what is right.”

The last clause of verse 11 must not be rendered in such a way as to imply that a person goes out looking for God in the same way that one would look for a lost coin. To avoid a wrong connotation one may have, in some languages, “seeks to be related to God,” “seeks to be with God,” or “wants to have God with him.”

In the Psalm the phrase from God does not appear in the statement all men have turned away, but it is clearly implicit, and the Good News Translation makes this information explicit for its readers.

The equivalent of the expression turned away from God is in some instances “do not wish to have God in their minds,” “will not remember God any longer,” or “have turned their backs on God.” The verb rendered gone wrong (so Revised Standard Version, Moffatt) literally means “to become useless” and appears in a variety of forms in various translations (An American Translation* “worthless”; New English Bible “debased”; Phillips “unprofitable”; Jerusalem Bible “tainted”). The meaning of does what is good (so most translations) is to be preferred over the meaning “to show kindness” (New English Bible).

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 .

Translation commentary on Romans 4:18

In Greek this verse begins with the relative pronoun “who,” which is made explicit as a reference to Abraham by the Good News Translation and others (so Jerusalem Bible and An American Translation*). In this verse appears an idiomatic expression (literally “beyond hope on hope”), which is interpreted in substantially the same way by all translations, though expressed somewhat differently in each. In keeping with a number of other translations, the Good News Translation transforms this noun phrase into a verb followed by a noun phrase, hoped, when there was no hope. In this context hoped is essentially the same as believed, and so what is meant is that Abraham continued to believe in God even when all grounds for human hope were gone. Paul is here pointing out, of course, that Abraham became the father of many nations simply because he believed and hoped in the one who said to him, Your descendants will be this many.

In many languages it is particularly difficult to find a satisfactory term for “hope,” largely because of the combination of somewhat diverse components expressed by this same term. Essentially, hope combines the components of “confidence,” “waiting,” and “favorable outcome,” and is expressed by a phrase in some languages, “to await expectantly for good,” “to wait with confidence for good,” or “to wait in one’s heart for desired things.” To combine hope with an attributive phrase such as when there was no hope makes this first sentence of verse 18 even more complex. This may be rendered, however, in some languages as “waited in confidence when there was no reason for him to wait this way.” In some languages believed and hoped are combined as “in expecting he believed strong against the thing that made him doubt.”

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 .

Translation commentary on Romans 6:7

The verb is set free from is literally “is justified”; however, all modern translations understand the word in this context to have the same meaning that the Good News Translation gives it (see also Acts 13.38).

From the power of sin is literally “from sin.” Paul’s thesis is that death releases man from all responsibilities and obligations, and by the phrase “from sin” he makes one application of this general principle. In this light Paul apparently means that when a man dies, sin no longer exercises control over his life. To assume, with the Jerusalem Bible, that this means “he has finished with sin” because he has lost his “sinful body” is to assume that for Paul the body is something innately sinful, a thought that would be totally contradictory to his Jewish background. On the other hand, Paul does not seem to be arguing that “a dead man is no longer answerable for his sin” (New English Bible); this does not fit in with the overall logic of Paul’s argument within this context. Paul’s intent is to point out that when the believer dies with Christ, sin no longer exercises control over his life.

He is set free from the power of sin may be rendered as “sin no longer controls him” or “sin no longer commands him.” One may express both the freedom and the control by saying: “he is now free, and sin does not control him.” In all such passages which speak of a universal experience, it may be necessary to use a plural and to make the time general—for example, “for whenever people die they are set free and sin cannot control 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 .

Translation commentary on Romans 7:21

Verses 21-23 are a summary of what Paul has been saying thus far in the chapter. The last half of the verse is rendered in a variety of ways in the different translations. The Revised Standard Version attempts a literal translation (“evil lies close at hand”), but in so doing it fails to bring out the impact of what Paul is saying. For example, the verb that the Revised Standard Version here translates “lies close at hand” is also used in the last part of verse 18 in the literal Greek clause “for the will (to do good) is present in me.” The Revised Standard Version translates this clause as “I can will what is right” and the Good News Translation as the desire to do good is in me. That is to say, the verb used here and in verse 18 means not merely that something is near, but that it is within one’s grasp and present within one’s self. On the basis of this observation the Good News Translation transforms this part of the verse to read what is evil is the only choice I have; this is also the basis of Moffatt (“but wrong is all that I can manage”) and for the New English Bible (“only the wrong is within my reach”)

The initial clause, so I find that this law is at work, involves several problems. First, one must indicate clearly that this is a type of summary statement, introduced by some such particle as “so,” “therefore,” or “hence.” The term for law is best understood in this context as a “principle.” This use of law has nothing to do with “the law of God.” Where there are special difficulties in rendering a term such as “principle,” one may say “hence I find that this is what is happening in me.”

The temporal clause, when I want to do what is good, may also be treated as concessive—for example, “although I want to do what is good.” The final clause, what is evil is the only choice I have, may be rendered as “I can only choose what is evil” or “the only thing I can do is to choose what is evil.”

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 .

Translation commentary on Romans 8:29 – 8:30

In these two verses Paul uses a series of five verbs to describe the divine purpose and action. Each verb differs in meaning from the others, yet each is related to and grows out of the one which it follows. The first two verbs (already chosen, set apart) refer back to God’s eternal purpose before time began, while the next three verbs (called, put right with himself, shared his glory) describe the realization of God’s purpose in history. Before these verbs are looked at in detail, it will be helpful to remind ourselves of what Paul is doing in this passage. Negatively, he is not developing a doctrine of predestination in which he looks upon God as arbitrarily choosing some and rejecting others. Positively, he is reflecting on his own experience and the experience of other believers, and he sees this in light of God’s eternal purpose. In other words, Paul is saying that his own salvation and the salvation of others is a result of God’s purpose and of God’s grace; it did not happen by chance, and it was not something that the believer earned by his own merit. Therefore, up to this point Paul’s basic emphasis has been to show that salvation is by God’s grace alone and it is not due to any human effort. Now he emphasizes the other aspect of the salvation event, that is, that it is within the eternal purpose and intention of God.

The verb which the Good News Translation has translated already chosen literally means “to know beforehand,” and is used in Acts 26.5; Romans 11.2; 1 Peter 1.20; 2 Peter 3.17. Even though by definition this word means “to know beforehand,” when used by a Jewish speaker there is a possibility of an extended meaning in light of the Old Testament use of the word “to know” (Jeremiah 1.5; Amos 3.2; Hosea 13.5). For example, the meaning of “to choose beforehand” is obviously what is intended in 1 Peter 1.20, and it seems quite possible that that is the intended meaning in this passage and in Romans 11.2. In this present passage An American Translation* translates the verb as “marked out from the first” while the Jerusalem Bible renders by “chose specially long ago.” The Revised Standard Version, Phillips, and the New English Bible translate by verbs equivalent in meaning to “know beforehand,” and Moffatt renders by “decreed of old.” Several observations support the meaning of “to choose beforehand” as over against “to know beforehand” for this present passage: (1) although Paul is writing in Greek, his thoughts are conditioned by the Hebrew Old Testament, and the Hebrew verb “to know” implies much more than is conveyed by the same verb in English; (2) the meaning of “to choose beforehand” can be supported on the basis of 1 Peter 1.20, and apparently this is the meaning in Romans 11.2; (3) for English speakers at least, one can speak of knowing facts beforehand though not of knowing persons beforehand. In selecting an expression to translate had already chosen the closest equivalent may be “those whom God had designated beforehand” or “those whom God had selected out beforehand.”

The verb that the Good News Translation has translated set apart is also used in Acts 4.28; 1 Corinthians 2.7; Ephesians 1.5, 11. The meaning of “predestined” is indicated by the Revised Standard Version, An American Translation*, and Moffatt. The New English Bible translates this verb as “ordained” in verse 29 and as “fore-ordained” in verse 30, while the Jerusalem Bible translates the verb in both instances as “intended,” and Phillips renders by “chose” in both passages. By definition this word means “to decide beforehand” and obviously has that meaning in Acts 4.28. In 1 Corinthians 2.7 and Ephesians 1.5 it appears to have the meaning of “to choose beforehand,” and so would be essentially synonymous with the first verb that Paul uses in this passage. In the present passage the distinction between these two verbs seems to be as follows: the first verb (already chosen) points back to God’s choice of these people as his own, while the second verb (set apart) indicates that God had in mind a definite goal for those persons whom he had chosen (that is, to become like his Son).

In selecting an expression to render set apart, it is important to avoid the implication of setting something apart because it is bad. Since the process of “setting apart” so frequently involves separating out inferior objects rather than superior ones, there is a tendency for an expression meaning “to set apart” to acquire a connotation which would be unacceptable in this context. One may contrast chosen with set apart by translating the first part of verse 29 as “for those whom God had already chosen he also designated to become like his Son.” In some languages the process of designation may be expressed as “put upon them the need to become” or “marked them so that they would become.”

The phrase to become like his Son has been translated in a number of different ways, but the meaning is clear and the Good News Translation is true to what Paul intended (An American Translation* “to be like his Son”; Moffatt “share the likeness of his Son”). Although the verb set apart speaks as though this action was already decided on before history began, the purpose indicated, to become like his Son, can only be accomplished at the end of history.

First literally means “firstborn” (so most translations; New English Bible, An American Translation*, Jerusalem Bible “eldest”). In light of the Jewish use of this word, its primary component of meaning is that of priority (“first place”) rather than of age (“firstborn”). In fact, it is quite possible that in New Testament times this word had come merely to mean “first.”

The final purpose clause of verse 29, introduced by so that, is actually only a second purpose clause following the purpose expressed by to become like his Son. In some languages it may be necessary to mark this second purpose clause by reproducing part of the previous purpose clause—for example, “they will become like his Son so that his Son will be the first among many brothers” or “… first together with many brothers.”

In the first part of verse 30 the Good News Translation reverses the order of the verbs so as to draw attention to the new verb called. The New Testament often uses the verb “to call” as the way in which God approaches man, and this verb indicates that in the divine-human encounter the initiative is always with God. Once again it is important to realize that there is no intimation in this word that God did not call others; but when the Christian reflects on his own experience, he realizes that it is due to the fact that God has first come to him.

The verb put right with himself has been discussed earlier (see under 1.17). All five of these verbs which Paul uses are in the past tense, though it is difficult to see why he would use the past tense for the verb shared his glory. This verb must be taken as something which is still in the future, though it is looked upon as if it were already realized. The meaning of shared his glory is essentially the same as to become like his Son. That is, each one of these phrases emphasizes the fact that the ultimate goal for the Christian is to become like the God who revealed himself in Jesus Christ. In the present verse the word glory is used with the same meaning which it has in 3.23. It is difficult to express in some languages the concept of he also shared his glory with them. This may be expressed as “he gave them part of his majesty,” “he gave them some of the wonderfulness which he had,” or “he caused them to be glorious in some way similar to the way he is glorious.”

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 .

Translation commentary on Romans 9:26

The quotation in this verse comes from Hosea 1.10; again it is applied by Paul to the Gentile situation. In the original context Hosea was contrasting the idols of other peoples with the Lord, who was the living God. The expression living God indicates that the Lord is the source of life, the one who gives life.

It may be necessary in verse 26 to make explicit who is speaking—for example, “and in the very place where God said, You are not my people, there the living God will call them his sons.”

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 .

Translation commentary on Romans 11:11

I ask, then is the same formula with which Paul introduced verse 1.

When the Jews stumbled, did they fall to their ruin? is literally “did they stumble in order to fall?” The Good News Translation makes the pronominal subject of this sentence explicit, the Jews (so also Jerusalem Bible). As the commentators point out, the verb “to fall” is a biblical expression for final destruction (New English Bible “complete downfall”; New American Bible “forever fallen”; Jerusalem Bible “fallen for ever”; An American Translation* “absolute ruin”).

By no means! is the same answer Paul gave to his question in verse 1 (Certainly not!).

As in so many instances, an initial question and response may be turned into a strong affirmation—for example, “I declare therefore that though the Jews stumbled, they did not fall completely” or even “… fall with no chance to get up.” In order to indicate something of the absoluteness of the fall to which Paul refers, one may employ a number of different types of expressions—for example, “fall and not recover,” “fall and stay always fallen,” or “fall and never be able to rise again.”

The last part of this verse literally reads “but by their fall salvation to the Gentiles, in order to make them jealous.” The fall referred to is the rejection of the Christian message, and the Good News Translation transforms the noun phrase, “by their fall,” into a verb phrase, because they sinned. Along with most other translations, the Good News Translation also supplies the verb has come.

It is necessary to make clear the pronominal reference at the end of this verse, to make the Jews jealous of them (see Revised Standard Version “so as to make Israel jealous” and New English Bible “to stir Israel to emulation”), by adding a reference to those of whom they were made jealous: of them, that is, “of the Gentiles.” Paul, then, is saying that God had a purpose in letting Israel reject his message. As a result of their rejection of the Christian message, salvation has come to the Gentiles; and from this fact another result will follow: the people of Israel will be stirred up to jealousy, so that they too will be saved.

The rather complex relationships between the events in the latter half of verse 11 may be rendered as “because the Jews sinned, the Gentiles have come to experience salvation; this happened in order to make the Jews jealous of the Gentiles.” It may, however, also be possible to interpret the final phrase of verse 11, to make the Jews jealous of them, as representing result rather than simply purpose—for example, “Gentiles are now experiencing what it means to be saved, and as a result the Jews are jealous 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 .