The word rendered “irrevocable” by some translations (Revised Standard Version and New English Bible) basically means “without change of mind or heart.” It is used in this sense in 2 Corinthians 7.10, its only other occurrence in the New Testament. In order to express in English the meaning of “without a change of mind,” it is necessary to change the noun into a verb phrase. Both the Good News Translation and An American Translation* render it by God does not change his mind; the Jerusalem Bible, assuming that the meaning of the word is “irrevocable,” also changes to a verb: “God never takes back his gifts or revokes his choice.”

In light of the context, what is the meaning of the phrase “the gifts and the choice of God”? It is possible, of course, to take “gifts” as a general reference to any blessing that God gives, but in the context “gifts” seems to have a more specific meaning. In light of its connection with the word “called,” it may best be taken as a reference to those blessings which are bestowed on the persons whom God calls. Since the “calling” comes first and the “blessings” follow, the Good News Translation translates the phrase to mean whom he chooses and blesses.

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 .

The Gentiles do not have the Law may need to be changed to the past tense, “the Gentiles have not possessed the Law,” “the Gentiles did not receive the Law through Moses,” or “the Law which came through Moses was not given to the Gentiles.”

Of their own free will has been translated in a variety of ways: “instinctively” (Moffatt, An American Translation*), “by the light of nature” (Phillips, New English Bible) and “led by reason” (Jerusalem Bible, with a note indicating “guided by conscience, not by revealed law”). In most translations this is rendered “by nature” (see Revised Standard Version). The Good News Translation understands Paul to be speaking of the free and inner response of a man to the conscience given him by God. This is a “natural” response, not because it is something that one does by instinct or by nature, but because it is a response of the divinely created conscience within man. An expression for their own free will is difficult to render in a number of languages. In some instances it is simply equivalent to “whenever they themselves decide,” “whenever their own heart tells them to,” or “whenever their innermost thoughts say they should.”

The Law commands may need to be recast as “what is commanded in the Law” or “what the words written in the Law say that people should do.”

They are a law to themselves must not be rendered in such a way as to imply that people can do whatever they want to do. A more appropriate equivalent is “they themselves show what should or should not be done” or “they have demonstrated that they know what should or should not be done.”

In the last clause of verse 14 it may be again necessary to specify “the Law which comes from Moses”—for example, “even though they have not possessed the Law which came through Moses” or “even though the Law which came through Moses was not given to 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 .

By the free gift of God’s grace (New English Bible “by God’s free grace alone”) is literally “as a free gift by his (God’s) grace” (see Jerusalem Bible “through the free gift of his grace”). The word free gift indicates that man contributes nothing toward being put in a right relationship with God, while the phrase “by God’s grace” indicates that God supplies all that is necessary. In the phrase “by his grace” the possessive pronoun rendered God’s in the Good News Translation is in the emphatic position.

The expression of means in the phrase by the free gift of God’s grace must be transformed into a verb expression in some languages, for example—“by means of God’s showing his grace freely to people” or “because God shows his grace freely.” This very emphatic expression may be reproduced in both a positive and negative manner, since free may need to be expressed as involving “no exchange”—for example, “since it is God who shows grace, and it is not an exchange gift.”

Through Christ Jesus, who sets them free translates a noun expression in Greek “through the setting free in Christ Jesus.” Although “setting free” is a noun in Greek, it describes an event rather than an object, and so is better rendered by a verb in English. This word is rendered in a variety of ways in the different translations—for example, “redemption” (Revised Standard Version, New American Bible), “ransom” (Moffatt), “by being redeemed” (Jerusalem Bible), “deliverance” (An American Translation*), and “act of liberation” (New English Bible). This particular word is used only once in the Septuagint (Daniel 4.34, which speaks of Nebuchadnezzar’s recovery from his madness, “the time of my setting free came”), but other words derived from the same stem are used in a number of passages, especially in those which speak of God’s setting his people free from Egypt. Although some of the Old Testament passages make mention of a price paid to effect the release, the emphasis is never on that aspect; the emphasis is rather on the result accomplished, that is, on the act of setting free. Paul uses this word once again in Romans (8.23), and it appears elsewhere in his writing in 1 Corinthians 1.30; Ephesians 1.7, 14; 4.30; Colossians 1.14. It is also found in Luke 21.28 and Hebrews 9.15; 11.35. In each of these passages the emphasis is upon the act of being set free, and in Ephesians 1.7 and Colossians 1.14 the setting free is specifically identified with the forgiveness of sins.

It may also be helpful to throw some further light on the verb translated put right. So far the verb has appeared three times in this letter (2.13; 3.4, 20), while its related noun form has appeared four times (1.17; 3.5, 21, 22). The verb itself is a causative stem, and means something like “to make right.” The analogy that Paul has in mind is that of a law court. This then is not an ethical term, as though God’s pronouncement made men morally upright or virtuous; rather it is used to indicate that God pronounces men acquitted or not guilty in his sight. In other words this is merely another term used to describe the way in which God forgives. The simplest way to express this idea in today’s English is to say that God puts man into a right relationship with himself.

The serious difficulty of translation in verse 24 results from the two types of agents by which men are put right. God is, of course, the primary agent. He is the one who puts men right with himself. At the same time this verse specifies that it is done through Christ Jesus. In some languages the secondary agent must always be expressed by a causative verb—for example, “God causes Christ Jesus to put men right with God.” In other instances, secondary agency is expressed by a paratactically combined clause which indicates the direct agent—for example, “God puts all men right with himself; Christ Jesus does this” or “God puts men right with himself; he did this by means of Christ Jesus, who sets them free.”

This last phrase who sets them free is variously translated, depending upon the particular cultural context which is employed as a basis for the expression—for example, “he causes them to go out,” “he causes them to be untied,” or “he takes away the accusations against 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 .

The word rendered disappoint is closely related both in form and meaning to the word used in 1.16 (there rendered I have complete confidence).

The relation between hope and “not being disappointed” may be expressed as condition and result—for example, “if we hope this way, we are never disappointed.” The relation may also be expressed as cause and effect—for example, “because we hope in this manner, we are never disappointed.”

God has poured out his love translates a phrase which is ambiguous in Greek. Literally it is “the love of God has been poured out.” The Greek phrase itself may be a reference either to our love for God or to God’s love for us. However, all translations in which the meaning is explicit render this as a reference to God’s love for us (see Moffatt, An American Translation*, New English Bible; see also the note in the Jerusalem Bible). This choice of meaning is supported by what Paul says in verse 8, but God has shown us how much he loves us. Furthermore, not only is God’s love mentioned explicitly in verse 8, but the illustration of his love begins in verse 6.

It is not uncommon to speak of God’s Spirit as being poured out (Acts 2.17, 18, 33; 10.45; Titus 3.6). This concept seems to go back to the book of Joel which speaks of God’s Spirit poured out on men (Joel 2.28, 29), and in other early Christian literature the verb “to pour out” is often used in speaking of gifts which come from above. Who is God’s gift to us translates a passive expression in Greek (literally “who was given to us”), in which the implied agent of the action is God (New English Bible “he [that is, God] has given us”).

It is quite impossible in most languages to speak of “pouring out love.” In a number of instances one may, however, speak of “how greatly he loves us” or even “how much he has shown our hearts how much he loves us.”

By means of the Holy Spirit must be expressed in some languages as a secondary agent—for example, “God has done this by means of the Holy Spirit” or “the Holy Spirit himself has shown how much God loves us.”

The final clause who is God’s gift to us may be rendered as “who is the one whom God has given to us” or “God himself gave us his Holy Spirit.”

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 .

I use ordinary words (Jerusalem Bible “if I may use human terms”; New American Bible “I use the following example from human affairs”) is the same expression used in 3.5, I speak here as men do, and is best taken as a reference to what Paul is going to say. The equivalent might very well be “let me use an ordinary example” or “let me use an example from everyday life.”

Paul’s use of the phrase the weakness of your natural selves is not intended here to have moral or ethical implications; it is only a reference to the fact that he believes these people incapable of understanding profound truths unless he uses analogies from everyday life. The phrase is literally “the weakness of your flesh”; it appears in the New American Bible as “your weak human nature” and in the Jerusalem Bible as “your natural weakness.” The New English Bible combines the two phrases: “to use words that suit your human weakness.”

It is important to avoid, in the choice of a word for weakness, an expression which will apply only to physical weakness. In fact, it may be necessary to qualify “weakness” as “weakness of your understanding” or “weakness of the way in which you, as just a human being, understand things.”

Yourselves entirely appears twice in verse 13 and is there translated first by any part of yourselves and then by your whole being.

Impurity and wickedness (literally “lawlessness”; in 4.7 translated wrongs) were two sins that the Jews generally accused the Gentiles of committing. The idea of wickedness is made emphatic in this verse by being used twice (wickedness, for wicked purposes). The word rendered impurity is used also in Romans 1.24 (there rendered filthy things). Paul also uses the word in 2 Corinthians 12.21; Galatians 5.19; Ephesians 4.19; 5.3; Colossians 3.5; 1 Thessalonians 2.3; 4.7. Outside of Paul’s writings it appears only in Matthew 23.27.

Slaves to impurity and wickedness may be rendered as “slaves to do what is impure and wicked” or “slaves to do what is sexually and generally bad.” “Sexually and generally” are simply ways of designating the focal components of impurity and wickedness.

Since purpose has already been expressed in relating wickedness to slaves, it is often difficult to add a further purpose (for wicked purposes), which is merely an emphatic amplification of the term wickedness. One may, therefore, translate wickedness as “to do all kinds of wickedness.”

Holy purposes (New English Bible “a holy life”) appears in Moffatt and An American Translation* as “consecration” and is a word that is normally rendered “sanctification” or “holiness” in most translations. It appears in Paul’s writings here and in 6.22; 1 Corinthians 1.30; 1 Thessalonians 4.3, 4, 7; 2 Thessalonians 2.13; 1 Timothy 2.15; and outside Paul’s writings in Hebrews 12.14 and 1 Peter 1.2. Basically the idea involved in this word is that of being dedicated or set aside to God, and in other than Jewish and Christian contexts the words has no connotation of purity of life. However, in biblical thought purity of life does become basic because the people who are set aside for the service of God are expected to take on the likeness and character of God. So in the present context the idea is either that of being set aside to God for the sake of achieving his holy purposes (Good News Translation) or for the sake of “making for a holy life” (New English Bible). Attention should be called to the fact that the adverb now stands emphatic in the second sentence of this verse.

As in verse 18, slaves of righteousness may be translated as “slaves to do what is right.”

The final phrase for holy purposes may be rendered as an explanation of righteousness—for example, “that is to say, to do that which is holy.” But if one adopts the meaning of “consecration,” it may be rendered better as “this is in order that you may be truly God’s people” or “in order that you may be really dedicated to God.”

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 .

In this verse Paul gives the outcome of the two ways of life. To have your mind controlled by human nature results in death is literally “the mind of the flesh is death.” There is no verb connecting “flesh” and “death,” and so one has to be supplied from the context. Most translations supply “is” and a number of others supply “means,” while the Good News Translation supplies results in. Although Paul is describing the present condition of the man of faith and of the man who lives apart from faith, his focus of attention seems to be on the final outcome of their lives, and this is why the Good News Bible has supplied the verb results in. The same is true of the second half of this verse.

In many languages expressions of result may be effectively restructured as conditions—for example, “If you think only about what your body wants you will die, but if you think only about what God’s Spirit wants you will truly live and have peace.” In some instances there must be an agent of life and peace, and therefore one may translate as “God will cause you to live and have peace.”

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 .

Translators should attempt to make as clear as possible the relation between verse 2 and verse 1. In order to show this relation properly, it may be necessary in some languages to say “what is true is that I have great sorrow” or “it is true that my sorrow for my people is very great.”

The last phrase in this verse (for my people, my own flesh and blood!) actually appears in verse 3 of the Greek text. However, Paul’s sorrow is not for himself, but for his people, and so the Good News Translation brings this phrase up to verse 2 to make this fact clear.

The double exclamation of verse 2 may be changed into a strong affirmation—for example, “My sorrow is very great and the pain in my heart for my people never ends; I speak of the people of my own tribe.” It is quite impossible in most languages to employ a literal translation of my own flesh and blood, nor can one reproduce literally what the Greek has: “relatives according to the flesh.” A far more appropriate equivalent is usually some expression as “my own tribe,” “the people to whom I belong,” or “the people with whom I am one.”

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 .