In this verse Paul speaks of sin as though it were some personal force that takes hold of a man’s life and controls it.

So I am not really the one who does this thing may be rendered as “so I myself do not do this thing” or “so I am not the person doing this.”

It may be necessary to specify precisely where sin lives within the person—for example, “the sin that lives in my heart.” In this way sin is presented as essentially “the desire to sin.”

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 .

Verses 26 and 27 are closely related to verse 23 and also have a relation to verse 16. These verses contain the third witness to the glorious future of God’s people (see vv. 19 and 22). In verse 22 Paul spoke of the groaning of the entire creation, and in verse 23 of the groaning of the believers; but now he speaks of the help which God’s Spirit gives, and of the way that the Spirit himself pleads with God for us, in groans that words cannot express. Although Paul literally says that “the Spirit comes to help our weakness” (see New English Bible “comes to the aid of our weakness”), it is much more natural in English to say, as in the Good News Translation, the Spirit also comes to help us, weak that we are (see Jerusalem Bible “comes to help us in our weakness”). It is not certain just what Paul means by “our weakness,” though one aspect of it is certainly that we do not know how we ought to pray. The New English Bible suggests “what it is right to pray for” as an alternative meaning of how we ought to pray, though no other translation goes in this direction. Although the final meaning of these two expressions (“what is right” and how we ought) is about the same, the structure of the Greek more nearly supports how we ought to pray.

In the same way may be equivalent in some languages to “also,” “at the same time,” or “in addition.”

Weak that we are may be related to the preceding as “to help us since we are so weak,” “to help us who are so weak,” or “to help us—we are very weak.” A literal translation of “weak” may imply mere physical disability, while an expression such as “not strong” may suggest some more spiritual failure; therefore “not strong” may be employed in the place of “weak.” If some expression must be employed to qualify weakness, probably “trust” or “confidence” would be the most satisfactory—for example, “since we are so weak in trusting God.”

Although the words with God are not in the Greek text, they are clearly implied and the Good News Translation makes this information explicit. The Spirit himself pleads with God for us may be translated as “the Spirit asks God on our behalf,” “the Spirit talks to God for us,” or even “the Spirit prays to God for us.”

The expression in groans that words cannot express (An American Translation* “with inexpressible yearnings”; Moffatt “with sighs that are beyond words”) is difficult. It is possible to take that words cannot express in the sense of “unspoken words” (see New English Bible “through our inarticulate groans”). Paul uses a similar expression in 2 Corinthians 12.4, things which cannot be put into words, and it is quite likely that both expressions have essentially the same meaning. Although the majority of translations evidently take these groanings as coming from the Spirit, the New English Bible and Barclay explicitly identify them as the groanings of men. The context would seem to favor the former—that is, the Spirit stands in immediate communion with the Father and so needs no spoken words to express his thoughts. The clause that words cannot express is translated in a number of different ways—for example, “that no person can speak,” “with groanings we cannot say how,” “with groanings for which there are no words,” or “with groanings that surpass what words can say.”

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 .

There is a textual problem at the beginning of this verse: the question is whether the verse begins with “in order that” or “and in order that.” The latter of these possibilities (“and in order that”) is to be favored, both on the basis of manuscript evidence and in light of the fact that it is obviously the more difficult reading. Furthermore, this form of the text tends to lend support to the causal interpretation of the participle discussed in verse 22. For that reason the Good News Translation uses the words he wanted in each case.

His rich glory is literally “the richness of his glory” (so Jerusalem Bible), but in a construction of this type the abstract noun should be interpreted as a qualifier of the noun which appears in the genitive. To reveal his rich glory may be rendered as “to show how very glorious he is.”

In some languages one cannot say glory, which was poured out on us, since it is impossible to speak of glory being poured out on someone. But one can often say “glory, which he shared with us” or even change a clause into a complete sentence: “glory. He has given some of this glory to us.”

Objects is literally “vessels” (see the comments on verse 22), but the reference is obviously to the people with whom God had shared his mercy (see verse 24), and so the Good News Translation makes this information explicit by introducing a pronoun: us … those of us. The clause who are the objects of his mercy may be rendered in some languages as “to whom he has been merciful” or “to whom he has shown mercy.”

The Greek verb rendered prepared actually has the force of “to prepare beforehand” (see New English Bible “from the first” and Jerusalem Bible “long ago”). Paul identifies God’s actions in history as the working out of his eternal purpose. Elsewhere in the New Testament this verb appears only in Ephesians 2.10, where it is rendered by the Good News Translation as already prepared.

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 commentators point out that in this verse Paul is addressing the man who is weak in faith, but what he says also has application to the man who is strong in faith. Paul uses an analogy from the laws of slavery of his day, according to which the slave owner had absolute rights over his slave, and no one had the right to command another person’s slave.

It may be necessary in translating judge to employ a phrase such as “to decide whether the servant of someone else has done right or wrong.” However, within this context one may employ a word for judge which primarily signifies “condemn,” since this is obviously the inference of the context.

The rhetorical question at the beginning of verse 4 may be changed into a statement: “You should not judge someone else’s servant.” On the other hand, judgment may be expressed in some languages by quite a different type of expression—for example, “to measure a person.”

Succeeds or fails (so also An American Translation*) is literally “stands or falls.” What is meant is that the slave owner is the one who determines whether the slave’s service is satisfactory or unsatisfactory (see Phillips “it is to his own master that he gives, or fails to give, satisfactory service”). Succeeds or fails may be rendered in some languages as “has done well or not,” “has done what he should or not,” or “is approved or not.”

The word translated servant technically refers to a house slave or a domestic servant and appears elsewhere in Luke 16.13; Acts 10.7; and 1 Peter 2.18. If the receptor language distinguishes between servant and “slave,” then servant is the nearer equivalent. It is doubtful that any further distinction should be sought in this term.

He will succeed translates a verb that may be taken as passive (Revised Standard Version “he will be upheld”; so King James Version), but most translations understand it to have an active force as in the Good News Translation. This same verb form appears in Matthew 12.25, where it is given an active force by the Revised Standard Version (“no city or house divided against itself will stand”). If the verb is taken to be active, Paul is saying “he will stand” (Good News Translation he will succeed), but if the verb is passive, then Paul is saying “God will enable him to stand.”

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 have been quite bold is emphatic in the Greek sentence order. The sentence itself actually begins “but quite boldly I wrote to you.” Bold may be expressed in a number of different ways—for example, “openly,” “without holding back,” “without omitting anything,” or “frankly.”

About certain subjects (Revised Standard Version, An American Translation* “on some points”) is understood by others to mean “in parts of this letter” (New American Bible; New English Bible “at times”).

Because of the privilege God has given me is literally “because of the grace which was given me by God” (“grace” is taken in the same sense here that it was in 1.5). Because of the privilege God has given me may also be rendered as “because God has given me the privilege of being a servant….” In some languages the closest equivalent of privilege may be “the wonderful work,” “the very special task,” or “has honored me by giving me the work of a servant.”

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 .

Watch out for (New English Bible “keep your eye on”; Jerusalem Bible “be on your guard against”) is stronger than a translation such as “take note of” (Revised Standard Version) might suggest.

Those who cause divisions may be rendered as “those who separate people into groups,” “those who cause different groups of people to fight with one another,” or “those who cause strong differences between people.”

Upset people’s faith (New English Bible “lead others astray”) may be literally rendered as “do things to cause (people) to stumble.” In this context the people who are made to stumble are believers. In some languages it is quite meaningless to talk about “upsetting a person’s faith.” One can, however, “twist another’s faith” or “cause a believer to leave the right road.”

Who go against the teaching is a verb transform of the noun phrase “contrary to the teaching” (New American Bible). Teaching (New English Bible, Phillips, New American Bible) or “instruction” (An American Translation*) is a more acceptable term than “doctrine” (Revised Standard Version, Jerusalem Bible, Moffatt). Rather than say go against the teaching, it may be more appropriate to render “talk against the teaching,” “teach contrary to the way in which you have received the teaching,” or “teach against what you have been taught.”

You have received (so New American Bible; New English Bible “you received”) is literally “which you learned.” Several translations make this into a passive construction (Revised Standard Version “you have been taught”; An American Translation* “you were given”).

Keep away from them may be translated in a negative form, “do not associate with them” or “do not go near 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 .