SIL Translator’s Notes on Romans 2020 – Page 2

SIL Translator’s Notes on Romans 9:30

Section 9:30–10:4

Many Gentiles believe but many Jews do not

In this section Paul compared the Gentiles to the Jews. Some Gentiles believed in Jesus and God made them righteous, but the Jews tried to obey the law of Moses to become righteous. They stumbled over who Jesus was as the Messiah, because he did not fit their ideas of what the Messiah should be.

Paul explained that he wanted the Jews to believe in Jesus as the Messiah. The Jews were enthusiastic to follow God, but they did not understand the right way to become righteous.

Here are other possible headings for this section:

The Jews followed the wrong way to become righteous
-or-
The Jews followed the Laws of Moses but did not believe in Jesus as the Christ/Messiah

Paragraph 9:30–33

9:30a

What then will we say?: The word then indicates a connection to previous verses. Here it introduces the question “What shall we say?” In some languages it is more natural to have the word then first. For example:

Then/Therefore, what shall we say?

What…will we say?: This is a rhetorical question. It draws attention to what Paul said next. Paul did not expect the readers to answer this question. But he did expect the readers to agree with what he said next. Here are other ways to translate this question:

What…are we to say? (New Revised Standard Version)
-or-
what does all this mean? (New Century Version)

In some languages the correct meaning is indicated by using a statement instead of a question. For example:

We should say this:
-or-
Our conclusion is this:

9:30b

That: This word implies that Paul suggested that he and the others would or should say what follows. In some languages the implicit information must be added to make the sentence a proper one. For example:

⌊We will/should say⌋ that

the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it: There is no the before the word Gentiles in the Greek. Here it indicates that Paul spoke of Gentiles in general not pursuing righteousness. If possible, translate with that meaning. For example:

Gentiles, in general, do not pursue righteousness, but some attained it
-or-
the Gentiles do not generally/usually pursue righteousness, but some of them attained it

Gentiles: This word refers to people who are not Jews. See how you translated this word in 1:5 or 9:24.

did not pursue: The Greek here is present tense, indicating something that happens generally, past, present and future. For example:

do not pursue

pursue righteousness: Here this refers to trying hard to become righteous. For example:

trying to put themselves right with God (Good News Translation)

righteousness: Here this word refers to a person’s relationship with God being right. Here are other ways to translate this word:

God’s approval (God’s Word)
-or-
being right ⌊with God⌋

See how you translated this word in 4:3.

have obtained it: This indicates that righteousness is now available to Gentiles. Here are other ways to translate these words:

have attained it (English Standard Version)
-or-
have achieved it (New American Bible, Revised Edition)
-or-
have been given it
-or-
Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness, ⌊God⌋ has given it to them

9:30c

The Greek of 9:30c begins with a word that is often translated as “and” or “but.” Here it introduces an explanation of how these Gentiles became right before God. Here are other ways to translate this phrase:

namely, a righteousness that is by faith
-or-

That righteousness is the kind that comes from faith

faith: Here this word refers to believing in Jesus. In some languages a literal translation would not be clear as to which kind of faith Paul meant. If that is true in your language, you may want to explain in your translation. For example:

faith/believing ⌊in Jesus⌋

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SIL Translator’s Notes on Romans 11:8

11:8a–b

God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that could not see, and ears that could not hear: There are several ways to interpret the connection of eyes that could not see, and ears that could not hear (11:8b) to God gave them a spirit of stupor (11:8a):

(1) It is an additional description of the Jews, as with the comma in the Berean Standard Bible.

(Berean Standard Bible, REV, New International Version, English Standard Version, New American Bible, Revised Edition, King James Version, New American Standard Bible, NET Bible, New Living Translation (2004), God’s Word)

(2) Both parts describe the same thing. The semi-colon implies this in English. For example:

God has infused them with a spirit of lethargy; until today they have not eyes to see or ears to hear (New Jerusalem Bible)

(Good News Translation, New Jerusalem Bible, Revised English Bible)

(3) The stupor is the cause for the eyes not seeing and ears not hearing. For example:

God made them so stupid that their eyes are blind, and their ears are still deaf (Contemporary English Version)

(Contemporary English Version, New Century Version)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), because many scholars also use a comma here.

In some languages adding an “and” would be more natural. For example:

God gave them a spirit of stupor, ⌊and⌋ eyes that would not see and ears that would not hear

11:8a

11:8a–c is a quote from parts of Isaiah 29:10 and Deuteronomy 29:4. If you indicate the location of quotes from the Old Testament with cross-references, you may want to do so here.

as it is written: This phrase introduces a quote from the Old Testament. Paul quoted what God said to the nation of Israel. See how you translated this phrase in 1:17 or 10:15.

God gave them a spirit of stupor: Here the word spirit refers to a condition or state of being. The Jews would always be in a stupor until the time God takes that stupor away. Here are other ways to translate this phrase:

God made their minds and hearts dull (Good News Translation)

stupor: This word refers to being unable to respond, like when someone cannot think well or is deeply asleep. Here the Jews could not understand God’s truth, in particular about his Christ/Messiah, Jesus. Here are other ways to translate this word:

being unable to think
-or-
not able to sense/be-aware-of (anything)
-or-
God made their minds to become numb so that they might not understand

11:8b

eyes that could not see, and ears that could not hear: The Greek is literally “eyes of-the not seeing and ears of-the not hearing.” It is a figure of speech. It indicates that the Jews could not see or understand God’s truth, in particular about his Christ/Messiah, Jesus. Here are other ways to translate this phrase:

eyes that could not see and ears that could not hear (New International Version (2011))
-or-
they have not eyes to see or ears to hear (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
he has shut their eyes so they do not see, and closed their ears so they do not hear (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
they could not understand (New Century Version)

11:8c

to this very day: The Greek is literally “until the today day.” In the passage Paul quoted from, it referred to the forty years that the Jews wandered in the desert before reaching the promised land, going to the day Moses spoke these words. Paul implied that it was still true over a thousand years later when he wrote this letter to the Roman believers. Here are other ways to translate this phrase:

down to this very day (English Standard Version)
-or-
and so it is to this day (Revised English Bible)
-or-
This continues until today. (New Century Version)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Romans 12:4

12:4a

Just as: Here these words introduce an explanation of the individual measures of faith (12:3e). Together with the word “so” in 12:5a, they indicate that 12:5 is being compared to 12:4. Another way to show a comparison in English is to just use a single phrase between the two verses. For example:

4 Each of us has one body with many members, and not all members have the same function. 5 In the same way, we who are many are one body and each member belongs to another in Christ. (Good News Translation)

each of us has one body with many members: Paul used the phrase each of us to refer to believers in general. We all have the same kind of body. In some languages a literal translation would indicate or imply that we all share a single body in some way. If that is true in your language, indicate that Paul spoke in general of the human body. For example:

in our bodies we each have many members/parts

members: Here this word refers to the various parts of the body, like the head and arms and so forth.

12:4b

not all members have the same function: Here the word function refers to what each part of the body does. Each part does something different. The eyes see, the hand holds, and the legs walk and kick. Here are other ways to translate this clause:

the members/parts do not all have the same work
-or-
each part has a different duty/purpose

SIL Translator’s Notes on Romans 14:1

Section 14:1–12

Do not judge/criticize fellow believers and do not despise them

In this section, Paul told his readers that they must accept other believers who are not strong in their faith. These other believers do things that are not based in their faith, hence they are “weak” in their faith. One example that Paul gave of this “weak” faith is someone who avoids meat because it has been devoted to the Roman gods.

Paul also told his readers to not argue over differences of opinion (14:1). In 14:5, he gave an example of this: some believers hold the holy days as something special but other believers do not. Paul reminded his readers that they all belong to the Lord Jesus.

Paul told his readers that they must not judge other believers to be bad people or despise them. He reminded them that they all will stand before God as their judge, and give an account of their deeds.

Here are other possible headings for this section:

Do not consider other believers to be bad people
-or-
Do not look down on other believers

Paragraph 14:1–4

14:1a

This verse begins with the Greek conjunction that introduces a new topic that is related to the previous one. In many languages, no conjunction would imply that.

Some scholars see contrast here to 13:14. For example, Dunn translates the Greek word as:

But

Accept him whose faith is weak: In the Greek, the phrase translated him whose faith is weak occurs before the verb Accept to emphasize it. Some languages can put this phrase in front without those added words. For example:

the one who is weak in faith, welcome him

Some English versions add words to introduce this phrase. Some languages can follow these versions or use other words to introduce this phrase. For example:

Concerning the believer who does not yet understand well about the word he believes, there where you meet together give him a welcome.
-or-

If there is a person whose faith is not yet mature or is weak, accept him

Other languages must put this phrase in its normal place for a natural translation. For example:

welcome the one whose faith is weak

Accept: The Greek word refers to bringing in someone into your group of friends and accepting him or her. Here are other ways to translate this word:

welcome (English Standard Version)
-or-
receive well

him whose faith is weak: This phrase refers to someone who has faith but believes that his faith limits what he can do. Paul called it weak because this person limits what he can do more than someone whose faith is not weak. Paul gave an example of this difference in faith in 14:2. Here is another way to translate this:

the one who is not strong in faith

14:1b

without passing judgment on his opinions: This is a purpose clause. Believers should not accept others into their group for the purpose of passing judgment on them.

There are two ways to interpret the Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as passing judgment :

(1) It means argue here. For example:

do not argue with them about their personal opinions (Good News Translation)

(Revised Standard Version, New International Version (2011), Good News Translation, New Jerusalem Bible, English Standard Version, New American Bible, Revised Edition, New Living Translation (2004), God’s Word, NET Bible, New Century Version)

(2) It means judge (as bad) here. For example:

criticize them for having beliefs that are different from yours (Contemporary English Version)

(Berean Standard Bible, New International Version (1984), New American Standard Bible, Contemporary English Version)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), because the BDAG and L&N support it.

opinions: This word refers to an idea or belief about something based on personal preference or an interpretation of something true. For example, there may be many opinions about who should be Prime Minister or about why a car crashed. Here are other ways to translate this word:

thoughts/opinions
-or-
their different thinkings

SIL Translator’s Notes on Romans 15:10

15:10

This quote is from Deuteronomy 32:43. If you indicate the location of quotes from the Old Testament with cross-references, you may want to do so here.

Again, it says: The Greek is more literally “And again he/she/it says.” Probably it is Scripture speaking here. For example:

And in another place it says (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
The Scripture also says (New Century Version)

Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people: The reference to the people spoken to occurs in the middle of what was said to them. In some languages it is more natural to have it first. For example:

O Gentiles, rejoice with his people

O Gentiles: The word O introduces who is spoken to. Some languages would use a different kind of word. For example:

you Gentiles (New International Version (2011))
-or-
You who are Gentiles

Some languages will not use a word like this here. For example:

Gentiles! Rejoice…
-or-
Nations, rejoice… (New Jerusalem Bible)

His people: Here this phrase refers to the Jews.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Romans 16:9

16:9a

Urbanus: This name refers to a man.

our fellow worker in Christ: See how you translated the similar phrase (“my fellow workers in Christ Jesus”) in 16:3.

16:9b

my beloved: See how you translated this phrase in 16:8.

Stachys: This name refers to a man.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Romans 1:10

1:10a

in my prayers at all times: In some languages it is better to use a verb for the meaning of prayers here. For example:

every time I pray (God’s Word)

prayers: This word refers to talking to God, praising him, thanking him, and asking him to do something.

1:10b

that: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as that is often translated “if.” Here, it occurs before a Greek word that is often translated as “somehow.” The Berean Standard Bible does not directly translate this word. Here the word “if” indicates that Paul was uncertain whether or not he would go to Rome. For example:

if somehow

These words also indicate that Paul was not sure how he would get to Rome. Here are other ways to translate this phrase:

if by any means (King James Version)
-or-
if, in some way,

now at last: This phrase indicates that Paul had wanted to visit the believers in Rome for some time, and at this time might finally go. It is not clear how long he had wanted to go to Rome. Here are other ways to translate this phrase:

finally (Good News Translation)
-or-
for a long time but now

by God’s will: This indicates that God would decide if Paul would go or not. Here are other ways to translate this phrase:

that God will decide/choose that
-or-
that God will allow
-or-
if God wants it (New Century Version)

I may succeed: The Greek word here is more literally “I may be led on a good road.” Paul hoped that God would guide him so that he would have a good way to travel to Rome. Many languages can translate the more literal Greek for the correct meaning. For example:

He might make a way that
-or-
he will open give a/any way to me
-or-
I may be granted good passage

Note that the first two examples above change the Greek passive to an active clause.

Some English versions follow the more figurative meaning of this Greek word: “to succeed,” as the Berean Standard Bible does. But the more literal sense seems a better way to translate here.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Romans 2:10

2:10a

glory, honor: Translate these words as you did in 2:7.

peace: Here this word refers to well-being and being free from all kinds of troubles.

who does good: The word does indicates doing good often. For example:

who lives doing good
-or-
who practices good deeds

does good: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as good is literally “the good thing.” It refers to good behavior. It includes not only treating others in fair ways but living in morally good ways. Here are other ways to translate this clause:

do right (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
does good deeds
-or-
do good

2:10b

first for the Jew, then for the Greek: Translate this as you did in 2:9b.

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Source: SIL Translator’s Notes on Romans 2020