inclusive vs. exclusive pronoun (Romans 1:4)

Many languages distinguish between inclusive and exclusive first-person plural pronouns (“we”). (Click or tap here to see more details)

The inclusive “we” specifically includes the addressee (“you and I and possibly others”), while the exclusive “we” specifically excludes the addressee (“he/she/they and I, but not you”). This grammatical distinction is called “clusivity.” While Semitic languages such as Hebrew or most Indo-European languages such as Greek or English do not make that distinction, translators of languages with that distinction have to make a choice every time they encounter “we” or a form thereof (in English: “we,” “our,” or “us”).

For this verse, translators typically select the inclusive form for “our Lord”.

Source: SIL International Translation Department (1999).

Translation commentary on Romans 1:3 – 1:4

In the statement it is about his Son, it refers back to the Good News, not to the Holy Scriptures as a whole (see Jerusalem Bible “this news is about the Son of God”).

In a number of languages is about must be rendered as “tells about,” “speaks about,” or even “describes.”

The phrase our Lord Jesus Christ is introduced from verse 4 in order to show its connection with his Son and with the description that follows. Although neither the Jerusalem Bible nor the New English Bible shifts this phrase from the following verse, they each make the relation explicit by the statement “it is about Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Special care must be exercised in the use of so-called possessive relations with words such as Lord and God. In some languages, for example, one cannot say our Lord. One cannot, as it were, possess someone who rules over him. The closest equivalent in such languages may be “the one who lords (over) us” or “the one who rules us.” Similarly, “our God” must be rendered in some languages as “the God whom we worship.”

It is helpful to take the last half of verse 3 and all of verse 4 together, since the exegetical and translational problems are closely interrelated. As to his humanity (literally “according to the flesh”) is taken by most commentators and translators in the same sense as by the Good News Translation (New English Bible “on the human level”; Jerusalem Bible “according to the human nature”). As a man Jesus was born (literally “became”; Galatians 4.4 uses this verb in the same way, literally “he became of a woman”). Our Lord is further qualified as a descendant of David (literally “from the seed of David”; New English Bible “he was born of David’s stock”; Jerusalem Bible “was a descendant of David”; An American Translation* combines this and the previous statement “who was physically descended from David”).

The phrase as to his humanity is variously rendered in different receptor languages. The two principal equivalent expressions are “as a man” or “as far as his body was concerned.” In some instances this is combined directly with the following phrase: “he had the same kind of body as the offspring of David.” References to the lineage of David may be expressed as “he was a grandson of David” (in languages in which the term “grandson” is a generic term for any male descendant). On the other hand, David may be made the subject of such a phrase—for example, “David was his grandfather” or “David was his ancestor.” Again, one may simply specify lineage: “he belonged to David’s family.” It is frequently, however, very difficult to translate literally he was born a descendant; such a passive phrase could be quite misleading.

As to his divine holiness (literally “according to [the] spirit of holiness”) may be understood in either of two ways. (1) It may be understood along with the Good News Translation as a reference to our Lord’s own (divine) nature; that is, his “holiness” was the quality that most closely identified him with God (An American Translation* “in his holiness of spirit”; Knox “in respect of the sanctified spirit that was his”; Jerusalem Bible “the spirit of holiness that was in him”). Or (2) it may be understood as a reference to the Holy Spirit (New English Bible “on the level of the spirit—the Holy Spirit”; Revised Standard Version “according to the Spirit of holiness”; see also Moffatt). Some few interpreters take the phrase “spirit of holiness” as a reference to the Lord’s own spirit which enabled him to “set apart” people for God. That is, the phrase is taken by them as a reference to the saving power or function of the Son of God, and not as a reference to his nature; however, no translation seems to go in that direction.

In support of the exegesis represented in the Good News Translation there are at least two observations. (1) This phrase stands in formal contrast with as to his humanity, which definitely refers to one aspect of Jesus’ person. (2) Paul nowhere else uses this phrase to refer to the Holy Spirit, and though some scholars maintain that Paul took it over as a set formula from Palestinian Christians, there is no clear evidence in the New Testament or in other early Christian literature that it was used of the Holy Spirit.

Though the phrase as to his divine holiness seems to be a particularly appropriate expression in English, it is extremely difficult to render such an expression in some other languages. An abstract such as “holiness” would rarely, if ever, have as an attributive an adjective such as “divine.” Moreover, in many languages there is simply no attributive term such as “divine”; the closest equivalent would be “from God.” Therefore, in some languages the closest equivalent of as to his divine holiness would be “as far as his being from God and his being holy is concerned.” Some translators have followed a type of compromise rendering; “as far as his spirit, which was holy, is concerned.”

The verb shown literally means “to set limits (or boundaries),” and so “define,” “decide,” “determine.” It is quite often used of God’s will and decision (Luke 22.22; Acts 2.23; 10.42; 17.26, 31; Hebrews 4.7). In English translations the verb appears in a variety of renderings: “declared,” “designated,” “appointed,” “marked out,” “demonstrated,” “installed,” “proclaimed,” and “foreordained.” This passive expression was shown may be transformed into an active expression—for example, “God showed with great power that he was his Son.”

With great power (literally “in power”) is usually taken either with the verb as in the Good News Translation (see An American Translation* “decisively declared”) or as a qualifier of the Son of God (Moffatt “Son of God with power”; Jerusalem Bible “Son of God in all his power”). Some translations make it independent (New English Bible “by a mighty act”), while Phillips connects it with the Holy Spirit (“marked out … by the power of that Spirit of holiness”).

The phrase by being raised from death presents at least three problems, (1) The phrase may be taken either in a temporal sense, “from the time of the resurrection,” or, as in most translations, in a causal sense. (2) Though this phrase (literally “resurrection of dead ones”) may be taken as a general resurrection of the dead, most exegetes take it to refer to Christ’s resurrection (Revised Standard Version “by his resurrection from the dead”). (3) It is possible to understand this phrase either in an active sense (New English Bible “he rose from the dead”) or in a passive sense, with God understood as the one who raised him from the dead (Moffatt “he was raised from the dead”; see also An American Translation* and Phillips). In light of the fact that Paul elsewhere in Romans speaks of God raising Christ from the dead (see 4.24; 6.4, 9; 8.11), it seems best to understand the present passage in a passive sense with God as the agent. This passive expression may be rendered as active, particularly if the preceding clause is transformed into an active expression. One may thus render the last part of verse 4 as “by the fact that God raised him from death” or “by the fact that God caused him to live again.” In some languages one cannot be “raised from death,” but one can be “caused to live again.”

The mention of the Good News in the last past of verse 1 led Paul to a further statement about the Good News in verse 2, and this in turn led to a Christological statement in verses 3 and 4. Paul now returns to the theme of his apostleship which he mentioned in verse 1.

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 .

SIL Translator’s Notes on Romans 1:4

1:4a

and: Some languages may see Jesus’ status as God’s Son to contrast with his status as a human. For example:

But (New Century Version)

who…was declared with power to be the Son of God: There are two issues here:

Issue 1: Interpretation

There are three ways to interpret the Greek word that the Revised Standard Version translates as was declared :

(1) Here this word means appoint or designate. As his Son, God appointed Jesus to a new position of power and authority as Savior, Lord, and Judge. For example:

was appointed the Son-of-God-in-power (NET Bible)

(Revised Standard Version, New Jerusalem Bible, New International Version (2011), NET Bible, New American Bible, Revised Edition, New Century Version)

(2) Here this word means declare. God made known to others who Jesus already was. For example:

who was declared the Son of God with power (New American Standard Bible)

(Berean Standard Bible, New International Version, New American Standard Bible, English Standard Version, New Revised Standard Version, King James Version, Revised English Bible, God’s Word)

(3) Here this word means show clearly or prove. God showed to others by some action who Jesus already was. For example:

he was shown with great power to be the Son of God (Good News Translation)

(Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, New Living Translation (2004))

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), because the verb means “set limits” and the figurative use from that is “appoint.” The verb does not refer to a speech act such as “declare” or an act of proving something.

Issue 2: Connection of with power

There are several ways to interpret how the words with power connect to the rest of the sentence:

(1) It connects to the words the Son of God. At the resurrection the Son of God had new power. For example:

was appointed the Son-of-God-in-power (NET Bible)

(Revised Standard Version, New Jerusalem Bible, New International Version (2011), New American Standard Bible, New American Bible, Revised Edition, English Standard Version, Contemporary English Version, NET Bible, King James Version, New Century Version)

(2) It connects to the Greek verb that means was declared. It indicates that God powerfully designated Jesus to be the Son of God. For example:

was declared with power to be the Son of God (New International Version)

(Berean Standard Bible, New International Version, Good News Translation, God’s Word)

(3) It connects to the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit worked powerfully when God designated Jesus to be the Son of God. For example:

he was shown to be the Son of God when he was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit (New Living Translation (2004))

(New Living Translation (2004))

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), because it is the most natural connection in the Greek. Here are other ways to translate this phrase according to interpretation (1):

who was appointed the Son of God in ⌊a new and⌋ powerful way
-or-
was established as the empowered Son of God

was declared: This verb has the same subject as 1:3b: “the one” in the Greek. This clause indicates a second thing about the Son of God (1:3a). In some languages the subject must be repeated here. For example, the Berean Standard Bible supplies the word “who” at the beginning of 1:4a. This clause is also passive. Some languages must use an active clause here. For example:

⌊God⌋ designated/appointed him

the Son of God: Here the phrase the Son of God refers to the same person as “his Son” in 1:3a. For example:

God’s Son/Child
-or-
God’s ⌊divine/heavenly⌋ Son

If you need to, see the note on “his Son” at 1:3 for more explanation.

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

(1) It means according to or with regard to here. For example:

according to (Revised Standard Version)

(Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, New Jerusalem Bible, New American Standard Bible, English Standard Version, King James Version, NET Bible, Revised English Bible, God’s Word)

(2) It means through or by means of here. For example:

through the Spirit of holiness (New International Version)

(Berean Standard Bible, New International Version, New Living Translation (2004), New American Bible, Revised Edition, New Century Version)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1) because the sense of meaning given in interpretation (2) is extremely rare and the context is not correct for it here. Here are other ways to translate the Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as through :

as to (Good News Translation)
-or-
with reference to
-or-
in terms of (New Jerusalem Bible)

The same phrase “according to” is used in 1:3b. If possible, translate “according to” the same in both places.

the Spirit of holiness: There are four ways to interpret the phrase the Spirit of holiness here:

(1) Here the word Spirit refers to God’s Spirit (the Holy Spirit), and the words of holiness indicates that he causes believers to be holy (or caused Jesus to be holy while he was on earth). For example:

the Spirit of holiness (Revised Standard Version)

(Berean Standard Bible, Revised Standard Version, New International Version, New Jerusalem Bible, New American Standard Bible, English Standard Version, New Century Version)

(2) Here the word Spirit refers to God’s Spirit, and the words of holiness indicates that he is holy. For example:

the Holy Spirit (NET Bible)

(NET Bible, Revised English Bible, Contemporary English Version, New Living Translation (2004))

(3) Here the word Spirit indicates that Jesus is God and the words of holiness indicates that Jesus is holy. For example:

his divine holiness (Good News Translation)

(Good News Translation)

(4) Here the word Spirit refers to Jesus’ own human spirit, and the words of holiness indicates that his spirit is characterized by holiness. For example:

the spirit of holiness (New Revised Standard Version)

(New Revised Standard Version, God’s Word, New American Bible, Revised Edition, King James Version)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), because the Greek word translated of holiness here is not the normal word used in the phrase “Holy Spirit.” Something more than the normal meaning of “Holy Spirit” seems indicated here.

the Spirit: Here the word Spirit refers to the Spirit of God, usually called the Holy Spirit. Use the same word for Spirit as you have in other books where you have translated “Holy Spirit” (for example: Matthew 1:18, Mark 1:8, Luke 1:15, or John 1:33).

of: The word of here can indicate that:

(1) The Spirit causes believers to be holy.

(2) The Spirit is characterized by holiness.

Here the Greek language allows either interpretation, as does the English word of. If possible translate in a way that allows either interpretation. But if you must choose, choose interpretation (1). For example:

he/who produces
-or-
he/who causes

holiness: Here the Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as holiness refers to living a good, morally pure life and being free from sin. The Holy Spirit causes believers to live this kind of life. Here are other ways to translate it:

be set apart ⌊from sin⌋
-or-

⌊spiritual⌋ purity
-or-
moral integrity ⌊in us⌋
-or-

⌊us to⌋ depart from evil

1:4b

by: Here the Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as by is literally “from.” Here it probably indicates that God raising Jesus from the dead was the way that God appointed him as the powerful Son of God. Here are other ways to translate this word:

through
-or-
by means of

It is also possible that “from” means “when” or “because” here. But by seems most likely.

His resurrection from the dead: The Berean Standard Bible adds the word His here. It is implied from the context. God made Jesus alive again after he was dead. He raised Jesus back to life out from among those who are dead. Here are other ways to translate this phrase:

he was raised from death (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
raising ⌊him⌋ from ⌊the⌋ dead
-or-
causing ⌊him⌋ to live again after he had died

When God caused Jesus to live again, he had the same identity that he had before he died. The same thing is true for this word in the Bible when referring to other people. The Greek word “anastasis ” and the English word resurrection do not imply that a person will live again as a different person or as an animal.

from the dead: The word from here indicates that God makes a dead person alive and takes him away from the place where the spirits of dead people live. For example:

out of ⌊the realm of the⌋ dead

Also see the examples above.

1:4c

This phrase names who the “Son of God” (1:4a) is. In the Greek and the Berean Standard Bible the sentence continues from 1:4b. In some languages, making that connection explicit here would be more natural or more clear. For example:

⌊the Son of God is⌋ Jesus Christ our Lord

In the Greek and the Berean Standard Bible, the sentence continues from 1:4b. In some languages beginning a new sentence would be more natural or more clear. For example:

⌊He is⌋ Jesus Christ our Lord

Jesus Christ our Lord: In some languages it may be more natural to use a different order for the words here. For example:

our Lord Jesus Christ (Good News Translation)
-or-
the Messiah Jesus, he/who is our Lord

Jesus Christ: Remember that Christ is a title, not Jesus’ last name. See how you translated Christ in 1:1.

our Lord: By using the word our, Paul indicated a relationship between Jesus and Paul as well as those who believe in him.

Lord: This word refers to someone who has authority over people. Here it indicates that Jesus has authority over believers. Here are other ways to translate this word:

Chief/Leader
-or-
the Sovereign

General Comment on 1:3a–4d

Some English versions move 1:4c, “Jesus Christ our Lord” to directly after 1:3a, “concerning his Son.” They do this in order to clearly connect his name and title to the phrase “his Son.” Consider where the best place is to put 1:4c in your language. For example:

3 It is about his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ : as to his humanity, he was born a descendant of David; 4 as to his divine holiness, he was shown with great power to be the Son of God by being raised from death. (Good News Translation)
-or-

3-4 The Good News is about God’s Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. As a man, he was born from the family of David. But through the Spirit of holiness he was appointed to be God’s Son with great power by rising from the dead. (New Century Version)

If you move 1:4c to after 1:3a, then combine the verse numbering to 3-4.

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