they are a law to themselves

The Greek in Romans 2:14 that is often translated into English as “they are a law to themselves” is translated these ways:

  • Bilua: “they follow their own law” (source: Carl Gross)
  • Huehuetla Tepehua: “it is just as if they had a law in their hearts”
  • Highland Totonac: “on their own they think of the law they should do”
  • Yatzachi Zapotec: “what their head-hearts tell them to do is like the law for them”
  • Chicahuaxtla Triqui: “their very hearts is a law which issues orders to them”
  • Tzeltal: “it is because there are commandments in their hearts”
  • Sierra de Juárez Zapotec: “show that they themselves know what they ought to do” (source for this and five above: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.)
  • Uma: “their own hearts become like the Lord’s Law to them” (source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “they have a Law there in their breath” (source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “their minds are like their law which directs them” (source: Kankanaey Back Translation)

See also a law unto themselves.

a law unto themselves

The now commonly-used English idiom “a law unto themselves” (meaning someone who does whatever they desire, ignoring the rules and regulations) was first coined in 1526 in the English New Testament translation of William Tyndale (in the spelling a lawe vnto them selve). (Source: Crystal 2010, p. 282)

In Russian, this phrase (они сами себе закон — oni sami sebe zakon) is also widely used as an idiom. The wording of the quote originated in the Russian Synodal Bible (publ. 1876). (Source: Reznikov 2020, p. 73)

For other idioms in English that were coined by Bible translation, see here.

See also they are a law to themselves.

gentiles / nations

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The Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek, and Latin that is often translated as “gentiles” (or “nations”) in English is often translated as a “local equivalent of ‘foreigners,'” such as “the people of other lands” (Guerrero Amuzgo), “people of other towns” (Tzeltal), “people of other languages” (San Miguel El Grande Mixtec), “strange peoples” (Navajo (Dinė) (this and above, see Bratcher / Nida), “outsiders” (Ekari), “people of foreign lands” (Kannada), “non-Jews” (North Alaskan Inupiatun), “people being-in-darkness” (a figurative expression for people lacking cultural or religious insight) (Toraja-Sa’dan) (source for this and three above Reiling / Swellengrebel), “from different places all people” (Martu Wangka) (source: Carl Gross).

Tzeltal translates it as “people in all different towns,” Chicahuaxtla Triqui as “the people who live all over the world,” Highland Totonac as “all the outsider people,” Sayula Popoluca as “(people) in every land” (source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.), Chichimeca-Jonaz as “foreign people who are not Jews,” Sierra de Juárez Zapotec as “people of other nations” (source of this and one above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.), Highland Totonac as “outsider people” (source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.), Uma as “people who are not the descendants of Israel” (source: Uma Back Translation), “other ethnic groups” (source: Newari Back Translation), and Yakan as “the other tribes” (source: Yakan Back Translation).

In Chichewa, it is translated with mitundu or “races.” (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)

See also nations.

complete verse (Romans 2:14)

Following are a number of back-translations of Romans 2:14:

  • Uma: “Non-Jews do not know the Lord’s Law that was written by Musa. But sometimes their own hearts teach them to do good behavior, like the behavior that is written in the Lord’s Law. Even though they don’t know the Lord’s Law that is written, their own hearts become like the Lord’s Law to them.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “The tribes who are not Yahudi, the law of God is not there with them. But even if the law of God is not there with them, sometimes they can/happen-to follow some commands in the law because they know in their minds as to what are the good things to be done. That’s why it is as if they have a law in their minds/thoughts.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And as for the people who are not Jews, they do not know about the Law which was left behind by Moses, but there is a time when they obey what is commanded in the Law, for even though they do not know the Law, there is in their breath that which teaches them what is good to do; and because of this, we can say they have a Law there in their breath.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Even though the Gentiles don’t know the written law of Moses, they nevertheless follow some of the commands of that law, because their minds are like their law which directs them.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “Although there are people who have never heard of the word written in the law which the Jews follow, yet they also know in themselves what the good is that God commands them to live by. Because they know in their own thoughts what good they should do. This also meets with the good which is written in God’s law.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

law

The Greek, Hebrew, and Ge’ez that is translated in English as “Law” or “law” is translated in Mairasi as oro nasinggiei or “prohibited things” (source: Enggavoter 2004), in Noongar with a capitalized form of the term for “words” (Warrinya) (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang), in Yucateco as “ordered-word” (for “commandment,” it is “spoken-word”) (source: Nida 1947, p. 198), and in Central Tarahumara it is “writing-command” (source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.)

McKnight’s English translation (publ. 2023) has it as Covenant Code. He explains (p. 301): “The law of Moses was a covenantal arrangement by God with the people of Israel. This code of conduct expected of them was not the same as law in the Roman world or what law means to us today. It is a revelation of God’s will for God’s covenant people but requires ongoing interpretation and adjustments.”

In a 1922 translation into Chagatai, a precursor language of both Uzbek and Uighur, it is translated with the Arabic loan word shari’at (شريعت), originally meaning “(Islamic) law (Shari’a).” (Source: F. Erbay and F.N. Küçükballı in Acta Theologica 2025 45/2, p. 133ff. )

See also teaching / law (of God) (Japanese honorifics).

Translation commentary on Romans 2:14

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 .

SIL Translator’s Notes on Romans 2:14

2:14–15

These two verses explain 2:12a–b. Some English versions indicate that these verses are extra information and not a part of the main collection of thoughts of Paul, but these two verses are not a change of subject or background information. You should not put these verses in parentheses.

2:14a

Indeed: This conjunction is the same one that the Berean Standard Bible did not translate in 2:12a and translated as “For” in 2:13. It introduces an explanation of 2:12a–b.

Gentiles: This word refers to people who are not Jews. Here are other ways to translate this word:

Those who are not Jews (New Century Version)
-or-
non-Jews (God’s Word)
-or-
nations

do by nature: This phrase refers to thoughts and deeds that are considered normal in the place where the person grew up. It includes what people in that place consider to be right or wrong. Here are other ways to translate this phrase:

instinctively (New American Standard Bible)
-or-
naturally (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
through their own innate sense (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
their minds are like their law which directs them
-or-
their own hearts teach them
-or-
know in themselves

what the law requires: This indicates that the Gentiles do good deeds and avoid evil deeds. For example, they may honor their parents, which is also a Jewish law. Here are other ways to translate these words:

the deeds written in the law ⌊of Moses⌋
-or-
as the Law commands (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
the things/rules that the laws ⌊of Moses⌋ contain
-or-
in accordance with it (Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)
-or-
some of the commands of that law

2:14b–c

they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law: The words even though indicates that it is true that the Gentiles did not have the Jewish laws to live by. But despite that, they were a law to themselves (2:14b). Here are other ways to translate this clause:

these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves (New American Standard Bible)
-or-
they behave as if having a law, even without having heard the law ⌊of Moses⌋
-or-
these who do not have the law are a law to themselves (NET Bible)
-or-
Those who are not Jews do not have the law, but when they freely do what the law commands, they are the law for themselves (New Century Version)

2:14b

they are a law to themselves: This indicates that the Gentiles follow a set of laws based on what they know is right and wrong. The word law here does not refer to the Jewish laws. Here are other ways to translate this clause:

they are their own law (Revised English Bible)
-or-
they have made their own law ⌊to follow⌋
-or-
their minds are like their law which directs them
-or-
they have a law there in their hearts
-or-
it is as if they have a law in their minds/thoughts

the law: Here the word law refers to the Jewish laws.

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Commentaire sur la traduction de la lettre aux Romains 2.14

Paul utilise encore une fois la conjonction διά dia pour introduire ses explications. La majorité des versions omettent ce mot mais Parole de Vie le rend par « en effet ». Dans beaucoup de langues, un mot de transition conviendra et aidera le lecteur à suivre la logique et l’argumentation de Paul. C’est comme si l’apôtre commence ses explications, en disant « Vous voyez, quand les non-Juifs… ».

Quand des païens : Quand introduit une proposition dépendante, qui va donner des explications à propos des déclarations qu’il vient de faire.

païens rend le mot grec ἔθνος ethnos, traduit dans certaines versions par « les nations » ou « les Gentils ». Voir Rom 1.5, Rom 1.13. En fait, ce mot désigne tous les non-Juifs. Bible en français courant rend ce mot selon son contexte comme « des étrangers », et Die Gute Nachricht, « les autres peuples ». Mais il vaut mieux utiliser le même vocabulaire qu’ailleurs dans ce passage. La traduction de la Parole de Vie, « Ceux qui ne sont pas juifs », peut servir de modèle.

sans avoir de loi est litt. « n’ayant pas de loi ». La tournure est ambiguë, car comme le dit Viard (p. 77), « Cela ne peut signifier qu’ils n’ont aucune loi. Tout peuple en possède une, écrite ou non ». C’est pourquoi il est opportun d’en préciser le sens exact d’après le contexte : « qui ne connaissent pas la loi de Dieu » (Bible en français courant) ou « de Moïse » (La Bible du Semeur). Pour sans avoir la loi, voir Rom 2.12.

font naturellement ce qu’ordonne la loi est litt. « font de nature de la loi ». font représente encore une fois le verbe générique « faire ». Voir Rom 2.12.

naturellement : la plupart des exégètes jugent qu’il s’agit d’une « loi » intérieure. En fait, Leenhardt (46) note que ces gens sont en train de « pratiquer d’eux-mêmes ce que la loi ordonne ». Certaines versions en anglais utilisent des expressions comme « font instinctivement… » La Bible en français courant dit : « la mettent d’eux-mêmes en pratique ». Les traducteurs devront chercher une façon idiomatique d’exprimer cette idée, par exemple, « quand leur propre cœur leur dit de… », « quand leurs pensées les plus profondes disent qu’ils doivent… », ou « quand ils font sans avoir appris ou connu… »

ce qu’ordonne la loi : il y a en fait souvent des ressemblances entre la loi de Moïse et les lois de ces non-Juifs, par exemple, « ne vole pas », « ne tue pas », « ne commet pas adultère ». Ainsi ceux-ci « font instinctivement ce que Dieu ordonne dans sa loi ».

ils se tiennent lieu de loi à eux-mêmes, eux qui n’ont pas de loi est litt. « ceux n’ayant pas la loi ils sont loi pour eux-mêmes ». La Good News Translation dit « ils sont leur propre loi », mais cette formulation risque de donner l’impression que ces gens peuvent faire tout ce qu’ils désirent. De son côté, la Bible en français courant précise « c’est comme s’ils la [la loi] portaient au-dedans d’eux », et le Parola del Signore, « c’est comme s’ils l’avaient au-dedans d’eux ».

eux qui n’ont pas de loi : cette expression est également ambiguë (voir plus haut à propos de sans avoir de loi) et il est donc souhaitable de la préciser, ainsi « qui n’ont pas la loi (qui vient) de Moïse » ou « bien que la loi transmise par Moïse ne leur ait pas été donnée ». Pour éviter la répétition du mot loi (quatre fois dans ce verset), la Bible en français courant le remplace trois fois par un pronom, mais les traducteurs regarderont ce qui est naturel dans leur langue, sans oublier que Paul a certainement répété le mot pour le mettre en relief.

Source: Margot, Jean-Claude & Zogbo, Lynell. La lettre aux Romains – Manuel de traduction – Commentaire linguistique et exégétique de la Bible. Alliance biblique universelle, 2021.