complete verse (Romans 7:2)

Following are a number of back-translations of Romans 7:2:

  • Uma: “For example a woman who is married: while her husband is still alive, she is bound/tied to her husband by the law(s) of marriage. But if her husband dies, she becomes released from those laws that bound/tied her to her husband.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “For example when a woman marries, the law says that she must/ought to be one with her husband as long as her husband is alive. But when/if her husband is dead that law no longer has authority over her.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “For example, the Law commands that a woman, if she has a husband, she cannot get married again as long as her husband is still alive. But if that husband dies, she can get married again.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “For example, the woman who is married. The law says that she cannot marry a different man while her spouse is still (alive). But if her spouse dies, the woman is set-free from that law and she can marry again.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “You see that it is like when a woman marries, there is a law which says that there is not permission for her to leave her husband. But when her husband dies, then the law is released which controlled the wife.” (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 7:2

Paul’s transitional particle (literally “for,” so King James Version and An American Translation*) is rendered for example by the Good News Translation (also New English Bible and New American Bible) and as “for instance” by the Jerusalem Bible. An equivalent in some languages is “it is like this” or “this is what it means.”

The law described in this verse more nearly conforms with the regulations of Jewish Law than of Roman law; but for Paul’s readers the meaning of the example is clear: a married woman … is bound by the law to her husband as long as he lives.

The law that bound her to him is literally “the law of her husband,” but the reference is simply to “the obligations of the marriage-law” (New English Bible). The reason for this rather strange sounding expression is that in antiquity the law was looked upon as giving the husband authority over his wife; in fact, the expression married woman is literally “the woman who is under the power of her husband.”

A married woman … is bound by the law to her husband may be changed into an active expression and translated in a somewhat different way—for example, “the law ties a married woman to her husband,” “the law unites a woman to her husband,” or “the law says a married woman must stay with her husband.”

She is free from the law may be expressed as “the law does not tie her any longer,” “the law unties her,” “the law causes her to be free,” or “the law says, She is now free.”

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 7:2

7:2a

For instance: These words introduce an example of the law binding a person (7:1b). For example:

For example, (New International Version)

a married woman is bound by law to her husband as long as he lives: Here the words bound by law refers to the law requiring the woman to remain married to her husband. She must behave as a woman married to a man. She is not free to marry another man. Here are other ways to translate this clause:

a married woman is tied to her husband by the law
-or-
a married woman is required by law to behave as married to her husband

This clause is passive. The law binds her to her husband. Some languages must use an active clause. For example:

the law binds/ties a married woman to her husband
-or-
when a woman marries, the law binds her to her husband (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
the law says that she must/ought to be one with her husband

7:2b

she is released from the law of marriage: Here the word released indicates that the law no longer requires the woman to remain married to her husband. She is free to marry another man. Here are other ways to translate this clause:

she is untied from the law to be married to her husband
-or-
she is no longer required by the law of marriage to behave as married to him

This clause is passive. The law frees her from her marriage to her husband. Some languages must use an active clause. For example:

the law of marriage unties her
-or-
the laws of marriage no longer apply to her (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
that law no longer has authority over her

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Commentaire sur la traduction de la lettre aux Romains 7.2

Paul commence par une comparaison pour essayer d’illustrer ce qu’il veut dire. Dans 6.6ss. il parle de l’esclavage, mais ici il s’inspire de l’institution du mariage. Les détails semblent plus proches de la loi juive que de la loi romaine. Ainsi rend la conjonction διά dia, litt. « car / en effet ». Les traducteurs pourront utiliser une expression qui introduit un exemple, d’où « Par exemple » (Bible en français courant, Parole de Vie) ou « C’est ainsi que » (Bible de Jérusalem). Dans certaines langues, ce pourrait être « C’est comme ceci : ».

la femme mariée est liée par une loi à un homme tant qu’il vit : dans beaucoup de langues, comme en français, le mot pour femme est ambigu, désignant un adulte de sexe féminin ou une femme mariée. Les traducteurs devront s’assurer que l’expression choisie désigne bien une femme mariée.

est liée par une loi est un passif en grec mais on pourrait dire « la loi lie une femme mariée à son mari » ou « la loi déclare qu’une femme mariée doit rester avec son mari ».

L’homme dont il est question ici est le mari, comme traduit dans plusieurs versions (« liée par la loi à son mari », Bible en français courant). En fait le mot ἀνήρ anêr (« garçon », « mari ») se trouve trois fois dans ce verset.

mais s’il vient à mourir : les conjonctions ἐὰν δὲ ean de introduisent une vraie hypothèse ou condition. Le grec dit explicitement « mais si le mari meurt » (Bible en français courant).

elle ne relève plus de la loi conjugale est litt. « elle est délivrée de la loi du mari », où elle désigne la femme mariée. La Bible de Jérusalem dit qu’« elle se trouve dégagée de la loi du mari ». On pourrait aussi dire « …de son mari » (Osty-Trinquet). L’expression « la loi du mari » peut surprendre, mais elle s’explique par le fait que, dans le monde antique, la loi attribuait clairement au mari l’autorité sur sa femme. la loi conjugale est litt. « la loi du mari ». Il s’agit de « la loi qui la liait à son mari » (Segond Révisée, Nouvelle Bible Segond), « la loi qui l’attachait à lui » (Parole de Vie). Dans certaines langues, cette phrase négative sera exprimée au positif, « la loi affirme qu’elle est libre maintenant… »

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