Romans 2:16

ἐν ἧ ἡμέρᾳ κ.τ.λ. = at the assize (by the judgment) of GOD who judges not by privilege or appearance but by the secret contents of a man’s heart: to be taken with the whole of the preceding sentence, as supporting the analysis of the Gentile state by appeal to the method by which GOD judges. Gentiles clearly have this knowledge, etc., if judged as GOD judges by the unseen state of their hearts.

For ἡμέρᾳ in this sense cf. 1 Corinthians 4:3, perh. also above, Romans 2:5.

If to avoid the obvious difficulties of this interpretation we look for some other connexion for ἐν ᾗ ἡ., we must go back to Romans 2:12 and regard the two clauses introduced by γὰρ as parenthetic. The objections to such a conception of the passage may be modified, if we remember that it was in all probability dictated, and we can imagine that in the speaker’s pause, while these two clauses were being written down, his mind recurred to the main subject of the paragraph, and he concludes with the thought of the final assize.

κρίνει. If we read the present, the stress is laid on the general principles of GOD’S judgment; if the future (κρινεῖ, cf. Romans 3:6) on the certain judgment itself.

κατὰ τὸ εὐαγγέλιόν μου. The judgment was a primary element of the Gospel as presented to Gentiles (Acts 17:31; Acts 24:25), and as a judgment of character, rather than of acts: and this quality of the judgment was involved in its being administered through the agency of Christ Jesus, who is Himself the judge, as being Himself the standard, of human goodness.