Romans 2:15

which shew The relative pronoun is the same as in Romans 1:25, where see note. It marks a condition: "they are a law to themselves, inasmuch as, &c."

shew the work of the law written in their hearts "The workof the law" has been explained as if collective for "works;" but this is ill-supported by real parallels. It is better to explain it as "what the law does," than as "what is done for the law's sake;" and thus it means the teaching of the Difference of right and wrong (see Romans 3:20). This "work," done in an intense degree by the law, is done in a lower degree by conscience alone; but the work is the same in kind. The sense of wrong and right, which it is the law's work to produce fully, is somehow and in some measure, without the law, "written" in heathen "hearts." (On the word heartsee note to Romans 1:21.) "They shew:" this word may of course refer to subjectivediscovery; each man shewing it to himself, finding it in his experience. But it better suits the word to take it of mutualmanifestations: language and conduct, in heathen communities, shewing the objective reality of the convictions which individuals are aware of. "Written:" for this metaphor, no doubt suggested by the tablets of Sinai, cp. 2 Corinthians 3:2-3.

their conscience also bearing witness Lit. bearing witness with, bearing concurrent witness. What is the concurrence?It may be "of conscience with itself," in its different verdicts. But, on our view of the passage, it is "with the common conviction." Individual consciences affirm the common conviction of moral distinctions which they find around them.

In Romans 9:1 the witness of conscience is again appealed to, with the same verb: lit. "bearing witness with me" See note there.

and their thoughts, &c. Better, and between one another their reckonings (or reasonings) accusing, or, it may be, defending. The Gr. of "thought" specially means reasoningthought, not intuition. It can hardly be a mere synonym of conscience, which (at least in practice) is intuitive. The meaning is either "their consciences are ratified in their verdicts by their private reasonings on particular cases;" or, as seems better on our view, "the fact of their moral sense is evinced by their reasonings on right and wrong;" e.g. by Treatises and Dialogues in which ethical questions are discussed. "Between one another" thus refers not to one mind's balance of thought with thought, but to arguments of man with man. St Paul says nothing of the Tightness of these reasonings in particular cases, but of the moral significance of the fact of them.