Romans 4:18

ff. Abraham's faith described. It was both contrary to hope (as far as nature could give hope), and rested on hope (that God could do what nature could not). εἰς τὸ γενέσθαι αὐτὸν πατέρα κ. τ. λ. (cf. Romans 4:11) is most properly taken to express the Divine purpose that he might become father, etc. (see Moulton's note in Winer, p. 414); not result so that he became. κατὰ τὸ εἰρημένον, Οὕτως κ. τ. λ., Genesis 15:5 : the passage is familiar, and the οὕτως is supposed to suggest its own interpretation the stars of the heaven.

μὴ ἀσθενήσας … κατενόησεν, without becoming weak in faith, he considered his own body. “The participle ἀσθενήσας, though preceding the verb, is most naturally interpreted as referring to a (conceived) result of the action denoted by κατενόησεν.” Burton, Moods and Tenses, § 145. This remark holds good only with the reading κατενόησεν : if we read οὐ κατ. the meaning is, He considered not his body quippe qui non esset imbecillis (Winer, p. 610). ἑκατονταετής που (circiter) ὑπάρχων : his great age was the primary and fundamental fact in the situation: this seems to be the suggestion of ὑπάρχων as distinct from ὤν. In Romans 4:20 (εἰς δὲ τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν) the δὲ contrasts with becoming weak, as he considered his body, the actual conduct of Abraham. “He did not waver in relation to the promise, in unbelief; on the contrary, he was strengthened in faith.” On διεκρίθη, cf. Matthew 21:21; James 1:6; Romans 14:23. τῇ ἀπιστίᾳ : instrum, dative; because of unbelief. It is simplest to take τῇ πίστει as dative of respect, though Hebrews 11:11 can be adduced by those who would render: “he became strong, recovered his bodily vigour, by faith”. The participles in Romans 4:21 are loosely attached to the principal verbs, and are really equivalent to co-ordinate clauses with καί. In his whole conduct on this occasion Abraham glorified God, and demonstrated his own assurance of His power. See Burton, § 145. δοὺς δόξαν τῷ θεῷ : for this Hebraism see Joshua 7:19; Jeremiah 13:16; John 9:24; Acts 12:23. For πληροφορηθείς Romans 14:5; Colossians 4:12.