Romans 4:19-20

“ And being not weak in faith, he considered his own body now dead he was about an hundred years old and the old age of Sarah's body; but having regard to the promise, he doubted not through unbelief; but grew in strength by faith, giving glory to God. ”

Abraham is represented in this passage as placed between two opposite forces, that of sight, which turns to the external circumstances (Romans 4:19), and that of faith, which holds firmly to the promise (Romans 4:20). The δέ, but, of Romans 4:20, expresses the triumph of faith over sight.

We find in Romans 4:19 one of the most interesting various readings in the text of our Epistle. Two of the three families of MSS., the Greco-Latin and the Byz., read the negative οὐ before κατενόησε : he considered not. The effect of the subjective negative μή before ἀσθενήσας, being weak, on the principal verb would then be rendered thus, because: “because he was not weak in faith, he considered not”...The meaning is good: the look of faith fixed on the promise prevented every look cast on the external circumstances which might have made him stagger, as was the case with Peter, who, as long as he looked to Jesus, regarded neither the winds nor the waves. But the Alex. family, with the Peshito this time on its side, rejects the οὐ. The meaning is then wholly different: “not being weak in faith, he looked at (or considered) his deadened body...but for all that (δέ, Romans 4:20) he staggered not”...This reading seems to be preferable to the preceding, for it better explains the contrast indicated by the δέ, but, of Romans 4:20. The meaning is also more forcible. He considered...but he did not let himself be shaken by the view, discouraging as it was. The μή before ἀσθενήσας may be explained either as a reflection of the author intended to bring out a circumstance which accompanied this view (he considered without being weak), or, what is better, as indicating the negative cause, which controls all that follows (Romans 4:19-20): “ because he was not weak in faith, he regarded...but did not stagger.” In favor of the Received reading: “he considered not,”...the passage has been alleged: “Abraham laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear?” (Gen 17:17); a passage which, according to this view, gave occasion to the rejection of the negative οὖ. This is not wholly impossible. But the time to which this passage (Genesis 17) applies is not the same as that of which the apostle here speaks (Genesis 15).