1. _The Ground on which all men are Judged_ The Jews would at once assent to the truthfulness of the previous description; but while condemning the Gentiles, they would mentally excuse themselves. To this natural, yet improper state of mind, the Apostle replies. He shows great rhetorical skill, both... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 2:1. THEREFORE. This refers to the preceding section (Romans 2:18-29), especially to the inexcusableness of the heathen, the culminating proof of which is found in Rom. 2:32. WITHOUT EXCUSE; as in chap. Romans 1:20. O MAN, WHOSOEVER THOU ART, etc. The application to the Jews (Romans 2:17,... [ Continue Reading ]
2. THE SINFULNESS OF THE JEWS, AS A PROOF OF THEIR NEED OF THE GOSPEL. This passage contains the second part of the proof of the universality of sin, and hence of the universal need of the gospel, wherein is revealed a righteousness from God appropriated by faith. It begins with a direct address to... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 2:2. AND WE KNOW. Two very ancient manuscripts read ‘for'; but this was likely to have been an alteration. Paul thus introduces what he regards, and what his readers regard, as an undoubted truth. It is not necessary to suppose that he means ‘we Jews.' ACCORDING TO TRUTH. This belongs to th... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 2:3. BUT RECKONEST THOU, etc. There is a slight antithesis here: ‘but (although this is the case, that God's judgment is against, etc.) dost thou reckon,' etc., have this opinion, or fancy. THIS, namely, what follows, the description of the man ADDRESSED: THAT THOU SHALT ESCAPE THE JUDGMENT... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 2:4. OR DESPISEST THOU, etc. A new error. ‘The despising of the divine goodness is the contemptuous unconcern as to its holy purpose, which produces as a natural consequence security in sinning (Ecclesiastes 5:5 f.).' Meyer. RICHES; referring to abundance or magnitude; a favorite expression... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 2:5. BUT. With this tendency of the goodness of God is contrasted the conduct of man. Instead of being thereby led to repentance, men allow themselves to fancy that God's goodness is a proof that He will not punish sin. AFTER THY HARDNESS AND IMPENITENT HEART. As might be expected from, in... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 2:6. WHO WILL RENDER, etc. This is the universal principle of God's judgment, and it is set forth in detail in Romans 2:7-10, which form a parallelism. In fact, Romans 2:6; Romans 2:11 are parallel; Romans 2:7-10 being an amplification of the contrast implied in both of these verses. WORKS.... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 2:7. BY ENDURANCE, perseverance, steadfastness, rather than ‘patience,' is the idea of the word, and the preposition in the original points to the standard according to which the action is performed. IN GOOD WORK. The singular is used to express the character as a unit. (‘Well-doing' obscur... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 2:7-10. The parallelism will appear from the following arrangement: A To them that by endurance in good work Seek for gory and honor and incorruption, Eternal life: B But to them that are self-seeking And disobey the truth, but obey unrighteousness Shall be wrath and indigination. B Trib... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 2:8. TO THEM THAT ARE SELF-SEEKING. Lit., ‘them of faction.' ‘Contentious' is not exact, since the word is derived from serve, meaning to work for hire. In the New Testament the derivative always means factiousness, venal partisanship; here it refers to those who are intriguing, selfishly ser... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 2:9. TRIBULATION AND ANGUISH. The parallelism is continued in reverse order. ‘Tribulation' refers to the external weight of affliction; ‘anguish' to the internal sense of its weight, hence it forms the climax (comp. references). EVERY SOUL OF MAN. An emphatic and solemn way of saying ‘every... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 2:10. GLORY AND HONOR AND PEACE. (Comp. Romans 2:7.) ‘Peace' is here used in its fullest sense; in the Old Testament it includes ‘peace, plenty, and prosperity,' but with more of a temporal reference than in its New Testament use. Comp. chap. Romans 8:6, and similar passages.... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 2:11. FOR THERE IS NO RESPECT, etc. This is not a mere repetition of Romans 2:6; but shows the reason why ‘the Jew first, and also of the Greek.' Since God has no respect of persons, He must judge the Jew _first._ The verse, therefore, constitutes a proper transition to the next paragraph (Ro... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 2:12. FOR. This introduces an explanation, namely, since God is no respecter of persons it follows that He will judge according to light. AS MANY AS HAVE SINNED WITHOUT LAW. ‘Without law' is a single adverb in the original, and refers to the absence of the _Mosaic law_ as a standard of moral... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 2:13. FOR. This introduces the proof of the latter part of Romans 2:12. The parenthesis of the E. V. is not only unnecessary, but misleading; for it improperly connects Romans 2:16 (which see) with Romans 2:12, and places the important proof of this verse in a subordinate position. The Jewish... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 2:14. FOR. The principle of Romans 2:13 is now applied, so far as it can be, to the Gentiles, and this thought is parenthetical (Romans 2:14-15); Romans 2:16 being connected with the close of Romans 2:13. It is not necessary to insist upon the insertion of marks of a parenthesis in the transl... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 2:15. WHO: or, ‘being such as.' This is virtually the proof that they are a law unto themselves. SHEW THE WORK OF THE LAW. By their doing of it show what is the work of the law = the sum of ‘the things of the law' (Romans 2:14). WRITTEN IN THEIR HEARTS. They show that this work of the law... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 2:16. IN THE DAY. The question of connection is the important one. Some Join directly with Romans 2:15;, referring the ‘day' to the day when the gospel is preached to the Gentiles, and the demonstration of Romans 2:14-15 is made. But this verse seems to point to the future judgment. Most comm... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 2:17. BUT IF. The addition of a single letter in the Greek gives this sense, which is without doubt the correct one. The construction is modified by the change; Romans 2:17-20 form the conditional part of the sentence, and Romans 2:21-24 the conclusion (apodosis) in the form of successive que... [ Continue Reading ]
_2. The Jew is Condemned; His External Circumcision does not Avail._ This section contains the direct application to the case of the Jew, in the form of an indignant outburst (Romans 2:17-24), much of the vehemence of which has been lost through the incorrect reading followed in the E. V.; the gener... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 2:18. AND KNOWEST HIS WILL; lit, ‘the will,' evidently God's will, as revealed in the law. APPROVEST THE THINGS THAT ARE EXCELLENT; or, ‘dost distinguish the things that differ.' Both translations are verbally exact, the latter being more in accordance with usage. But it gives so tame a sen... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 2:19. AND ART CONFIDENT. ROMANS 2:19-20 set forth the attitude of the Jew toward the Gentile, not only regarding himself as superior, but _con-descending_ to make proselytes. This attitude grew out of the facts indicated in Romans 2:18, as is suggested by the connective used in the Greek. T... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 2:20. A TRAINER OF THE FOOLISH. ‘Instructor' is too weak; ‘corrector' is possibly too strong. A TEACHER OF BABES. These figurative expressions correctly represent the proud attitude of the Jews as religious instructors. HAVING IN THE LAW. The change of order gives clearness. This clause g... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 2:21. THOU THEREFORE. ‘ Therefore' sums up what has been previously said. ‘Being such an one, to thee, I say,' etc. The questions imply surprise at such a state of things, and rebuke it. TEACHEST THOU NOT THYSELF. This is the general accusation, that the conduct of the Jew did not agree wit... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 2:22. COMMIT ADULTERY. The loose practices in regard to divorce (Matthew 19:8-9; Joshua 4:4), amounted to this sin, and the Talmud charges adultery upon some of the most celebrated Rabbins. ABHORREST IDOLS. The noun corresponding to the verb here used is ‘abomination'(Matthew 24:15, etc.),... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 2:23. THOU THAT BOASTEST IN. Comp. Romans 2:17. Through THE TRANSGRESSION OF THE LAW DISHONOREST THOU GOD? or, ‘thou dishonorest God.' It is difficult to decide whether this verse is a question, forming a climax to the interrogative charge, or an answer given by Paul himself to his own questi... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 2:24. FOR. This word is not found in Isaiah 52:5, the passage here quoted (from the LXX.). Paul inserts it to show that he has applied it in his own way. That he does not cite it as a fulfilled prophecy appears further from the unusual position of ‘as it is written,' after the Old Testament w... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 2:25. FOR CIRCUMCISION. The statement of Romans 2:23-24, which summed up the charge against the sinful Jew, is now corroborated: ‘what I have said is true in spite of circumcision, for circumcision without the keeping of the law is of no avail; true circumcision and true Judaism are not outwa... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 2:26. IF THEREFORE. The unholy Jew virtually becomes a Gentile (Romans 2:25), does not the obedient Gentile virtually become a Jew? THE UNCIRCUMCISION. The Jewish expression for ‘the uncircumcised;' comp. Galatians 2:7. KEEP THE ORDINANCES OF THE LAW. ‘Righteousness' is misleading here; th... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 2:27. AND SHALL NOT THE UNCIRCUMCISION. As in Romans 2:23, the main question here is whether the verse is interrogative or affirmative. Here, however, the original is more decisively in favor of the affirmative than in the previous instance. We would then render: ‘And the uncircumcision,' etc... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 2:28. FOR. This introduces the proof of the previous positions, Romans 2:27. HE IS NOT A JEW WHO IS ONE OUTWARDLY. This gives the sense of the original; but in this and the succeeding verse the construction is peculiar. The one who shows only the outward marks of a Jew is not a true Jew.... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 2:29. WHO IS ONE INWARDLY; in his secret inner life. AND CIRCUMCISION IS THAT OF THE HEART, etc. The E. V. preserves the parallelism, which is not so marked, however, in the original. The difficult construction of the original has led to other renderings: ‘And circumcision is of the heart,'... [ Continue Reading ]