Romans 2:12

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 morals, since the Gentiles were not absolutely without law (comp. Romans 2:14-15). The next clause also refers to the Mosaic law, although both here and in Romans 2:13 the article is wanting in the original. The word ‘law' in this definite sense was so common among the Greek-speaking Jews that they treated it as a proper name, and frequently omitted the article. Since the reference to the Mosaic law is so important here, it is to be regretted that Bishop Lightfoot has lent the weight of his authority to the position, that ‘law' without the article means abstract law, and ‘the law' the Mosaic law.

Also perish. ‘ Also' points to the correspondence between sinning and perishing; the latter is the opposite of salvation, and does not mean annihilation.

Under law; lit., ‘in law,' in that condition, not simply in possession of it.

Shall be judged by law. The Jews ‘do not escape the judgment (of condemnation) on account of their privilege of possessing the law, but on the contrary are to be judged by means of the law, so that sentence shall be passed upon them in virtue of it. See Deuteronomy 27:26; comp. John 5:45 ' (Meyer). It is evident that any other reference than to the Mosaic law makes the passage very flat. The verse teaches that the immoral heathen will not be punished, however, with the rigor of the written law, as in the case of disobedient Jews and unfaithful Christians, but according to their light. The unfaithful Christians will be judged more severely than the disobedient Jews, and the disobedient Jews than the immoral Gentiles. The last, however, will not go unpunished, since they are without excuse (chap. Romans 1:20; Romans 2:14-15).