Romans 2:8

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 serving a party, and not the truth.

Disobey the truth, etc. Notice how ‘the truth' and ‘unrighteousness' are directly opposed to each other by the Apostle.

Wrath and indignation. This is the better supported order. ‘Wrath' points to the permanent attitude of a holy God toward sin; ‘indignation,' to its particular manifestation, at the judgment. ‘Shall be,' should be supplied to reproduce the change of construction in the original; a delicate adjustment to indicate that, while God is directly the giver of eternal life, the punishment of sin is the necessary result of the sinner's own conduct, even though God punishes. Comp. a similar change in chap. Romans 9:22-23.