Romans 5:14

Romans 5:14. Nevertheless. Although sin is not fully reckoned when the law is absent.

Death reigned. ‘Lorded it.' The consequence of sin (‘death through sin,' Romans 5:12) was universal, even before the law: from Adam until Moses. The word ‘until' represents here a different word from that used in Romans 5:13, but there is no appreciable difference in sense.

Even over them that, etc. Death, which here includes more than physical death, as the penalty of sin, lorded it over even such as did not sin, etc., i.e., were not guilty of a definite transgression , the transgression of a definite command of God. The Apostle's argument is that death came upon these as a consequence of the sin of Adam, and thus he proves that ‘death came through unto all men, because all sinned' in that transgression. The class ‘that did not sin,' etc., is not further described. Infants are doubtless included, though not specially referred to. In the period between Adam and Moses divine commands were given; those who transgressed them were punished accordingly, but even those, whoever they were, who had not received positive command came under the consequence of sin, thus proving that Adam's sin was the cause.

Who if a type of the coming One, i.e., the second Adam, ‘Jesus Christ' (Romans 5:15). Here we have suggested the second member of the parallel begun in Romans 5:12. The first Adam, the one man through whom sin and death entered into the world, is the type of the one man Jesus Christ. The word ‘type' is derived from the verb meaning to strike, and hence signifies first, a blow, an impression, then form, figure, pattern, model; at length we find the technical sense, a person or thing bearing a designed resemblance to some higher person or thing, foreshadowing or symbolizing an ‘antitype.' Christ is here spoken of as ‘the coming One,' as historically related to the first Adam. Comp. 1 Corinthians 15:45, where Paul directly contrasts the first and second Adam.