Verses 1:1-7 make up the salutation to this letter, having the three expected parts of a salutation normal for a writer of this of time. Verses 1:1-6 is the identification of the writer. This is the longest of all Paul’s identifications in his letters. Verse seven then is the identification of the recipients and his greeting. Note: a fuller explanation of the writer’s understanding of this very important passage is found in his study, The Sonship of our Lord and Our Adoption as Children of God.
Παῦλος δοῦλος Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ, κλητὸς ἀπόστολος ἀφωρισμένος εἰς εὐαγγέλιον θεοῦ,
Paul, a bond-slave of the Christ, Jesus, called [to be] an apostle having been set apart to the gospel of God.
| Παῦλος | proper noun; msn; Παῦλος; Paul; a nominative absolute used in the salutation; |
| δοῦλος | noun; msn; δοῦλος; bond-slave; nominative in simple apposition to Παῦλος. It is anarthrous, i.e., not having the definite article, indicating here a member of a class; Paul is a bond-slave, one of many. |
| Χριστοῦ | noun; msg; Χριστός; Christ, Anointed One; genitive of possession; While this word is anarthrous, it is definite. It refers to a specific unique individual, the Christ, the Anointed One, the Messiah, the one human being God has appointed to be sovereign over all the world. Unfortunately, this word has come to stand for nothing more than our Lord’s last name or surname, and this has lessened his honor and authority. It is not our Lord’s name; It is his title of authority. |
| Ἰησοῦ, | noun; msg; Ἰησούς; Jesus; genitive in simple apposition to Χριστοῦ; As a proper name it is definite. |
| κλητὸς | adjective; msn; κλητός; called, invited; adjective. There are two possible nouns that this adjective might relate to, δοῦλος or ἀπόστολος. Both the nouns and the adjective are anarthrous. If it qualifies δοῦλος, then it describes the class to which δοῦλος belongs. As a bond-slave he was called, summoned by our Lord to be (understood verb) an apostle. Our Lord has other bond-slaves summoned to other duties or positions. If it qualifies ἀπόστολος, then the phrase κλητὸς ἀπόστολος (a called apostle) is in simple apposition to Παῦλος. I prefer the first view. |
| ἀπόστολος | noun; msn; ἀπόστολος; apostle, messenger; anarthrous, indefinite; κλητός qualifies ἀπόστολος, then ἀπόστολος is a nominative in simple apposition to Παῦλος. If κλητός qualifies δοῦλος, then one might expect the case of ἀπόστολος to be accusative, subject of the unstated infinitive εἰναί. However, because the infinitive is omitted, the nominative case used in place of the accusative; it is attracted into the nominative. Of the two options given above I prefer the later in which κλητὸς ἀπόστολος qualifies δοῦλος and then ἀφωρισμένος is a participle qualifying the verbal idea implicit in the adjective κλητός. ἀπόστολος is indefinite, meaning Paul is called to be one among several other apostles. |
| ἀφωρισμένος | verb; perfect, passive, participle, msn; ἀφορίζω; separate, exclude, set apart, appoint; This is either an adjectival participle qualifying Παῦλος or an adverbial participle qualifying the verbal idea contained in the adjective κλητός. The perfect participle, called a combinative participle by Mounce “indicates a completed action that has consequences in the speaker’s present” (WM, p. 338). He was appointed to be in apostle and was one at the time of his writing this letter to Rome. |
| εἰς | preposition + accusative; εἰς; with reference to, for; (AG, p. 229 #5). This specifies to what or in reference to what Paul had been set apart. |
| εὐαγγέλιον | noun; nsa; εὐαγγέλιον; good news, gospel; accusative object of preposition εἰς; This phrase is definite even though it is anarthrous, hence ‘the gospel of God’ rather than ‘a gospel of God’ (ATR, p. 793) |
| θεοῦ, | noun; msg; θεός; God; genitive of source ‘the gospel of God,’ i.e., the gospel which comes from God; This might possibly be an objective genitive, the good news or gospel about God. The preference for me is the good news, which comes from God since Paul in the next verses will go on to state the subject of the gospel. |
Paul’s identification of himself in verses 1:1-6 follows the Greek custom of connecting ideas and statements using conjunctions, relative clauses, and such. As a result, a single Greek sentenced (or in this case, a salutation) may be quite long and complex. To translate such a Greek sentence into a single English sentence produces a very run-on sentence. Good modern English demands shorter sentences containing one thought or idea. This verse begins a relative clause which describes the gospel of God for which Paul was singled out.
While it may seem that Paul is digressing from his original purpose of simply identifying himself to the readers of this letter in verses two through six, he is, in fact, establishing his authority for the two major groups of people to whom he writes, first, the Jewish believers in Rome and then, the Gentile believers. In verses two through four he states he was an apostle set apart for the good news from God previously promised in the Holy Scriptures about the Anointed One, the Holy One, the Messiah. This would resonate especially for those believers of a Jewish background. In verses five and six he then focuses on the Gentile readers. His apostleship, which came through the Messiah, was directed toward all the Gentiles, that they might respond in faith to God. This then was also for those in Rome, the capital of the Gentile empire.
ὃ προεπηγγείλατο διὰ τῶν προφητῶν αὐτοῦ ἐν γραφαῖς ἁγίαις
This (which) was previously promised by his prophets in the Holy Scriptures,
| ὃ | relative pronoun; nsa; ὅς; which; The antecedent is εὐαγγέλιον; the pronoun is the accusative direct object of προεπηγγείλατο. Although this is a relative pronoun (who, which, what), it is translated as a demonstrative pronoun in English starting a new sentence. The English demonstrative pronoun has the same antecedent as the Greek relative pronoun. |
| προεπηγγείλατο | verb; aorist, mid. ind, 3s; προεπαγγέλλω; to promise beforehand; (passive) to be promised previously; This verb, a constative aorist, simply states this occurred in the past. |
| διὰ | preposition + genitive; διά; through, by; indicates personal agent or intermediary; |
| τῶν προφητῶν | preposition + genitive; διά; through, by; indicates personal agent or intermediary; |
| αὐτοῦ | personal pronoun 3s; msg; αὐτός; his; genitive of possession; The antecedent is θεοῦ in the previous verse. |
| ἐν | preposition + dative; ἐν; in; indicates the location where the promises are located; |
| γραφαῖς | noun; fpd; γραφή; Scriptures; genitive object of ἐν; It is definite even though there is no article; since this, especially with the adjective ἁγίαις, is recognized as a unique specific thing, being described as holy. When plural, as here, it refers to the whole, i.e., the Old Testament, but when singular, normally a single passage of the Scriptures. |
| ἁγίαις | adjective; fpd; ἅγιος; set apart, consecrated, holy; qualifies γραφαῖς; |
This verse is the start of a prepositional phrase which extends through verse four. The prepositional phrase, ‘concerning His Son…’ (περὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ…), connects either to the words immediately preceding it in verse two, in the holy scriptures, (ἐν γραφαῖς ἁγίαις) or the words, the gospel of God, (εὐαγγέλιον θεοῦ) found in verse one. If the former, then it is the Holy Scriptures that concern his Son. If connected with the words, the gospel of God, then the gospel concerns his Son. While there is a difference in the emphasis, there is not much difference in the basic thrust of the text. Either his son is the central concern of the gospel, or his son is the central concern of those scriptures in which the gospel was promised. The pronoun αὐτοῦ, ‘his’, refers back to God mentioned in verse one. God’s son, therefore, is the central theme and concern of the gospel.
περὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ τοῦ γενομένου ἐκ σπέρματος Δαυὶδ κατὰ σάρκα,
concerning his son, who was born of the line of David physically,
| περὶ | preposition + genitive; περί; concerning; This prepositional phrase either qualifies the preceding words, γραφαῖς ἁγίαις, (most likely option) or the words, εὐαγγέλιον θεοῦ, back in verse one. See introductory note to verse 1:3. |
| τοῦ υἱοῦ | articular noun; msg; υἱός; son; genitive object of περί; See the author’s, study, The Sonship of our Lord and Our Adoption as Children of God for a fuller explanation of my understanding of this term. While the article is regularly used when a possessive pronoun qualifies the noun, this also seems to be kataphoric. “The first mention, with the article, is anticipatory, followed by a phrase or statement that defines or qualifies the thing mentioned.” (DM, p. 220) Note that following τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ in verses 1:3-4, there are three clauses or phrases describing this son. |
| αὐτοῦ | personal pronoun 3s; msg; αὐτός; his; genitive of relationship; antecedent is θεοῦ in verse 1:1; |
| τοῦ γενομένου | articular participle; aorist, middle, participle, msg; γίνομαι; to be, happen, become; adjectival use of the participle as indicated by the article. This is an adjectival clause qualifying υἱοῦ; perfective participle, (undefined aspect); Here its sense can be translated ‘born’ as in, ‘born of the line of David’. |
| ἐκ | preposition + genitive; ἐκ; of; denotes origin as to family, race, city, people, district, etc. (BAG p. 234) |
| σπέρματος | noun; nsg; σπέρμα; seed, offspring, descendants; genitive object of ἐκ; With or without the article a noun being the object of a preposition may be definite or indefinite. Because it is followed by the genitive Δαυὶδ specifying a particular line or set of descendants it is certainly definite. |
| Δαυὶδ | noun; msg; Δαύιδ; David; genitive of relationship or origin; |
| κατά | preposition + accusative; κατά; according to, in reference to; preposition is used to introduce something in reference to which something is true. AG states, “denoting relationship to someth., with respect to, in relation to κ. σάρκα w. respect to the flesh, physically of human descent…” (AG, p. 408) |
| σάρκα | noun; fsa; σάρξ; flesh; accusative object of preposition κατά; This noun, when used in the accusative case with the preposition κατά, has almost an adverbial force, the preposition being used to introduce that in reference to which something is true. It can then be translated as ‘physically,’ that is, in reference to the fleshly or physical body; or with another meaning of the noun, this phrase can be translated as ‘humanly,’ that is, in reference to that which is human, by human effort, according to human standards. The phrase is used twenty-one times in the New Testament and exhibits both of these meanings. Even in Romans itself, it is used in both senses. When a writer speaks of ancestry, the emphasis is on physical descent or lineage, not the origin of human nature. |
The prevalent view of the two descriptive statements, one in verse three and the other in this verse, is that they describe the human and divine natures of Christ. If one takes this view, the first of these descriptive statements, who was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh, is taken to be a reference to the Lord’s human nature. Likewise, in verse four, the second statement, who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, is seen as a reference to his deity. If this were Paul’s intent, he is saying that the subject of the gospel is perfectly human, a descendant of David, and fully divine, as proven by the resurrection from the dead.
While one must hold unreservedly to the full deity and perfect humanity of the Lord, it is better to see Paul’s purpose as declaring Jesus to be the Messiah, the fulfillment of the promises made beforehand in the scriptures. Let it not be doubted or questioned that the Lord is fully and perfectly human and, at the same time, fully divine. This truth cannot be compromised. It is glimpsed in these verses, but only indirectly, for it is not the Apostle Paul’s intention to declare this truth. His purpose is to declare that the subject of the gospel is the person of the Messiah, that he is qualified both physically and spiritually, that he has been appointed to this office, and that he is, in fact, none other than Jesus Christ the Lord. Again, the reader is referred to The Sonship of our Lord and Our Adoption as Children of God for a more complete treatment of this issue.
τοῦ ὁρισθέντος υἱοῦ θεοῦ ἐν δυνάμει κατὰ πνεῦμα ἁγιωσύνης ἐξ ἀναστάσεως νεκρῶν, Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν,
the powerfully appointed Son of God in reference to the (a) spirit of holiness by the resurrection from the dead, Jesus, (the) Christ, our Lord.
| τοῦ ὁρισθέντος | articular participle; aorist, passive, msg; ὁρίζω; to determine, set, appoint, decree; adjectival use of participle, attributive, qualifying the following word υἱοῦ; a perfective participle; The article may be taken with ὁρισθέντος indicating its function as adjectival following the pattern with τοῦ γενομένου above, or it may be taken with υἱοῦ θεοῦ with the adjectival participle ὁρισθέντος being in the first attributive position. The whole phrase, τοῦ ὁρισθέντος υἱοῦ θεοῦ … νεκρῶν, then is in apposition to τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ back in verse 1:3, as is the concluding phrase of verse 1:4, Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν. In my understanding at this point, I prefer this latter view. The basic meaning of the verb ὁρίζω is to separate or mark off boundaries. It then comes to mean to appoint, determine or designate someone or something. Some lexicons do indeed suggest the meaning of ‘to declare,’ but this meaning is suggested because of this particular passage. To use this lexical definition as support for this translation at this point is to use circular reasoning. The verb ὁρίζω is used seven other times in the New Testament: Luke 22:22, Acts 2:23, 10:42, 11:29, 17:26, 17:31 and Hebrews 4:7. In every case, except here in Romans 1:4, this verb is translated as to fix, appoint, determine or predetermine in the NASV. In the NKJV, it is translated as to determine, designate or ordain in every case except here in Romans 1:4. It should be consistently translated as to appoint or designate here in Romans 1:4 as well. Therefore, the emphasis of the words, the Son of God, cannot be on the Lord’s deity! The supposed problem of appointing the Lord to deity disappears not by altering the clear meaning of the word ὁρίζω, but by correctly understanding the reference of the phrase, the Son of God. |
| υἱοῦ | noun; msg; υἱός; son; genitive in simple apposition to υἱοῦ in verse three; The use of the article is monadic or identifying a unique person or thing. This is a very emphatic statement here. |
| θεοῦ | noun; msg; θεός; son; genitive of origin, relationship The phrase, ‘the Son of God’ is a reference to our Lord’s Messiahship not his deity as is generally assumed by most authorities. Note: He is fully God and fully human; this is not at all in question. See the author’s, study, The Sonship of our Lord and Our Adoption as Children of God for a much fuller explanation. |
| ἐν | preposition + dative; ἐν; in, by; declares the manner in which the verbal action was carried out; |
| δυνάμει | noun; fsd; δύναμις; power, strength; dative object of preposition ἐν; The absence of the article highlights the qualitative nature of this noun. |
| κατὰ | preposition + accusative; κατά; according to, in reference to; The preposition is used to introduce something in reference to which something is true. |
| πνεῦμα | noun; nsa; πνεῦμα; spirit, breath, spirit, breath; accusative object of κατά; While the noun is anarthrous it could be definite being the object of a preposition and further qualified by a genitive indicating a particular quality or attribute of spirit. The word spirit in this verse does not signify the movement of air, the Holy Spirit or another created immaterial being apart from man. It refers to the human spirit either in the sense of the immaterial part or aspect as opposed to the physical body or in the sense of an attitude or disposition. There are arguments for both cases, and the evidence seems to be somewhat divided. One might argue that this refers to the human spirit as opposed to the body. πνεῦμα used here in contrast to σάρξ in verse 3 is a strong argument for Paul’s using it in this sense. On the other hand, when one studies those passages in which πνεῦμα is used with an adjective or some other word denoting a quality or characteristic, it seems that the word means attitude or disposition.(See Romans 11:8, 2 Corinthians 4:13, Galatians 6:1 and Ephesians 1:17.) However, this does not pose much of a difficulty for the translator. In either case, the emphasis in the phrase is not on the word spirit but on the quality or characteristic of the holiness of that spirit. If Paul is using πνεῦμα in the sense of the immaterial aspect of man as opposed to the physical body, then the genitive ἁγιωσύνης is an attributive genitive. The word in the genitive case states the attribute or characteristic of the noun it qualifies. Paul’s meaning would be a spirit that is characterized by the quality of holiness. On the other hand, if Paul is using spirit in the sense of an attitude or disposition, the genitive is a genitive of apposition. Holiness, the noun in the genitive, stands loosely in apposition to the noun it qualifies. It would refer to the specific attitude or disposition of holiness. In either case, the stress is on holiness rather than spirit. The Messiah was required not just to have a human spirit, but he must be holy as well. It must not be doubted that the Lord had a human spirit. One must reject the error of Apollinarianism, a heresy that attributed to the Lord a human body but a divine soul and/or spirit, which was rightly rejected by the early church. Those who had this view held that the Lord was human in regard to his body but divine in regard to his spirit, declaring that his divine nature took the place of his soul and/or spirit. This view makes the Lord less than fully human. In holding the word spirit in Romans 1:4 to be a reference to the divine nature, an opening is made, perhaps unwittingly or unintentionally, for those who would teach the heresy of Apollinarianism. The Old Testament clearly shows that the Messiah would be holy. It refers to him as the Holy One (Psalm 16:10) and speaks of his work of establishing righteousness upon the earth (Isaiah 11:1–5). He is likewise designated as holy in the New Testament (Mark 1:24; Luke 1:35, 4:34; Acts 4:27 and 30). In Acts 2:27 and 13:35, first Peter and then Paul quote Psalm 16:10 in reference to the Lord calling him the Holy One. In Acts 3:14, speaking to Israel, Peter accuses them of rejecting their Holy One. These references at least indicated that the nation of Israel regarded the term “the Holy One” to refer to the Messiah. The Apostle Paul in Romans 1:3–4 states that not only does the Lord meet the physical requirement of being of David’s lineage, but he has been appointed as Messiah, meeting the qualification of holiness. |
| ἁγιωσύνης | noun; fsg; ἁγιωσύνη; holiness; either attributive genitive or genitive of apposition; This noun is anarthrous as would normally be the case since its head noun is anarthrous. It is also an abstract noun placing emphasis on the quality. |
| ἐξ | preposition + genitive; ἐκ; from, by; preposition is used to introduce time when something occurred or possibly the means by which something was accomplished; |
| ἀναστάσεως | noun; fsg; ἀναστάσις; resurrection; genitive object of preposition ἐξ; This noun is definite although it is anarthrous being the object of a preposition and qualified by a genitive. |
| νεκρῶν, | adjective; mpg; νεκρός; dead, lifeless; substantival use of the adjective. The plural suggests this refers to those who are dead; genitive of separation resurrection from among those who are dead; The genitive, following an anarthrous noun is also anarthrous. |
| Ἰησοῦ | noun; msg; Ἰησούς; Jesus; genitive in apposition to τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ in verse 3; It is definite being a proper name. |
| Χριστοῦ | noun; msg; Χριστός; Christ, Anointed One; genitive of apposition to Ἰησοῦ; Again this is a title not a surname. It is definite being one of a kind. |
| τοῦ κυρίου | articular noun; msg; κύριος; Lord; genitive in simple apposition to Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ; The use of the article is a normal use with a noun qualified by a possessive pronoun. |
| ἡμῶν, | personal pronoun; 1pg; ἡμεῖς; our; genitive of possession; |
In English it is better to begin a new sentence here although it is a continuing part of the identification of the writer in the Greek. The prepositional phrase relates the words, Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν, Jesus Christ our Lord, in the previous verse. Having identified the subject of the gospel previously promised as the Messiah, Paul explains that it was through him that he (and those with him) had received the authority to proclaim this good news to the non-Jewish peoples of the world of whom most of those in Rome were a part.
δι᾽ οὗ ἐλάβομεν χάριν καὶ ἀποστολὴν εἰς ὑπακοὴν πίστεως ἐν πᾶσιν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ὑπὲρ τοῦ ὀνόματος αὐτοῦ,
Through whom we have received the apostleship of grace (grace and apostleship) leading to the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for the sake of His name,
| δι᾽ | preposition + genitive; διά; through, by means of; shows intermediate agent; |
| οὗ | relative pronoun; ὅς; whom; antecedent is Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ in 1:4; genitive object of preposition διά; |
| ἐλάβομεν | verb; aorist, active, indicative, 2p; λαμβάνω; to receive; constative aorist Question: Is Paul including the other apostles here when he uses the plural or is he only speaking of himself using the plural form in place of the singular (editorial plural)? Opinion of others seems to be divided (ATR, p. 407) but I prefer the idea he is speaking of himself and others. It was not just in his case but in that of every apostle that their apostleship came through Jesus Christ our Lord. He might be speaking then of himself and all other apostles. However, it is also possible he is speaking of himself and those with him as a unit or group. Those with Paul in his ministerial group through him share the apostolic mandate given to him. Thus, he speaks of this commission as his and those he shares it with. This seems to fit the context as this mandate seems to be one specifically directed to the Gentile nations. |
| χάριν | noun fsa; χάρις; grace; accusative direct object of ἐλάβομεν ; This and the following noun ἀποστολὴν, ‘apostleship,’ may refer to two distinct things but they may also be a figure of speech at this point called a hendiadys in which the first of two nouns connected by a coordinate conjunction qualifies the second in some way. If so, this could be translated as ‘gracious apostleship’ or an ‘apostleship of grace.’ I prefer the latter. |
| καὶ | conjunction; καί; and; |
| ἀποστολὴν | noun; fsa; ἀποστολή; apostleship; accusative direct object of ἐλάβομεν; see above with χάριν; This is probably a hendiadys. While this noun and χάριν are both anarthrous, the concept represented by the hendiadys is definite as can be seen from its specific goal. |
| εἰς | preposition + accusative; εἰς; with reference to, for, leading to; (See 1:1); This indicates the goal, purpose or reason he and others had received this divine commission. |
| ὑπακοὴν | noun; fsa; ὑπακοή; obedience; accusative object of εἰς; This then is the goal of the apostleship characterized by grace, to produce or promote obedience which is faith, faith in Jesus Christ. While anarthrous, this is definite being the object of the preposition and qualified by the genitive πίστεως. |
| πίστεως | noun; fsg; πίστις; faith, trust; genitive of apposition, obedience of [which is] faith It could also be a subjective genitive (ATR, p. 500) which would then be obedience which is produced by faith or comes from faith. At this point the I prefer the former understanding. The anarthrous construction emphasizes the qualitative idea. |
| ἐν | preposition + dative; ἐν; among; |
| πᾶσιν | adjective; npd; πᾶς; all; qualifies ἔθωεσιν; |
| τοῖς ἔθνεσιν | articular noun; npd; ἔθνος; nation, people, Gentile; dative object of ἐν; Generic use of the article distinguishing the Gentiles as a class separated from Non-Gentiles, i.e., Jews. |
| ὑπὲρ | preposition + genitive; ὑπέρ; for, for the sake of, in behalf of; |
| τοῦ ὀνόματος | articular noun; nsg; ὄνομα; name (genitive object of ὑπέρ) A name was often used by metonymy to represent the person. Paul and others had been given this ministry for the benefit of Jesus Christ, not for themselves. The article, which is commonly used with a possessive is also a par excellence article. |
| αὐτοῦ, | personal pronoun; msg; αὐτός; his; genitive of possession; The referent of the pronoun is Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν, Jesus Christ our Lord. |
Verse 1:6 concludes the identification of the writer section of the salutation.
ἐν οἷς ἐστε καὶ ὑμεῖς κλητοὶ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ,
among whom you are also called by Jesus Christ.
| ἐν | preposition + dative; ἐν; in, among; With this prepositional phrase, Paul includes his readers with those to whom Paul was given the apostolic commission to proclaim the gospel of the grace of God. |
| οἷς | relative pronoun npd; ὅς; whom; antecedent is ἔθωεσιν, dative object of ἐν; |
| ἐστε | verb; present, active, indicative, 2p; εἰμί; to be, exist; stative present representing an ongoing state. |
| καὶ | conjunction; καὶ; also; |
| ὑμεῖς | personal pronoun; 2pn; ὑμεῖς; you; stated subject of ἐστε; |
| κλητοὶ | adjective; mpn; κλητός, -ή, -όν; called, invited; predicate adjective qualifying ὑμεῖς; |
| Ἰησοῦ | noun; msg; Ἰησούς, -οῦ, ὁ; Jesus; genitive of agency; |
| Χριστοῦ, | noun; msg; Χριστός, -οῦ, ὁ; Christ, Anointed One; genitive of apposition to Ἰησοῦ; |
The last two parts of the salutation are found in this verse, the identification of the recipients and the greeting.
πᾶσιν τοῖς οὖσιν ἐν Ῥώμῃ ἀγαπητοῖς θεοῦ, κλητοῖς ἁγίοις, χάρις ὑμῖν καὶ εἰρήνη ἀπὸ θεοῦ πατρὸς ἡμῶν καὶ κυρίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ.
To all who are in Rome, beloved by God, called to be holy. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
| πᾶσιν | adjective; mpd; πᾶς; all; qualifies the following substantival participle. |
| τοῖς οὖσιν | articular participle; present. active, mpd; εἰμί; to be; The article indicates this is an adjectival participle; substantival use; those who are in Rome, dative of recipient; |
| ἐν | preposition + dative; ἐν; in; denotes location; |
| Ῥώμῃ | proper noun; fsd; Ῥώμη; Rome; dative object of preposition ἐν; |
| ἀγαπητοῖς | adjective; mpd; ἀγαπητός; beloved; qualifies τοῖς οὖσιν, perhaps verbal use. ‘to those in Rome (who are) beloved of God;’or adjectival use ‘beloved of God;’ The difference is negligible. |
| θεοῦ, | noun; msg; θεός; God; genitive of agency, ‘by God; |
| κλητοῖς | adjective; mpd; κλητός; called, invited; qualifies τοῖς οὖσιν; to those who are called (to be) saints; |
| ἁγίοις, | adjective; mpd; ἅγιος; set apart, consecrated, holy; dative predicate adjective after κλητοῖς, perhaps substantival use here, i.e., ‘saints.’ |
| χάρις | noun; fsn; χάρις; grace; nominative subject of understood verb, be (εἴη) (ATR, pp. 395-6); |
| ὑμῖν | personal pronoun 2pd; ὑμεῖς; you; dative indirect object of understood verb be; See above. |
| καὶ | conjunction; καί; and; |
| εἰρήνη | noun; fsn; εἰρήνη; peace, harmony; nominative subject of understood verb; See above. |
| ἀπὸ | preposition + genitive; ἀπό; from; indicates source; |
| θεοῦ | noun; msg; θεός; God; genitive object of preposition ἀπό; |
| πατρὸς | noun; msg; πατήρ; father; genitive of apposition to θεοῦ; |
| ἡμῶν | personal pronoun; 1pg; ἡμεῖς; our; genitive of possession, relationship; |
| καὶ | conjunction; καί; and; |
| κυρίου | noun; msg; κύριος; Lord; genitive object of preposition ἀπό; |
| Ἰησοῦ | noun; msg; Ἰησούς; Jesus; gen of apposition to κυρίου; |
| Χριστοῦ. | noun; msg; Χριστός; Christ, Anointed One; genitive of apposition to Χριστοῦ; |
Verses 1:1-7 above comprise the salutation to the letter to the believers in Rome. The apostle Paul does not jump immediately into his subject following this, but first pens a personal note in verses 1:8-17. These verses serve as a foreword or prologue to the letter. In them he expresses his personal feelings and concern for those in Rome, explains why he has not visited them, why he wishes to do so and concludes by introducing this gospel that he was commissioned to proclaim.
Πρῶτον μὲν εὐχαριστῶ τῷ θεῷ μου διὰ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ περὶ πάντων ὑμῶν ὅτι ἡ πίστις ὑμῶν καταγγέλλεται ἐν ὅλῳ τῷ κόσμῳ.
First of all, I give thanks to my God through Jesus Christ for all of you that your faith is being proclaimed in all the world.
| Πρῶτον | adverb; πρῶτον; first, first of all; This word with the following particle μέν has the sense of ‘Now before I write/say anything else,’ or ‘First of all.’ |
| μὲν | particle indicating contrast, emphasis or continuation; μέν; sometimes no translation exists; Dana and Mantey state that here it is purely emphatic associated with another emphatic word. (DM, p. 261), which word would be πρῶτον; |
| εὐχαριστῶ | verb; present, active, indicative, 1s; εὐχαριστέω; thank, give thanks, be thankful or grateful; customary present or general present; |
| τῷ θεῷ | articular noun; msd; θεός; God; dative indirect object of verb εὐχαριστῶ; The use of the article with θεός (monadic) is common, i.e., there is only one God. It is also common to use the article when the noun is qualified with a possessive pronoun or adjective. |
| μου | personal pronoun; 1pg; ἐγώ; my; genitive of possession; |
| διὰ | preposition + genitive; διά; through, by; διά with the genitive can express the agent (ATR, p.582). The agent through which Paul can pray and give thanks to God is Jesus Christ; |
| Ἰησοῦ | proper noun; msg; Ἰησούς; Jesus; genitive object of preposition διά; |
| Χριστοῦ | noun; msg; Χριστός; Christ, Anointed One; genitive of apposition; |
| περὶ | preposition + genitive; περί; concerning, for; AG states, “to denote the object or pers. to which (whom) an action refers or relates” (AG, p. 650). |
| πάντων | adjective; mpg; πᾶς; all; qualifies pronoun ὑμῶν; Question: why does Paul qualify the second person plural pronoun with this adjective? What is the difference between περὶ ὑμῶν, ‘concerning/for you’ and περὶ πάντων ὑμῶν, ‘concerning/for all of you’? Perhaps the apostle is making sure that his Jewish readers realize they are included in Paul’s thankfulness to God. Verses 1:5 and 6 were aimed in particular at the Gentile believers in Rome. If Paul had used just the second person plural pronoun, it might have been construed he was giving thanks just for these believers. To be sure his readers understand he is thankful for all the believers in Rome, Jew and Gentile alike, he qualifies this with the adjective all. The American Southern idiom would be, ‘all y’all!’ |
| ὑμῶν | personal pronoun; 2pg; ὑμεῖς; you; genitive object of preposition περί; |
| ὅτι | conjunction; ὅτι; that; This is the epexegetical use of ὅτι explaining what is was about those believers in Rome that prompted Paul’s thankfulness to God. It could also be considered a causal conjunction here stating the cause or reason for being thankful. |
| ἡ πίστις | articular noun; fsn; πίστις; faith, trust; nominative subject of καταγγέλλεται; While the article is to be expected because the noun is qualified by a possessive pronoun it also might be anaphoric, pointing back to verse 1:5 where Paul stated the goal of his apostleship was obedience to God, namely, faith. |
| ὑμῶν | personal pronoun; 2pg; ὑμεῖς; your; genitive of possession, possibly subjective genitive; |
| καταγγέλλεται | verb; present, passive, indicative, 3s; καταγγέλλω; to preach, proclaim, advocate, report; present progressive present; |
| ἐν | preposition + dative; ἐν; in; This prepositional phrase indicates the location or sphere in which the action of the verb was happening. |
| ὅλῳ | adjective; msd; ὅλος, -ῃ, -ον; whole, all, complete, entire; qualifies κόσμῳ; |
| τῷ κόσμῳ. | articular noun; msd; κόσμος, -ου; world, world order, universe, world inhabitants; dative object of preposition ἐν; The article is monadic, the ‘whole world’ is unique, there is only one. |
μάρτυς γάρ μού ἐστιν ὁ θεός, ᾧ λατρεύω ἐν τῷ πνεύματί μου ἐν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ, ὡς ἀδιαλείπτως μνείαν ὑμῶν ποιοῦμαι
For God is my witness, whom I serve in my spirit in the gospel of His Son, how constantly I am mentioning you,
| μάρτυς | noun; msn; μάρτυς; witness, martyr; nom subject; |
| γάρ | conj; γάρ; for; “γάρ is the regular connective for two coordinate clauses which bear to each other some relation of cause and effect, or reason and conclusion….In the preceding statement Paul has expressed his profound interest in the Roman church and his appreciation of it, and here he adds an evidence in proof of his claim” (DM, p. 274); |
| μού | pers pro; 1pg; my; gen of possession, possibly subjective gen; |
| ἐστιν | verb; p, a, ind, 1s; εἰμί; to be; customary present; |
| ὁ θεός, | art noun; msn; God; nom sub of verb ἐστιν; Here the article points out the subject in a copulative sentence, God is my witness rather than My witness is God (DM, p. 149). |
| ᾧ | Pron relative; msd; ὅς; whom; antecedent is θέος, dat obj of verb λατρεύω,; |
| λατρεύω | verb; p, a, ind, 1s; to serve, minister (in religious duties); customary present; |
| ἐν | prep + dat; ; ἐν; in, by; |
| τῷ πνεύματί | art noun; nsd; πνεῦμα; spirit, breath, spirit, breath; dat obj of ἐν; |
| μου | pers pro; 1pg; ἐγώ; my; gen of possession; |
| ἐν | prep + dat; ἐν; in; Robertson suggests the meaning here of in the sphere of, (ATR, p. 589); |
| τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ | art noun; nsd; good news, gospel; dat object of prep ἐν; |
| τοῦ υἱοῦ | art noun; msg; υἱός; son; obj gen or perhaps descriptive gen; |
| αὐτοῦ, | pers pro; msg; αὐτός; his; gen of relationship; |
| ὡς | Adv; ; ὡς; as, like, how; here it intensifies the adverb ἀδιαλείπτως states “Oti expresses the thing itself and ὡς the mode or quality of the thing (Thayer). With this explanation it is possible to consider it as declarative, though really meaning ‘how.’ (ATR, p. 1032) |
| ἀδιαλείπτως | αdv; ἀδιαλείπτως; constantly, unceasingly; |
| μνείαν | noun; fsa; remembrance, mention; acc. d.o. of ποιοῦμαι; |
| ὑμῶν | pers pro; 2pg; ὑμεῖς; you; obj gen; |
| ποιοῦμαι | verb; p,m, ind, 1s; ποιέω; in the middle with the noun μνείαν to make mention of; customary present perhaps present progressive; |
πάντοτε ἐπὶ τῶν προσευχῶν μου δεόμενος εἴ πως ἤδη ποτὲ εὐοδωθήσομαι ἐν τῷ θελήματι τοῦ θεοῦ ἐλθεῖν πρὸς ὑμᾶς.
always in my prayers asking if somehow now at last I will succeed by the will of God to come to you.
| πάντοτε | adv; πάντοτε; always, at all times; qualifies δεόμενος; |
| ἐπὶ | prep + gen; ἐπί; on, upon, when, at the time of; remote meaning ‘in’ (DM, p. 106); also see (ATR, p. 603) “With ἐπὶ τῶν προσευχῶν μου (Ro. 1:10) we have period of prayer denoted simply by ἐπί.” |
| τῶν προσευχῶν | art noun; fpg; προσευχή; prayer, place of prayer; gen obj of prep ἐπί; |
| μου | pers pro; 1pg; ἐγώ; my; gen of possession or subjective gen; |
| δεόμενος | verb; p, m, ptcp mns; δέομαι; ask, beg, implore; qualifies subject of verb ποιοῦμαι in verse 9, an adverbial imperfective ptcp further defining the verb ποιοῦμαι; Since this participle further defines the action of the verb, it might be translated as ‘since I am (always) asking if somehow….’ The imperfective participle implies a continuous action occurring at the same time as the main verb. |
| εἴ | cond ptcl; εἰ; if; Dana-Mantey suggest “It is found, with only a few exceptions, with the indicative; and implies that there is likelihood that the assumption will be fulfilled, or that there is no hope of fulfillment, as in contrary to fact conditions...In Ac. 27:12 and Rom. 1:10 the words seem to mean if at all possible.” (DM, pp. 246-247); |
| πως | adv. enclitic ptcl; πως; somehow, in some way; |
| ἤδη | adv; ἤδη; now at last; |
| ποτὲ | adv, enclitic ptcl; ποτέ; once, formerly, ever, at last (used with ἤδη) [the use of three of these intensive particles, πως, ἤδη and ποτέ is used by Paul to indicate how intensely he really had wanted and does want to come to Rome “Like the other intensive particles it has no English or German equivalent and is a hard word to translate. It is climacteric and indicates that the point is now at last clear and may be assumed as true.” See (ATR, p. 1145, 1147, 1149); |
| εὐοδωθήσομαι | verb; f, p, ind, 1s; εὐοδόω; (pass.) ; to get along with; to have a way opened; to prosper, get along well [to give a prosperous journey; cause to prosper, or be successful; pass. to have a prosperous journey, to succeed in a journey, Rom. 1:10; met. to be furthered, to prosper, temporally or spiritually, 1 Cor. 16:2; 3 Jn. 2 (2x)*]; simple future |
| ἐν | prep + dat; ἐν; in, by; |
| τῷ θελήματι | art noun; nsd; θέλημα; will, wish, desire; dat obj of prep ἐν; |
| τοῦ θεοῦ | art noun; msg; θεός; God (gen of possession or perhaps a subjective gen; |
| ἐλθεῖν | verb; a, a, inf; ἔρχομαι-; go; complementary infinitive after εὐοδωθήομαι expressing result (DM, p. 215); |
| πρὸς | prep + acc; πρός; to, toward; |
| ὑμᾶς. | pers pro; 2pa; ὑμεῖς; you; acc obj of prep πρός; |
ἐπιποθῶ γὰρ ἰδεῖν ὑμᾶς, ἵνα τι μεταδῶ χάρισμα ὑμῖν πνευματικὸν εἰς τὸ στηριχθῆναι ὑμᾶς,
For I earnestly desire to see you so that I might share with you some spiritual gift to the end you might be strengthened.
| ἐπιποθῶ | verb; p, a, ind, 1s; ἐπιποθῶ; to long for, crave, desire; Also used in Phil 1:8, 2:26, 1 Thess 3:6, 2 Tim 1:4, 1 Pet 2:2; present progressive or perhaps simple present; The preposition on the verb intensifies the idea of the verb; “to long for greatly” (a strengthened form of potheo, “to long for,” not found in the NT) (WEV, p. 1081) |
| γὰρ | conj; γάρ; for, since, then; |
| ἰδεῖν | verb; a, a, Inf; ὁράω; to see, notice, perceive; (pass.) to appear, be seen; constative aorist; complementary infinitive after ἐπιποθῶ; |
| ὑμᾶς | pers pro; 2pa; ὑμεῖς; you, acc d.o. of verb ἰδεῖν; |
| ἵνα | conj; ἵνα; in order that, so that, that; introduces or final purpose clause (ATR, p.983); |
| τι | indefinite pron/adj nsa; τις; something, some, a certain, any; qualifies χάρισμα; |
| μεταδῶ | verb; a, a, sub 1s; μεταδίδωμι share, give, impart; constative aorist, the aorist sub is the normal tense used with ἵνα (ATR p. 983); |
| χάρισμα | noun; nsa; χάρισμα; gift; acc d.o. of verb μεταδῶ; |
| ὑμῖν | pers pro; 2pd; ὑμεῖς; you; dat i.o. of verb μεταδῶ; |
| πνευματικὸν | adj; nsa; πνευματικός; spiritual; qualifies χάρισμα; |
| εἰς | prep + acc; εἰς; with τό + inf; to show purpose (DM, p. 284; ATR p. 991, 1071); |
| τὸ στηριχθῆναι | art inf; a, p, inf; στηρίζω; set up, establish, strengthen; constative aorist; |
| ὑμᾶς | pers pro; 2pa; ὑμεῖς; you; acc sub of infinitive στηριχθῆναι; |
τοῦτο δέ ἐστιν συμπαρακληθῆναι ἐν ὑμῖν διὰ τῆς ἐν ἀλλήλοις πίστεως ὑμῶν τε καὶ ἐμοῦ.
that is, that (I/we) might be mutually encouraged among (by, in) you through the mutual faith, yours and also mine.
| τοῦτο | demo pron; nsn; οὗτος; this; nom subject of verb ἐστιν, the expression τοῦτ῾ ἔστιν is to be translated as ‘this (that) is’ or ‘this means.’ |
| δέ | conj; δέ; but, rather, now; |
| ἐστιν | verb; p, a, ind, 3s; εἰμί; to be, exist, be present; |
| συμπαρακληθῆναι | verb; a, p, inf; συμπαρακαλέω; (pass.) to be mutually encouraged [to invite, exhort, along with others; pass. to share in mutual encouragement, Rom. 1:12*] constative aorist; it is the predicate nom after ἐστιν (ATR p. 700) |
| ἐν | prep + dat; ἐν; in; |
| ὑμῖν | pers pro; 2pd; ὑμεῖς; you; |
| διὰ | prep + gen; διὰ; through, by; |
| τῆς | art; fsg; ὁ; qualifies πίστεως; |
| ἐν | prep + dat; ἐν; in; |
| ἀλλήλοις | reciprocal pron; ἀλλήλων; each other , one another, mutually; dat obj of prep ἐν, ἐν ἀλλήλοις = mutually (AG p. 258); |
| πίστεως | noun; fsg; πίστις; faith, trust; |
| ὑμῶν | pers pro; 2pg; ὑμεῖς; yours; possessive genitive after πίστεως; |
| τε | conj enclitic ptcl; τε; and; |
| καὶ | conj; καί; and, also |
| ἐμοῦ. | pers pro; 1pg; ἐγώ; mine; possessive genitive after πίστεως; ATR states that some slight emphasis is meant by Paul using the long form ἐμοῦ as opposed to the short form μοῦ (ATR p. 682); |
οὐ θέλω δὲ ὑμᾶς ἀγνοεῖν, ἀδελφοί, ὅτι πολλάκις προεθέμην ἐλθεῖν πρὸς ὑμᾶς, καὶ ἐκωλύθην ἄχρι τοῦ δεῦρο, ἵνα τινὰ καρπὸν σχῶ καὶ ἐν ὑμῖν καθὼς καὶ ἐν τοῖς λοιποῖς ἔθνεσιν.
Now I do not wish you to be ignorant, brothers, that many times I planned to come to you and was hindered until the present so that I might also have some fruit among you just as also among the rest of the Gentiles.
| οὐ | adv neg; οὐ; no, not; |
| θέλω | verb; p, a, ind, 1s; θέλω; wish will want; customary present – indicating an ongoing state; |
| δὲ | conj; δέ; but, rather, now; |
| ὑμᾶς | pers pro; 2pa; ὑμεῖς; you; acc subject of inf ἀγνοεῖν; |
| ἀγνοεῖν, | verb; p, a, inf; ἀγνοέω; to be ignorant, not know, not understand; customary present, state of being; |
| ἀδελφοί, | noun; mpv; ἀδελφός, -οῦ; brothers; vocative of address; |
| ὅτι | conj; ὅτι; “used after verbs that denote mental or sense perception...to indicate the content...”; (AG p. 592) |
| πολλάκις | adv; πολλάκις; many times, often, frequently; |
| προεθέμην | verb; a, m, ind. 1s; προτίθημι; (mid.) to plan, purpose; to present, bring forth; constative aorist; |
| ἐλθεῖν | verb; a, a, inf; ἔρχομαι; to come, go; complementary infinitive after προεθέμην; |
| πρὸς | prep + acc; πρός; to, toward; |
| ὑμᾶς, | pers pro; 2pa; ὑμεῖς; you; acc obj of prep πρός; |
| καὶ | conj; καί; (as a connective) and; (connecting and continuing) and then, then; (as a disjunctive) but, yet, however; (as an adv) also, even, likewise; |
| ἐκωλύθην | verb; a, p, ind. 1s; κωλύω; to hinder, stop, restrain, forbid; oppress; (pass.) to be prevented, kept from; constative aorist; |
| ἄχρι | improper prep + gen; ἄχρι; until; |
| τοῦ δεῦρο, | art adv; δεῦρο; until now, thus far; adv used substantively (ATR, p. 547); |
| ἵνα | conj; ἵνα; so that, that; purpose; |
| τινὰ | pro/adj indefinite; τις; something, some, a certain, any; qualifies καρπόν; |
| καρπὸν | noun; msc; καρπός, -οῦ; fruit; acc d.o. of σχῶ; |
| σχῶ | verb; a, a, sub 1s; ἔχω; εἶχον), ἕξω, ἔσχον, ἔσχηκα, -, -; to have, hold, keep; sub after ἵνα, constative aorist; |
| καὶ | conj; καί; also; According to Robertson (ATR, p. 968) this καί is correlative with καθὼς καί which later follows. |
| ἐν | prep + dat; ἐν; in, among; |
| ὑμῖν | pers pro; 2pd; ὑμεῖς; you; dat obj of prep ἐν; |
| καθὼς | adv; καθώς; just as; comparative adverb |
| καὶ | conj; καὶ; also; |
| ἐν | prep + dat; ἐν; in, among; |
| τοῖς λοιποῖς | art adj; npd; λοιπός, -ή, -όν; rest, remaining, other; qualifies ἔθνεσιν; |
| ἔθνεσιν. | noun; npd; ἔθνος, -νους; nation, people; gentile; dat obj of ἐν; |
Ἕλλησίν τε καὶ βαρβάροις, σοφοῖς τε καὶ ἀνοήτοις ὀφειλέτης εἰμί,
Both to the Greeks and the barbarians, both to the wise and the unintelligent I am under obligation,
| Ἕλλησίν | noun; mpd; Ἕλλην; a Greek; a man of the Greek language and culture (not necessarily a Greek national) as opposed to a βάρβαρος; dat of advantage; |
| τε | conj enclitic ptcl; τε; and, both; |
| καὶ | conj; καί; and, also; |
| βαρβάροις, | adj; mpd; βάρβαρος; speaking a foreign language, foreign, barbarian; used substantively representing a certain class of individuals (ATR, p. 764), dat of advantage; |
| σοφοῖς | adj; mpd; σοφός; wise, learned; used substantively, dat of advantage; |
| τε | conj enclitic ptcl; τε; and, both; |
| καὶ | conj; καί; and; |
| ἀνοήτοις | adj; mpd; ἀνοήτος; unintelligent, foolish; used substantively, dat of advantage; |
| ὀφειλέτης | noun; msn; ὀφειλέτης; debtor; ὀφειλέτης εἶναι to be under obligation (AG p. 603); pred. nom, often with dative indicating the person to whom one is obligated; |
| εἰμί | verb; p, a, ind 1s; εἰμί; to be; customary present; |
οὕτως τὸ κατ᾽ ἐμὲ πρόθυμον καὶ ὑμῖν τοῖς ἐν Ῥώμῃ εὐαγγελίσασθαι.
So my desire is to also proclaim the gospel to you who are in Rome.
| Οὕτως | adv; οὕτως; in this manner, thus, so, hence; |
| τὸ | art; nsn; ὁ; the; qualifies substantive πρόθυμον; |
| κατ᾽ | prep + acc; κατά; (acc) in, by, with, in accordance with, for; sometimes the κατά- phrase can best be understood as an adj, or acts as the periphrasis of a possessive pronoun. (AG p. 408); |
| ἐμὲ | pers pro; 1sa; ἐγώ; my, mine; acc object of prep κατά; |
| πρόθυμον | adj; nsn; πρόθυμος; ready, willing, eager; substantival use with article τό; the phrase τὸ κατ᾽ἐμὲ πρόθυμον means my eagerness (AG p. 713) or my wish (AG p. 409); τὸ κατ᾽ ἐμὲ πρόθυμον (my desire)is the subject of a verbless clause. The predicate nominative is καὶ ὑμῖν τοῖς ἐν Ῥώμῃ εὐαγγελίσασθαι (to also proclaim the gospel to you who are in Rome). |
| καὶ | conj; καί; and; |
| ὑμῖν | pers pro; 2pd; ὑμεῖς; you, your; |
| τοῖς | art; mpd; ὁ, ἡ, τό; the; qualifies ἐν Ῥώμῃ making it adjectival qualifying ὑμῖν; |
| ἐν | prep + dat; ἐν; in; |
| Ῥώμῃ | noun; msd; Ῥώμη, -ης; Rome; dat obj of prep ἐν; |
| εὐαγγελίσασθαι. | verb; a, m, inf; εὐαγγελίζω; bring or announce good news, preach the gospel; constative aorist; predicate nominative of a verbless clause. |
Οὐ γὰρ ἐπαισχύνομαι τὸ εὐαγγέλιον, δύναμις γὰρ θεοῦ ἐστιν εἰς σωτηρίαν παντὶ τῷ πιστεύοντι, Ἰουδαίῳ τε πρῶτον καὶ Ἕλληνι.
For I am not ashamed of the gospel. For it is the power of God leading to salvation to all who believe, to the Jew first and also the Greek.
| Οὐ | adv neg; οὐ; no, not; |
| γὰρ | conj; γάρ; for, since, then; |
| ἐπαισχύνομαι | verb; p, p, ind, 1s; ἐπαισχύνομαι; to be ashamed of ; customary present; |
| τὸ εὐαγγέλιον, | art noun; nsa; εὐαγγέλιον; good news, gospel; acc direct object of verb ἐπαισχύνομαι; |
| δύναμις | noun; fsn; δύναμις; power, strength; pred nom after ἐστιν; |
| γὰρ | conj; γάρ; for, since, then; |
| θεοῦ | noun; msg; θεός; God; gen of possession or possibly gen of source; ‘the power of God’ (belonging to God) or (the power which comes from God); |
| ἐστιν | verb; p, a, ind 1s; εἰμί; to be; customary present, gnomic truth; |
| εἰς | prep + acc; εἰς; to, toward, into; for. Spatially; movement toward or into an area (extending to a goal); logically; a marker of purpose or result; of time; extending to or up to a certain time, indicating the goal or result of the power of God; |
| σωτηρίαν | noun; fsa; σωτηρία; salvation, deliverance, preservation; acc obj of είς; |
| παντὶ | adj; msd; πᾶς; all, every; substantival; dat of advantage; |
| τῷ πιστεύοντι, | art ptcp; p, a, ptcp msd; πιστεύω; believe; substantival use in apposition to παντί; (ATR p. 773); dat of advantage; |
| Ἰουδαίῳ | adj; msd; Ἰουδαῖος, -αία, -αῖον; Judean, Jewish; used substantively, aJew; appositional to παντί or πιστεύοντι; dat of advantage; |
| τε | conj enclitic ptcl; τε; and, both; |
| πρῶτον | adv; nsa; πρῶτος, -η, -ον; first; |
| καὶ | conj; καί; also; |
| Ἕλληνι. | noun; msd; Ἕλλην, -ηνος; Greek; a man of the Greek language and culture as opposed to a Ἰουδαίῳ, a person of Jewish descent; dat of advantage; |
δικαιοςύνη γὰρ θεοῦ ἐν αὐτῷ ἀποκαλύπτεται ἐκ πίστεως εἰς πίστιν, καθὼς γέγραπται, Ὁ δὲ δίκαιος ἐκ πίστεως ζήσεται.
For in it, a righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith just as it is written, “The righteous person shall live from faith.”
| Δικαιοςύνη | noun; fsn; δικαιοσύνη; righteousness, what is right, justice, the act of doing what is in agreement with God's standards, the state of being in proper relationship with God; a righteousness bestowed by God, or required by God (AG # 3 p. 196); this is the result of being justified δικαιόω by God. The noun is anarthrous meaning a righteousness from God rather than the righteousness of God. Robertson states “the idea may be, probably is, ‘a righteousness of God,’ not ‘the righteousness of God.’” (ATR, p. 781) |
| γὰρ | conj; γάρ; for, since, then; |
| θεοῦ | noun; msg; θεός; noun, msg, God; gen of source qualifying δικαιοσύνη; the righteousness of God (the righteousness which comes from God. Robertson states this may be the case (ATR, p. 514), but would rather call this a subjective genitive, that is, “the righteousness which God has and wishes to bestow on us.” (ATR, p. 499) |
| ἐν | prep + dat; ἐν; in; |
| αὐτῷ | pers pro; 3 nsd; αὐτός; it; dat obj of ἐν; The antecedent is τὸ εὐαγγέλιον. |
| ἀποκαλύπτεται | verb; p, p, ind, 3s; ἀποκαλύπτω; reveal, disclose; gnomic present; |
| ἐκ | prep + gen; ἐκ; of, out of; from, away from. Spatially; extension from a space to a goal outer in reference, separation; logically; the means or source of an activity, disassociation or separation (from the faith of one person, group, age, dispensation i.e. Abraham, David, et. al. to the faith of another person, group, age, dispensation, the believer in the Messiah Jesus Christ, i.e. Paul and all other saints); |
| πίστεως | noun; fsg; πίστις, -εως; faith, trust; gen obj of ἐκ; |
| εἰς | prep + acc; εἰς; to, toward, into; for. Spatially; movement toward or into an area (extending to a goal); logically; a marker of purpose or result; of time; extending to or up to a certain time (indicating goal or end or destination); |
| πίστιν | noun; fsa; πίστις, -εως; faith, trust; acc obj of εἰς; |
| καθὼς | adv; καθώς; just as; |
| γέγραπται, | verb; pf, p, ind. 3s; γράφω; write; resultative/intensive perfect stress on present results hence translate as present with stative verb, ‘is written’; |
| Ὁ | art; msn; ὁ, ἡ, τό; the; modifies δίκαιος; |
| δὲ | conj; δέ; but, rather, now |
| δίκαιος | adj; msn; δίκαιος; upright, just, righteous; used substantively; nom subject of verb, ζήσεται; |
| ἐκ | prep + gen; ἐκ; from, out of, by because of; (AG p. 234 under 3e); of the effective cause or the source from which something flows (AG p. 234 under 3g); Robertson states that some verbs use ἐκ to convey the notion of cause one of these being ζάω (ATR, p. 599); |
| πίστεως | noun; fsg; πίστις, -εως; faith, trust; |
| ζήσεται. | verb; f, m, ind, 3s; ζάω; to live; gnomic future; a true statement of timeless character or imperatival future common in OT quotations a righteous man shall (must) live by faith; |
Ἀποκαλύπτεται γὰρ ὀργὴ θεοῦ ἀπ᾽ οὐρανοῦ ἐπὶ πᾶσαν ἀσέβειαν καὶ ἀδικίαν ἀνθρώπων τῶν τὴν ἀλήθειαν ἐν ἀδικίᾳ κατεχόντων,
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and injustice of men who possess the truth in unrighteousness.
| Ἀποκαλύπτεται | verb; p, m/p, ind, 3s; ἀποκαλύπτω; is revealed; customary present; |
| γὰρ | conj; γάρ; for, since, then; |
| ὀργὴ | noun; fsn; ὀργή; wrath, anger; nom sub of the verb Ἀποκαλύπτεται; the wrath of God is His just judgment of sin, disobedience or rebellion; |
| θεοῦ | noun; msg; θεός; of God; possessive gen; |
| ἀπ᾽ | prep + gen; ἀπό; from; ἀπό with the gen can denote origin; |
| οὐρανοῦ | noun; msg; οὐρανός; heaven; gen obj. of the prep ἀπό; |
| ἐπὶ | prep + acc; ἐπί; against, upon; ἐπὶ with the acc can denote an action direct toward someone or something with hostility; |
| πᾶσαν | adj; fsa; πᾶς; every, all; modifies ἀσέβειαν καὶ ἀδικίαν; |
| ἀσέβειαν | noun, fsa; ἀσέβεια; godlessness, wickedness; acc obj. of ἐπὶ; |
| καὶ | conj; καί; and; |
| ἀδικίαν | noun; fsa; ἀδικία; wrongdoing, evil, sin, injustice; acc obj of ἐπὶ; |
| ἀνθρώπων | noun; mpg; ἄνθρωπος; man, mankind; descriptive gen or sub gen in either case the godlessness and injustice belong to or are done by and relate to man, or mankind; |
| τῶν | art; mpg; ὁ; modifies κατεχόντων; |
| τὴν ἀλήθειαν | art noun; fsa; ἀλήθεια; truth; acc d.o. of participle κατεχόντων; While the article here would not be unexpected with the abstract idea of truth, it seems here to be making this definite, not just any truth, truth in general but the truth, a specific truth. The passage 1:18-25 and especially 1:28 make it very clear the truth is about the existence of God and his character. |
| ἐν | prep + dat; ἐν; in; Dana and Mantey suggests this is a use of ἐν with the (instrumental) case meaning with or by means of unrighteousness (DM, p. 105); Other options include indicating the state of being of mankind engaging in suppressing or possessing the truth (AG, p. 258, I.4.d.) or indicating the manner in which something is done, a n periphrasis for the adverb (AG, III.2.). Those who suppress or possess the truth would be doing so unrighteously. |
| ἀδικίᾳ | noun; fsd; ἀδικία; wrongdoing, evil, sin, injustice; dat obj. of ἐν; |
| κατεχόντων, | verb; p, a, ptcp, mpg; κατέχω; to hold back, suppress, restrain; hold fast, possess; adjectival ptcp describing ἀνθρώπων; Question: does this verb here have the idea of suppressing, holding back the truth or the idea of holding fast or possessing it. Dana and Mantey suggest it means the idea of holding down the truth, i.e., hindering it or suppressing it (DM, p. 107); But Robertson implies the use might be to possess when he compares it with a modern Greek idiom (ATR, p. 139, See also p. 606 where he calls this the “perfective” or intensifying use of κατά in composition). The context of the following verses seems to imply they did not hold tightly to the truth but abandoned it, thus the use of the prefix here seems to be to hold down or hold back rather than intensifying the root idea of to hold. |
διότι τὸ γνωστὸν τοῦ θεοῦ φανερόν ἐστιν ἐν αὐτοῖς· ὁ θεὸς γὰρ αὐτοῖς ἐφανέρωσεν.
Because that which can be known about God is evident to them for God has revealed (it) to them.
| Διότι | conj; διότι; because; introduces the reasoning for the preceding statement; It has a stronger causal force than ὅτι (DM, p. 245); |
| τὸ γνωστὸν | art adj; nsn; γνωστός; known, what can be known; substantival use. “The use of the neuter singular with the article as the equivalent of an abstract substantive” (ATR, p. 763); This phrase, τὸ γνωστὸν τοῦ θεοῦ, is the subject of this first clause. The predicate is φανερόν ἐστιν ἐν αὐτοῖς. |
| τοῦ θεοῦ | art noun; msg; θεός; God; objective gen those things known or which can be known about God; |
| φανερόν | adj; nsn; φανερός; visible, clear, plain to be seen or known, predicate adjective of ἐστιν; |
| ἐστιν | verb; p, a, ind, 3s; εἰμί; is; |
| ἐν | prep + dat; ἐν; in or to; There are several possibilities for the use of ἐν here. It may indicate (1) “the space within which someth. is found,” in; (2) “the object to which someth. happens or in which someth. shows itself, or by which someth. is recognized: to, by, etc.” (3) or it may be used as the ordinary dative case. Here it would indicate the object to or for which something is done or is true. (AG, pp. 257-260) The third seems preferable in light of the second clause in this verse. |
| αὐτοῖς· | pers pro; 3pd; αὐτός; them, dat obj. of ἐν; See note above for ἐν. |
| ὁ θεὸς | art noun; msn; θεός; God; nom sub of verb ἐφανέρωσεν; |
| γὰρ | conj; γάρ; for; explanatory of previous statement; |
| αὐτοῖς | pers pro; 3pd; αὐτός; to them; dat i.o. of ἐφανέρωσεν; |
| ἐφανέρωσεν. | verb; a, a, ind. 3s; φανερόω; to reveal, make known, show; constative aorist; |
τὰ γὰρ ἀόρατα αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ κτίσεως κόσμου τοῖς ποιήμασιν νοούμενα καθορᾶται, ἥ τε ἀΐδιος αὐτοῦ δύναμις καὶ θειότης, εἰς τὸ εἶναι αὐτοὺς ἀναπολογήτους,
For His invisible attributes from the creation of the world are clearly perceived being understood by that which is made, namely, both His eternal power and divine nature so that they are without excuse.
| τὰ | art; npn; ὁ, ἡ, τό; the; qualifies ἀόρατα; This use with neuter article also indicates an abstract idea. See verse 1:19, under τὸ γνωστόν. |
| γὰρ | conj; γάρ; for; introduces explanation of preceding statement; |
| ἀόρατα | adj; npn; ἀόρατος; unseen, invisible; subst. use; his unseen (characteristics or things); The use of the neuter plural can refer to a definite class of things, (DM, p. 119) and is definite. |
| αὐτοῦ | pers pro:3sg; αὐτός; his; possessive gen; antecedent is θεοῦ in previous verse; |
| ἀπὸ | prep + gen:; ἀπό; from, away from; by means of; out of; temporal use (from the beginning when the universe was created)or source/instrumentality (by means of or through the universe he created); I prefer the latter idea at this point since it fits the overall context much better. |
| κτίσεως | noun; fsg; κτίσις; creation; gen obj of prep. ἀπὸ; |
| κόσμου | noun msg; κόσμος; world; obj. gen after κτίσεως; |
| τοῖς ποιήμασιν | noun; npd; ποίημα; that which is created or made, workmanship, creation; dat of means; |
| νοούμενα | verb; p, m/p, ptcp, npn; νοέω; to understand, see with insight; ptcp qualifies τὰ…ἀόρατα; circumstantial use; |
| καθορᾶται, | verb; p, p, ind. 3s; καθοράω; (pass.) to be clearly seen, perceived [pr. To look down upon, in the NT to mark, perceive, discern, Rom. 1:20*]; subject is τὰ…ἀόρατα singular verb with neuter plural subject; The prefixed preposition κατά to this verb has an intensive effect, meaning not just to see but to clearly see. (ATR, p. 606); gnomic present; |
| ἥ | art; fsn; ὁ; qualifies δύναμις καὶ θειότης; This one article encompasses both δύναμις and θειότης. They are treated as one group in apposition to and more clearly defining τὰ ἀόρατα. (ATR, p. 787) |
| τε | ptcl; τε; both; |
| ἀΐδιος | adj; fsn; ἀΐδιος; eternal, everlasting; qualifies δύναμις; |
| αὐτοῦ | pers pro; 3sg; αὐτός; his; possessive gen; |
| δύναμις | noun; fsn; δύναμις; power; |
| καὶ | conj:; καί; and; |
| θειότης, | noun; fsn; θειότης; divine nature, divinity; |
| εἰς | prep + acc; εἰς; so that; εἰς with art inf expressing result or purpose, here it is clearly result; |
| τὸ εἶναι | art inf; p, a, inf; εἰμί; to be; infinitive following εἰς τὸ expressing result or purpose; |
| αὐτοὺς | pers pro; 3 mpa; αὐτός; they; acc subj. of infinitive εἶναι; |
| ἀναπολογήτους, | adj; mpa; ἀναπολόγητος; without excuse; acc pred adj. after infinitive εἶναι qualifying the subject αὐτοὺς; |
διότι γνόντες τὸν θεὸν οὐχ ὡς θεὸν ἐδόξασαν ἢ ηὐχαρίστησαν, ἀλλ᾽ ἐματαιώθησαν ἐν τοῖς διαλογισμοῖς αὐτῶν καὶ ἐσκοτίσθη ἡ ἀσύνετος αὐτῶν καρδία.
Because although they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their thinking and their foolish heart was darkened.
| Διότι | conj; διότι; for, because (AG, p. 198 #3) See verse 1:19 where διότι is also used. |
| γνόντες | verb; a, a, ptcp mnp; γινώσκω; to know; circumstantial ptcp, concessive; constative aorist |
| τὸν θεὸν | art noun; msa; θεός; God; acc d.o. of ptcp γνόντες; |
| οὐχ | adv; neg.; οὐ; not; |
| ὡς | adv; ὡς; as; “ὡς introduces the characteristic quality of a pers., thing, or action, etc., referred to in the context” (AG, p. 906 under III. 1.); |
| θεὸν | noun; msa; θεός; God; The lack of an article stresses the quality of the noun, his godness. Robertson states, “QUALITATIVE FORCE. This is best brought out in anarthrous nouns.” (ATR, p 794); |
| ἐδόξασαν | verb; a, a, ind, 3p; δοξάζω; to glorify,zgive praise, honor; constative aorist; |
| ἢ | conj; ἢ; or, nor; |
| ηὐχαρίστησαν, | verb; a, a, ind, 3p; εὐχαριστέω; be thankful, give thanks; constative aorist; |
| ἀλλ᾽ | conj; ἀλλά; but; |
| ἐματαιώθησαν | verb; a, p, ind, 3p; ματαιόω; make foolish or futile, in passive, be given over to worthlessness, think about idle or worthless things; hypox; constative aorist; |
| ἐν | prep + dat; ἐν; in; |
| τοῖς διαλογισμοῖς | art noun; mpd; διαλογισμός; thoughts, opinions, reasoning, arguments, doubts, questions; |
| αὐτῶν | pers pro 3 msg; αὐτός; their; |
| καὶ | conj; καί; and; |
| ἐσκοτίσθη | verb; a, p, ind. 3s; σκοτίζομαι; to be or become dark, be darkened (1) literally and (2) figuratively; constative aorist; |
| ἡ | art; fsn; ὁ; the; qualifies καρδία; |
| ἀσύνετος | adj; fsg; ἀσύνετος; without understanding, dull, senseless, foolish; qualifies καρδία; attributive adjective; |
| αὐτῶν | pers pro; 3 msg; αὐτός; their; |
| καρδία. | noun; fsn; καρδία; heart; subject of ἐσκοτίσθη; |
φάσκοντες εἶναι σοφοὶ ἐμωράνθησαν;
Although they were claiming to be wise, they became foolish,
| φάσκοντες | verb; p, a, ptcp mpn; φάσκω; allege, assert; circumstantial ptcp, concessive “ “Although they were claiming to be…”; durative; |
| εἶναι | verb; p, a, inf; εἰμί; to be; |
| σοφοὶ | adj; mpn; σοφός; clever, wise, learned; pred. adj after εἶναι; Although the subject of a participle is normally in the accusative case and hence a predicate after εἶναι would be as well, “the use of the nominative in the predicate with the infinitive in indirect discourse… is proper when the subject of the principal verb is referred to.” (ATR, p. 457, 489) |
| ἐμωράνθησαν | verb; a, p, ind 3p; μωραίνω; (pass.) to become a fool, be made a fool; constative aorist; |
καὶ ἤλλαξαν τὴν δόξαν τοῦ ἀφθάρτου θεοῦ ἐν ὁμοιώματι εἰκόνος φθαρτοῦ ἀνθρώπου καὶ πετεινῶν καὶ τετραπόδων καὶ ἑρπετῶν.
And they changed the glory of the imperishable God into the appearance of an image of a mortal man and birds and tetrapods and reptiles.
| Καὶ | conj; καί; and; |
| ἤλλαξαν | verb; a, a ind, 3p; ἀλλάσσω; to change, exchange; constative aorist; |
| τὴν δόξαν | art noun; fsa; δόξα; glory, splendor, brilliance; honor, praise; |
| τοῦ | art; msg; ὁ; the; qualifies θεοῦ; |
| ἀφθάρτου | adj; msg; ἄφθαρτος; imperishable, immortal, lasting forever; attributive adjective; |
| θεοῦ | art noun; msg; θεός; God, god; |
| ἐν | prep + dat; ἐν; into; |
| to ὁμοιώματι | noun; nsn ; ὁμοίωμα; likeness; looking like, image; form, appearance; |
| εἰκόνος | noun; fsg ; εἰκών; image, likeness, portrait; |
| φθαρτοῦ | adj; msg; φθαρτός; perishable, not lasting, mortal; |
| ἀνθρώπου | noun; msg; ἄνθρωπος; human being, person; humankind, people; man; |
| καὶ | conj; καί; and; |
| πετεινῶν | noun; npg; πετεινόν; bird; |
| καὶ | conj; καί; and; |
| τετραπόδων | noun; npg; τετράπους; four-footd animal, tetrapod; |
| καὶ | conj; καί; and; |
| ἑρπετῶν. | noun; npg; ἑρπετόν; reptile; |
Διὸ παρέδωκεν αὐτοὺς ὁ θεὸς ἐν ταῖς ἐπιθυμίαις τῶν καρδιῶν αὐτῶν εἰς ἀκαθαρςίαν τοῦ ἀτιμάζεσθαι τὰ σώματα αὐτῶν ἐν αὐτοῖς
For this reason, God gave them over because of the desires of their hearts to moral impurity, namely, to dishonor their bodies among themselves,
| Διὸ | conj; διό; therefore, that is why, for this reason; Dana and Mantey state this is the strongest inferential conjunction (DM, p. 245); |
| παρέδωκεν | verb; a, a, ind, 3s; παραδίδωμι; to hand over, betray, deliver to prison; to entrust, commit; constative aorist; Vine says of this word that it, “is used either (a) in the sense of delivering a person or thing to be kept by another,…” (WEV, p. 573). AG states the following uses, (1) hand over, give (over), deliver, entrust,…turn over, give up a person… hand over into (the) custody of…(2) give over, commend, commit…(3) of oral or written tradition hand down, pass on, transmit, relate, teach…and (4) allow, permit. (AG, pp. 619-621) The idea of this word is to give or hand over a person or thing from one domain to another’s domain. This is to say God in his judgment because they worshipped and served that which was created instead of the creator delivered them over to or allowed them to be under the authority or ruling influence of (their) shameful passions. Used here and in verses 26 and 28. |
| αὐτοὺς | pers pro; 3 mpa; αὐτός; them; acc d.o. of παρέδωκεν; |
| ὁ θεὸς | art noun; msn; θεός; God, god; subject of παρέδωκεν; |
| ἐν | prep + dat; ἐν; in; (DM, p. 105) suggest this is a causal use. Also see (AG, p.260 under ἐν III.3.). ‘Therefore God gave them over because of the desires of…” |
| ταῖς ἐπιθυμίαις | art noun; fpd; ἐπιθυμία, -ας, ἡ; desire, longing (in contexts where the desire is positive and proper); coveting, craving, lusting (in contexts where the desire is immoral and sinful); |
| τῶν καρδιῶν | art noun; fpg; καρδία; heart, mind; seat of thought and emotion; |
| αὐτῶν | pers pro; 3 mpg; αὐτός; their; possessive gen; |
| εἰς | prep + acc; εἰς; into, to |
| ἀκαθαρςίαν | noun fsa; ἀκαθαρσία, -ας, ἡ; impurity, a state of moral filthiness, especially in relation to sexual sin; obj of prep εἰς; |
| τοῦ ἀτιμάζεσθαι; | art infinitive; p, m/p, inf; ἀτιμάζω; to dishonor, disgrace, treat shamefully, insult; Seems to be middle here, to dishonor themselves or dishonor for themselves; Question: Is this purpose or result? (ATR, pp. 991ff) suggests this may be what he calls a sub-final clause which is not pure purpose and yet are not result. He suggests the infinitive here (ATR, p. 996, 1067) may be called epexegetical. This then would simply be explaining what Paul meant when he wrote, ‘παρέδωκεν αὐτοὺς ὁ θεὸς ἐν ταῖς ἐπιθυμίαις τῶν καρδιῶν αὐτῶν εἰς ἀκαθαρςίαν’ or ‘God gave them over in the desires of their hearts to moral impurity.’ He suggests the use of ‘so as to’ to communicate Paul’s thought (ATR, p. 1002). Hence the English translation above of the infinitive phrase as an appositive. |
| τὰ σώματα; | art noun; npa; σῶμα, -ματος, τό; body, the mass of anything, usually a corporeal tissue, human, animal, or plant; acc d.o. of ἀτιμάζεσθαι; |
| αὐτῶν | pers pro; 3 mpg; αὐτός; their; possessive gen; |
| ἐν | prep + dat; ἐν; in, among; |
| αὐτοῖς | pers pro; 3 mpd; αὐτός; themselves; dat obj of prep ἐν; |
οἵτινες μετήλλαξαν τὴν ἀλήθειαν τοῦ θεοῦ ἐν τῷ ψεύδει καὶ ἐσεβάσθησαν καὶ ἐλάτρευσαν τῇ κτίσει παρὰ τὸν κτίσαντα, ὅς ἐστιν εὐλογητὸς εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας, ἀμήν.
Who exchanged the truth about God into a lie and worshipped and served that which was created as opposed to the creator who is blessed forever! Amen!
| Οἵτινες | pro indefinite-relative; mpn; ὅστις; who, whoever, whatever; someone, anyone, everyone; |
| μετήλλαξαν | verb; a, a, ind, 3p; μεταλλάσσω; to exchange ; constative aorist; only here in Rom. 1:25 and 26; |
| τὴν ἀλήθειαν | art noun; fsa; ἀλήθεια; truth, truthfulness; corresponding to reality; accusative object of μετήλλαξαν; This is a definite truth; see verse 1:18. |
| τοῦ θεοῦ | art noun; msg; θεός; God, god; the truth about God, probably, not so much the truth from God, genitive of content; |
| ἐν | prep + dat; ἐν; in, into; Normally μεταλλάσσω will have εἰς as a preposition as in 1:27 but here it uses ἐν (ATR, p. 561). |
| τῷ ψεύδει | art noun; nsd; lie, falsehood, deception; dative object of ἐν. Just as truth was a definite truth about God, his existence and character, this is a definite lie. The lie would be that God, as represented in Scripture as the omnipotent creator of the universe does not exist, or if he does is less than an omnipotent God. |
| καὶ | conj; καί; and; |
| ἐσεβάσθησαν | verb; a, p, ind. 3p; σεβάζομαι; to worship; constative aorist; |
| καὶ | conj; καί; and; |
| ἐλάτρευσαν | verb; a, a, ind. 3p; λατρεύω; to serve, minister; constative aorist; |
| τῇ κτίσει. | art noun; fsd; κτίσις; creation, created thing, creature; governmental institution; |
| παρὰ | prep. + acc; παρά; here this has a comparative sense: in comparison to, more than, beyond, to the extent that “When a comparison is made, one member of it may receive so little attention as to pass fr. consideration entirely, so that ‘more than’ becomes instead of, rather than, to the exclusion of” (AG, p. 616, under III.3. and ATR, p. 616). |
| τὸν κτίσαντα, | art ptcp; a, a, ptcp msa; κτίζω; to create; substantival use, the Creator; object of preposition παρά; |
| ὅς | rel pro; msn; ὅς; who, which, what; referent is τὸν κτίσαντα; subject of ἐστιν; |
| ἐστιν | verb; p, a, nd, 3s; εἰμί; to be; gnomic present; |
| εὐλογητὸς | adj; msn; εὐλογητός; worthy of being praised, blessed, or commended; |
| εἰς | prep; + acc; εἰς; into The phrase εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας means “forever.” |
| τοὺς αἰῶνας, | art noun; mpa; αἰών; eternity, age (time period); this age can mean the universe or even the current world system; see note on εἰς above. |
| ἀμήν | interjection; ἀμήν; amen, the truth; a formula of solemn expression of certainty; |
διὰ τοῦτο παρέδωκεν αὐτοὺς ὁ θεὸς εἰς πάθη ἀτιμίας, αἵ τε γὰρ θήλειαι αὐτῶν μετήλλαξαν τὴν φυσικὴν χρῆσιν εἰς τὴν παρὰ φύσιν,
Because of this, God gave them over to shameful passions for both their women exchanged their natural functions into that which is unnatural.
| Διὰ | prep. + acc; διά; because of, for the sake of; |
| τοῦτο | demo pro; nsa; οὗτος; this; object of prep διά; |
| παρέδωκεν; | verb; a, a, ind, 3s; παραδίδωμι; to hand over, betray, deliver to prison; to entrust, commit; constative aorist; See note, verse 24. |
| αὐτοὺς | per pro; 3 mpa; αὐτός; them; acc d.o. of παρέδωκεν; |
| ὁ θεὸς | art noun; msn; θεός; God; subject of παρέδωκεν; |
| εἰς | prep. + acc; εἰς; to, toward; |
| πάθη | noun; npa; πάθος; lust, sexual passion; also used in Col 3:5 & 1 Thess 4:5; object of preposition εἰς; |
| ἀτιμίας, | noun; fsg; dishonor, disgrace, shame; common use; descriptive genitive; Robertson states that the use of the descriptive genitive here expresses the idea “like an adjective indeed, but with more sharpness and distinctness.” (ATR, p. 496) |
| αἵ | art; fpn; ὁ; the; here it is best left untranslated in English; it qualifies θήλειαι; The article begins a new clause. |
| τε | conj; τε; and, but; often not translated; This and the τε in next verse connects both women and men in this sin; |
| γὰρ | conj; γάρ; shows inference or continuation; for, because, indeed, but; for; The γάρ is explanatory introducing a clause that describes the shameful passions just mentioned. |
| θήλειαι | adj; fpn; θῆλυς; female, pertaining to women; used substantively, “women”; subject of verb μετήλλαξαν |
| αὐτῶν | per pro; 3 mpg; αὐτός; their; |
| μετήλλαξαν | verb; a, a, ind, 3p; μεταλλάσσω; to exchange; change for, or into, transmute, only here in Rom. 1:25 and 26; constative aorist; |
| τὴν | art; fsa; ὁ; the; qualifies χρῆσιν; |
| φυσικὴν | adj; fsa; φυσικός; pertaining to things of nature; natural, instinctive; (n.) creatures of instinct; only used here and in Rom 1:27 and 2 Pet 2:12; attributive use; |
| χρῆσιν | noun; fsa; χρῆσις; relations, functions; used only here and next verse; |
| εἰς | prep. + acc; εἰς; to, toward, into; for; |
| τὴν | art; fsa; ὁ; the; qualifies the prep phrase παρὰ φύσιν, making it a substantive; The prepositional phrase is the object of the first preposition εἰς. |
| παρὰ | prep. + acc; παρά; here this has a comparative sense: in comparison to, more than, beyond, to the extent that “When a comparison is made, one member of it may receive so little attention as to pass fr. consideration entirely, so that ‘more than’ becomes instead of, rather than, to the exclusion of” (AG, p. 616, under III.3.). See previous verse. |
| φύσιν, | noun; fsa; φύσις; nature; natural state of being or characteristics; object of preposition παρά; |
ὁμοίως τε καὶ οἱ ἄρσενες ἀφέντες τὴν φυσικὴν χρῆσιν τῆς θηλείας ἐξεκαύθησαν ἐν τῇ ὀρέξει αὐτῶν εἰς ἀλλήλους, ἄρσενες ἐν ἄρσεσιν τὴν ἀσχημοςύνην κατεργαζόμενοι καὶ τὴν ἀντιμισθίαν ἣν ἔδει τῆς πλάνης αὐτῶν ἐν ἑαυτοῖς ἀπολαμβάνοντες.
And likewise also, men having abandoned the natural function of women became inflamed in their lust toward each other, male with male. They were committing indecent acts and receiving back among themselves the penalty which was due (of) for their error.
| ὁμοίως | adv; ὁμοίως; in the same manner, likewise; |
| τε | conj; τε; and, but; often not translated; This and the τε in the previous verse connects both women and men in this sin; This and the next conjunction καί connect this clause with the previous explaining the shameful passions. |
| καὶ | conj; καί; and; |
| ἄρσενες | adj; mpn; ἄρσην; male; substantival use; |
| ἀφέντες | verb; a, a, ptcp, msn; ἀφίημι; to forgive, pardon, remit, cancel; to leave, abandon; to allow, permit, tolerate; perfective, circumstantial participle, temporal perhaps, ‘when they abandoned…’ or ‘after they abandoned…’ or ‘having abandoned…’; |
| τὴν | art; fsa; ὁ,; the; qualifies χρῆσιν; the noun qualified is definite having just been mentioned. |
| φυσικὴν | adj; fsa; φυσικός; pertaining to things of nature; natural, instinctive; (n.) creatures of instinct, also used in Rom 1:27 and 2 Pet 2:12; |
| χρῆσιν | noun; fsa; χρῆσις; relations, functions; used only here and previous verse; |
| τῆς θηλείας | art adj; fsg; θῆλυς; female, pertaining to women; used substantively, “women;” |
| ἐξεκαύθησαν | verb; a, p, ind, 3p; ἐκκαίω; (pass.) to be inflamed, have a strong desire; passive, to blaze out, to be inflamed, Rom. 1:27*; constative aorist; |
| ἐν | prep + dat; ἐν; in; |
| τῇ ὀρέξει | art noun; fsd; ὄρεξις; lust, desire; |
| αὐτῶν | pers pro; 3 mpg; αὐτός; their; |
| εἰς | prep + acc; εἰς; to, toward; |
| ἀλλήλους, | reciprocal pro; ἀλλήλων; one another, each other; |
| ἄρσενες | adj; mpn; ἄρσην, ενος, εν; male; substantial use; |
| ἐν | prep + dat; ἐν; in, on, with; |
| ἄρσεσιν | adj; mpd; ἄρσην, ενος, εν; male; substantial use; object of preposition in; |
| τὴν ἀσχημοςύνην | art noun; fsa; ἀσχημοσύνη; indecent act, shame; here and in Rev 16:15; |
| κατεργαζόμενοι | verb; p, m/p, ptcp, mpn; κατεργάζομαι; to produce, accomplish, bring about, do; definitely a Pauline word, used 20 times by Paul, once by both James and Peter; Imperfective participle, concomitant circumstance. The past progressive in the English translation indicates the ongoing aspect and is written as an independent clause although it is adverbial participle in Greek. |
| καὶ | conj; καί; and; |
| τὴν ἀντιμισθίαν | art noun; fsa; ἀντιμισθία; an exchange; penalty; Also used in 2 Cor. 6:13; AG states “reward, also in the mng. penalty, w. emphasis on the reciprocal nature of the transaction.” (AG, p. 74); Question: Is Paul referring to legal penalties for this behavior or for medical diseases, syphilis and gonorrhoea, which existed at that time. It seems most likely he is speaking about the natural ramifications more than the legal. While it was forbidden in Jewish culture, forms of it were legal and accepted in Roman culture. |
| ἣν | relative pro; fsa; ὅς; who, which, what; |
| ἔδει | verb; impf, a, ind, 3s; δέω; to tie, bind, imprison; The use of the imperfect was an ongoing, continuous condition. |
| τῆς πλάνης | art noun; fsg; πλάνη; error, delusion, deception; genitive of source or cause; |
| αὐτῶν | per pro; 3 mpg; αὐτός; their; |
| ἐν | prep + dat; ἐν; in, among; |
| ἑαυτοῖς | reciprocal pro; mpd; ἑαυτοῦ; himself, herself, itself, themselves; (pl., in some contexts) reciprocal relationship, to one another; |
| ἀπολαμβάνοντες. | verb; p, a, ptcp, mpn; ἀπολαμβάνω; to receive, be repaid; See note on κατεργαζόμενοι above. |
καὶ καθὼς οὐκ ἐδοκίμασαν τὸν θεὸν ἔχειν ἐν ἐπιγνώσει, παρέδωκεν αὐτοὺς ὁ θεὸς εἰς ἀδόκιμον νοῦν, ποιεῖν τὰ μὴ καθήκοντα,
And just as they did not approve to have God in their understanding, God handed them over to a worthless mind to do/produce that which is not fitting.
| Καὶ | conj; καί; and; |
| καθὼς | adv; καθώς; just as, as; Besides a comparative idea, it has an casual flavor here as well (ATR, p. 968). |
| οὐκ | neg. adv; οὐ, οὐκ, οὐχ; no, not; |
| ἐδοκίμασαν | verb; a, a, ind, 3p; to test, try, examine; interpret, to approve after trial, judge worthy, choose; constative aorist; |
| τὸν θεὸν | art noun; msa; θεός; God, god; |
| ἔχειν | verb; p, a, inf; ἔχω; (tr.) to have, hold, keep; complementary infinitive after ἐδοκίμασαν; |
| ἐν | prep + dat; ἐν; in; |
| ἐπιγνώσει, | noun; fsd; ἐπίγνωσις; knowledge, understanding, insight; |
| παρέδωκεν | verb; a, a, ind, 3s; παραδίδωμι; to hand over, betray, deliver to prison; to entrust, commit; constative aorist; See verse 24. |
| αὐτοὺς | pers pro; 3 mpa; αὐτός; them; acc d.o. of παρέδωκεν; |
| ὁ θεὸς | art noun; msn; θεός; God, god; |
| εἰς | prep + acc; εἰς; to, toward, into; |
| ἀδόκιμον | adj; msa; ἀδόκιμος; failing the test, rejected; There is a play on words with ἐδοκίμασαν above. |
| νοῦν, | noun; msa; νοῦς,; mind, thinking; understanding, insight; |
| ποιεῖν | verb; p, a, inf; ποιέω; to do, make, practice, produce, a generic term of action or performance; ATR calls the use of the infinitive here epexegetical (ATR, p. 1086). It would be explaining what being given over to an unapproved, rejected mind or way of thinking means or results in. |
| τὰ | art; npn; ὁ; the; art with ptcp making it a substantive; |
| μὴ | neg adv; μή; no, not; |
| καθήκοντα, | verb; p, a, ptcp, npa; καθήκω; to be fitting; things that ought to be, that are proper; only here and in Acts 22:22; |
πεπληρωμένους πάσῃ ἀδικίᾳ πονηρίᾳ πλεονεξίᾳ κακίᾳ, μεστοὺς φθόνου φόνου ἔριδος δόλου κακοηθείας, ψιθυριστὰς
(since/so that) they have become full with all wickedness, evil, avarice, malice; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; (they are) gossips
| πεπληρωμένους | verb; pf, m/p, ptcp, mpa; πληρόω; to fulfill, make full; (pass.) to be filled, full, complete; circumstantial ptcp, a combinative ptcp indicating a completed action that has consequences in the present. (see verse 1:1). The accusative indicates subject is αὐτούς in the previous verse. |
| πάσῃ | adj; fsd; πᾶς; all, every (thing, one), whole; always; dative of instrument/means (ATR, p. 533); |
| ἀδικίᾳ | noun; fsd; ἀδικία; wickedness, evil, wrongdoing; dative of instrument/mean,; See above; |
| πονηρίᾳ | noun; fsd; πονηρία; evil, wickedness, malice; dative of instrument/mean,; See above; |
| πλεονεξίᾳ | noun:fsd; πλεονεξία; greediness, avarice; dative of instrument/mean,; See above; |
| κακίᾳ, | noun; fsd; κακία; evil, wickedness, depravity, malice; dative of instrument/mean,; See above; |
| μεστοὺς | adj; mpa; μεστός; full; qualifies αὐτούς in previous verse; This might be seen as a predicate adjective, accusative following the omitted but understood participle ὄντας. |
| φθόνου | noun; msg; φθόνος; envy; genitive of content; |
| φόνου | noun; msg; φόνος; murder, killing; genitive of content; |
| ἔριδος | noun; fsg; ἔρις; quarrel, strife, dissension, discord; genitive of content; |
| δόλου | noun; msg; δόλος; deceit, slyness, trickery, as a fig. extension of the base meaning (not used in the NT) of trapping an animal by baiting or by cunning; genitive of content |
| κακοηθείας, | noun; fsg; κακοήθεια; malice; genitive of content |
| ψιθυριστὰς | noun; mpa; ψιθυριστής; gossip, whisperer Rom. 1:29*; qualifies αὐτοὺς in previous verse or as a predicate accusative following the omitted but understood participle ὄντας as above. |
καταλάλους θεοστυγεῖς ὑβριστὰς ὑπερηφάνους ἀλαζόνας, ἐφευρετὰς κακῶν, γονεῦσιν ἀπειθεῖς,
slanderous, God-haters, overbearing, arrogant, braggarts, devisers of evil, disobedient to parents,
| καταλάλους | adj; mpa; κατάλαλος; slanderous, defamatory; |
| θεοστυγεῖς | adj; mpa; θεοστυγής, ές; God-hating; |
| ὑβριστὰς | noun; mpa; ὑβριστής, οῦ, ὁ; insolent man, violent man, an overbearing, violent person, Rom. 1:30; 1 Tim. 1:13*; |
| ὑπερηφάνους | adj; mpa; ὑπερήφανος; proud, arrogant; ATR suggests the prefixed preposition is perfective or intensifying (ATR, p. 629). |
| ἀλαζόνας, | noun; mpa; ἀλαζών; boaster, braggart; |
| ἐφευρετὰς | adj; mpa; ἐφευρετής; inventor, contriver; hypox; |
| κακῶν, | adj; npg; κακός; evil, wicked, wrong, bad, a perversion of what pertains to goodness; |
| γονεῦσιν | noun; mpd; γονεύς; (pl.) parents; |
| ἀπειθεῖς, | adj; mpa; ἀπειθής; disobedient; |
ἀσυνέτους, ἀσυνθέτους, ἀστόργους, ἀνελεήμονας
senseless, untrustworthy, devoid of natural affection, unmerciful,
| ἀσυνέτους | adj; mpa; ἀσύνετος; senseless, dull, without understanding, foolish; |
| ἀσυνθέτους | adj; mpa; ἀσύνθετος, ον; faithless, untrustworthy; unable to be trusted, undutiful, Rom. 1:31*; |
| ἀστόργους | adj; mpa; ἄστοργος, ον; without love, heartless; devoid of natural, or instinctive affection, without affection to kindred, Rom. 1:31; 2 Tim. 3:3*; |
| ἀνελεήμονας | adj; mpa; ἀνελεήμων; ruthless, merciless; |
οἵτινες τὸ δικαίωμα τοῦ θεοῦ ἐπιγνόντες ὅτι οἱ τὰ τοιαῦτα πράσσοντες ἄξιοι θανάτου εἰσίν, οὐ μόνον αὐτὰ ποιοῦσιν ἀλλὰ καὶ συνευδοκοῦσιν τοῖς πράσσουσιν.
Who, although they know the sentence of God, namely that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only are practicing these things but they are giving approval to those who practice them.
| Οἵτινες | indefinite rel pro; mpn; ὅστις; who, whoever, whatever; someone, anyone, everyone; |
| τὸ δικαίωμα | art noun; nsa; δικαίωμα; regulation, requirement, commandment; act of righteousness; |
| τοῦ θεοῦ | art noun; msg; θεός; God, god; subjective gen; |
| ἐπιγνόντες | verb; a, a, ptcp, mpn; ἐπιγινώσκω; to know (fully), recognize, realize, come to understand, circumstantial ptcp, concessive “although”; |
| ὅτι | conj; ὅτι; that; because, since; for; |
| οἱ | art; mpn; ὁ; the; qualifies πράσσοντες making this a substantive; |
| τὰ τοιαῦτα | art adj; npa; τοιοῦτος; demo pro; such, such as this, of such a kind; The article qualifies τοιαῦτα making this a substantive; |
| πράσσοντες | verb; p,a, ptcp, mpn; πράσσω; to do, act, practice; |
| ἄξιοι | adj; mpn; ἄξιος; worthy, deserving, in keeping with, corresponding to; |
| θανάτου | noun; Msg; θάνατος; death; |
| εἰσίν, | verb; p, a, ind, 3p; εἰμί; to be, exist, be present; |
| οὐ | neg adv; οὐ; no, not, not at all, in no way; |
| μόνον | adv; μόνον; without accompaniment, alone; |
| αὐτὰ | pers pro; npa; αὐτός; them; antecedent, the list of actions & qualities given in preceding verses; |
| ποιοῦσιν | verb; p, a, ind 3p; ποιέω; to do, make, practice, produce, a generic term of action or performance; |
| ἀλλὰ | conj; ἀλλά; but, instead, yet, except; |
| καὶ | conj; καί; but also; |
| συνευδοκοῦσιν | verb; p, a, ind, 3p; συνευδοκέω; to approve of, give approval; to be willing; |
| τοῖς πράσσουσιν. | art ptcp; p,a, ptcp, mpd; πράσσω; to do, act, practice; |