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Romans Chapter 10

Romans Chapter 10

(Underlining marks a quotation/allusion. [Brackets] mark a textual variant.fnWhen two (or more) different copies of an original manuscript disagree on any given word or phrase — addition, omission, word order, etc. — the disagreement is called a "textual variant". ~99% of existing textual variants are either minor (like spelling), obviously not original (often appearing only in a few late manuscripts), or don't affect meaning (like "Jesus Christ" vs. "Christ Jesus"). The ~1% that remain do not affect any central doctrine of Christianity. The BOS Bible only marks significant textual variants that affect the meaning; smaller variants that do not affect meaning won't be marked for readability.  "Love" with a caret ("^love") is agapé.fn"agapé" The Greek words ἀγάπη (agapé, noun), and ἀγαπάω (agapaó; verb) are typically translated "love".  However, unlike our English word "love" – which primarily speaks of affection and feelings — agapé centers on choice and behavior.  It’s the "love" based on will, choice, behavior, and action; not feelings.  (Feelings-based love is the Greek word φιλέω (phileó), which properly means "brotherly love/affection".)  Thus, you could hate someone passionately and still treat him with "agapé".  Agapé "love" is best understood as the pursuit of what is most beneficial to someone or something, regardless of the cost to yourself or the type of response received from the person or thing.  It can also indicate a preference for someone or something over other things. An asterisk (*) indicates a verb in the Greek perfect tense.fnThe Greek perfect tense signifies a completed action in the past with a result and/or an ongoing state that extends into the present. For example, Hebrews 12:2 says in part: "He *sat down at the right hand of the throne of God"; the verb for "sat" is in the perfect tense, indicating that He sat down once (completed action in the past), and also that He remains seated until the present moment (ongoing state).)

Glossary

Note: this glossary is currently a work in progress; entries that do not expand will be added as time permits

Ages/of ages
“ages” and “of ages” are the Greek words “αἰών” (aión, noun form) and “αἰώνιος” (aiónios, adjective form) respectively.  The adjective form is typically translated “eternal”, as in “eternal life”. The noun form refers to a whole time period, (Keizer, “Life Time Entirety”) such as a person’s lifetime (an older Greek sense), an age/epoch (e.g., 2 Cor 4:4), or even time in its entirety, making its meaning similar to “forever” (e.g., John 14:16). The adjective form is similarly context-dependent, and the New Testament context often dictates a meaning similar to “forever” (but not always: e.g. 2 Tim 1:9).  Alternately or additionally, it can indicate the quality of a time period — indicating greatness/severity — like the English idiom “of ages” (e.g. “battle of the ages”). Thus, “of ages” was chosen for the adjective form so that both the time and quality senses remain visible.

Clean/unclean

Covenant

Faith

Flesh

Forgive/forgiveness

Grace
The Greek word is “χάρις” (charis), most often translated “grace”, “gift”, or “thanks”. It was a technical term in the 1st century, referring to the Patronage system in place. The Patron (from “pater” = “father”) would give gifts or do favors (both called a charis). A charis was always given/done freely to anyone who would be grateful for it, and this person then became a “client” of the patron. The clients were expected to reciprocate by telling everyone what the patron had done, and offering their services to the patron whenever the patron needed them. This reciprocal act was also called “charis”, and the ones who reciprocated were “being faithful” by giving thanks in this way. Both were done out of gratitude, not legal obligation. A client who wasn’t faithful and grateful probably wouldn’t receive any more charis from his patron, or any other patrons. The patron was responsible for taking care of all his clients, and making sure their needs were met. New Testament usage typically casts God the Father as a Heavenly Patron, to whom Christians should be grateful and faithful because of the gifts He has given us. (e.g. salvation, provision, protection, etc.)

Holy

Justification

Law (Torah)

Make purification

Pure/Impure

Purification offering
In the Old Testament, this is typically the Hebrew “חַטָּ֖את” (khat-tat); in the New Testament, it’s typically “περὶ ἁμαρτίας” (peri hamartias), which is what the Septuagint (an ancient translation of the Old Testament into Greek) used to translate the Hebrew. It’s traditionally translated “sin offering”, but that translation has less support in high-level scholarship. The Hebrew word can mean “sin”, but it can also mean “purification” (e.g. Numbers 8:7). This offering was used to purify uncleanness, whether or not a sin was committed. Thus, it was required even when no sin was committed, such as after childbirth (Leviticus 12:1-8), for certain diseases (Leviticus 14), etc. High-level, peer-reviewed scholarship dedicated to the field (e.g. Milgrom, Levine, Gane, Sklar, Wright, Gorman, etc.) is largely united on the “purification offering” understanding. The BOS Bible has aligned itself with that high-level, peer-reviewed scholarship in its translation.

Ransom

Redemption

Repent/repentance

Righteous/righteousness

Salvation/save

Soul
“soul” is the Greek word “ψυχή/psuché” and Hebrew word “נֶפֶשׁ/nephesh”. The BOS Bible translates these words as “soul” for consistency, and so the full meaning of “soul” isn’t obscured by different translations in different places. They closely overlap in meaning and are typically translated “soul” or “life”. They refer to the animating force of a living thing, and thus can also refer to its life, or to the whole of any person or creature, including animals (e.g. fish in Revelation 8:9 and Genesis 1). They are frequently used as an emphatic reference to a person’s whole self, including longings, deep emotions, and inner life. (e.g. Ps 42:11) Note: while “soul” has significant overlap in meaning with “spirit”, the words have distinct meanings and usages throughout scripture. For example, lions tear apart a soul in Psalm 7:2, and a “dead soul” is mentioned in Leviticus 21:11; “spirit” has no analogous usages, and it returns to God at death (Ecc 12:7; Acts 7:59). The adjective forms of soul and spirit are contrasted in 1 Corinthians 2:14-15; see also: Hebrews 4:12; 1 Thessalonians 5:23.

Sin

Click to Collapse the Glossary
The way of salvation

(Parallel teachings: Galatians 3:1-29; Philippians 3:2-11)

  • 1 Brothers, the delight of my heart and my earnest prayer to God for [them]fn“them” many later manuscripts read “Israel” here. is indeed for their salvation.
  • 2 For I testify about them that they have zeal for God, but it’s not in accordance with accurate knowledge.
  • 3 For not knowing God’s righteousness and seeking to establish their own righteousness, they weren’t submitted to the righteousness of God.
  • 4 For the end of the law is the Anointed, for righteousness to every man believing.
  • 5 For Moses writes of the righteousness from the law: “The man who does them, he will live by them.”fnquotation/allusion to Leviticus 18:5 (also quoted/alluded to by Gal 3:12)
  • 6 But the righteousness from faith speaks this way: “You shouldn’t say in your heart: ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’fnquotation/allusion to Deuteronomy 30:12 (the introductory phrase is also found in Deuteronomy 9:4)” (that is, to bring the Anointed down.)
  • 7 or “Who will descend into the abyss?”fnquotation/allusion to Deuteronomy 30:13; the Greek word for “abyss” here can refer to anything for which the bottom is not known.  In the Septuagint, it was used for the deep sea in several places. (that is, to bring the Anointed up from the dead)
  • 8 But what does it say?  “The spoken word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart.”fnquotation/allusion to Deuteronomy 30:14  That’s the spoken word of faith which we proclaim.
  • 9 That if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
  • 10 For someone believes with the heart resulting in righteousness, and someone confesses with the mouth resulting in salvation.
  • 11 For the scripture says: “Every man believing on Him won’t be put to shame.”fnquotation/allusion to Isaiah 28:16 (also quoted/alluded to by 1 Pet 2:6)
  • 12 For there’s no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all the men calling on Him.
  • 13 For “Every man who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”fnquotation/allusion to Joel 2:32 (also quoted/alluded to by Acts 2:21)
  • 14 Therefore, how could they call on Him in whom they didn’t believe?  And how could they believe on Him whom they didn’t hear?  And how could they hear without someone proclaiming?
  • 15 And how could they proclaim if they weren’t sent?  Just as it’s *written: “How beautiful are the feet [of the men proclaiming the good news of peace;] of the men proclaiming the good news of good things.”fnquotation/allusion to Isaiah 52:7
Not all listened

(Thematic parallels: Acts 13:44-52; Acts 28:23-28)

  • 16 But not all obediently listened to the good news.  For Isaiah says: “Lord, who believed our report?”fnquotation/allusion to Isaiah 53:1 (also quoted/alluded to by John 12:38)
  • 17 So faith is from hearing, and hearing through a spoken word about [the Anointed].fn“the Anointed” the majority of later manuscripts say “God” here, but the earliest manuscripts say “the Anointed”.
  • 18 But I say: “Didn’t they definitely hear?”  Indeed:
    • “Their voice went out into all the earth,
    • and their words to the ends of the world.”fnquotation/allusion to Psalm 19:4
  • 19 But I say: “Didn’t Israel definitely know?”  First, Moses says:
    • “I will make you jealous by those who aren’t a nation,
    • I will anger you by a nation without understanding.”fnquotation/allusion to Deuteronomy 32:21
  • 20 Then Isaiah is very bold and says:
    • “I was found by the men not seeking Me;
    • I became manifest to the men not inquiring after Me.”fnquotation/allusion to Isaiah 65:1
  • 21 But to Israel he says: “The whole day, I extended My hands to a people disobeying and contradicting Me.”fnquotation/allusion to Isaiah 65:2

 

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