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Romans Chapter 13

Romans Chapter 13

(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
Submission to Authorities

(Parallel teachings: 1 Peter 2:13-17)
(Thematic parallels: Daniel 3; Daniel 6)

  • 1 Let every soul be submitted to the authorities surpassing him or her, for there’s no authority except under God, and the ones existing have been appointed by God.
  • 2 Therefore, the man setting himself against the authority has resisted the mandate of God, and the men who have resisted shall incur judgement on themselves.
  • 3 For rulers aren’t a terror to a good deed, but to evil.  And do you wish not to fear the authority?  Do good and you will have praise from the authority.
  • 4 For he is a servant of God to you for good.  But if you do evil, be frightened, for he doesn’t bear the sword in vain.  For he is a servant of God, an avenger for bringing wrath on the man practicing evil.
  • 5 Therefore, it’s necessary to be submitted, not only because of wrath, but also because of conscience.
  • 6 For because of this, you also pay taxes, for they are servants of God, continually attending to this same thing.
What to owe

(Parallel teachings: Matthew 22:15-21, Matthew 22:37-40)

  • 7 Repay what’s owed to all; tax to whom tax is owed, the toll to whom the toll is owed, fear to whom fear is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.
  • 8 Owe nothing to anyone, except to ^love one another, for the man ^loving another has fulfilled the law.
  • 9 For “You shall not have sex with another man’s wife.”fnquotation/allusion to Exodus 20:14 and Deuteronomy 5:18 (also quoted/alluded to by Matt 5:27, 19:18; Mark 10:19; Luke 18:20; Jas 2:11).  “have sex with another man’s wife” is one word in Greek, typically translated “commit adultery”. However, the Greek word (and Hebrew too) is more limited in scope than our English word adultery. In English, “adultery” means illicit sex between a married person – man or woman – and someone who isn’t their spouse. In Greek (and Hebrew also), it meant “a man having sex with another man’s wife”. A married man having sex with an unmarried woman was called fornication. “You shall not murder“fnquotation/allusion to Exodus 20:13 and Deuteronomy 5:17 (also quoted/alluded to by Matt 5:21, 19:18; Mark 10:19; Luke 18:20; Jas 2:11) “You shall not steal“fnquotation/allusion to Exodus 20:15 and Deuteronomy 5:19 (also quoted/alluded to by Matt 19:18; Mark 10:19; Luke 18:20) [“You shall not testify falsely“fnquotation/allusion to Exodus 20:16 and Deuteronomy 5:20 (also quoted/alluded to by Matt 19:18; Mark 10:19; Luke 18:20)] “You shall not covet“,fnquotation/allusion to Exodus 20:17 and Deuteronomy 5:21 (also quoted/alluded to by Rom 7:7) and if there’s any other commandment, it is summarized in this statement: “You shall ^love your neighbor as yourself.”fnquotation/allusion to Leviticus 19:18 (also quoted/alluded to by Matt 19:19, 22:39; Mark 12:31; Luke 10:27; Gal 5:14; Jas 2:8)
  • 10 ^Love doesn’t do evil to its neighbor, therefore, ^love is the fulfillment of the law.
Clothe yourselves in the Anointed

(Parallel teachings: 1 Thessalonians 5:5-8; Ephesians 5:8-14)
(Thematic parallels: Zechariah 3:1-5 (see also Matthew 22:11-14))

  • 11 And do this, *knowing the season, that it’s already the hour for you to be awakened from sleep.  For now, our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.
  • 12 The night progressed and the day has drawn near.  Therefore, we should cast off the works of darkness and should clothe ourselves with the war equipmentfn“war equipment” is one word in Greek.  It refers to the various tools, implements, and weapons used to wage war.  The Greek word is “ὅπλον” (hoplon), which was one name for the large wooden shield from which the “Hoplites” in the ancient Grecian military got their name. of light.
  • 13 We should walk properly as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in immoral sex and wanton debaucheries, and not in strife and jealousy.
  • 14 But clothe yourselves with the Anointed Lord Jesus, and don’t make provision for the cravings of the flesh.

 

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