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Romans Chapter 4

Romans Chapter 4

(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
Righteousness from works vs faith

(Parallel teachings: Galatians 3:6-14; James 2:14-26)

  • 1 Therefore, what will we say that Abraham has discovered?  (Who is our forefather according to the flesh.)
  • 2 For if Abraham was made righteous by works, he has a reason to boast (but not before God).
  • 3 For what does the scripture say: “And Abraham believed God and that was credited to him as righteousness.”fnquotation/allusion to Genesis 15:6 (also quoted/alluded to by Gal 3:6; Jas 2:23)
  • 4 Now, to the man working, his wage isn’t credited as grace but as what’s owed.
  • 5 But to the man not working but believing on the One making the ungodly righteous, his faith is credited as righteousness,
  • 6 Just as David also speaks of how blessed is the man for whom God credits righteousness apart from works:
    • 7 “Blessed are the men whose lawless deeds were forgiven,
    • and whose sins were covered;
    • 8 “blessed is the man whose sin the Lord definitely won’t take into account.”fnquotation/allusion to Psalm 32:1-2
  • 9 Therefore, is this blessing only on the circumcision, or also on the uncircumcision?  (For we say faith was credited to Abraham as righteousness.fnquotation/allusion to Genesis 15:6 (also quoted/alluded to by Gal 3:6; Jas 2:23))
  • 10 Then how was it credited?  While being in circumcision or in uncircumcision?  It wasn’t while in circumcision, but while in uncircumcision.
  • 11 And he received the sign of circumcisionfnquotation/allusion to Genesis 17:9-14, especially verse 11 as a seal of the righteousness of faith while in uncircumcision, for him to be the father of all the men believing while in uncircumcision, for righteousness to be credited to them [too].
  • 12 And the father of circumcision isn’t only the father to the men of circumcision, but also to the men walking in the footsteps of the faith of our father Abraham while in uncircumcision.
Through faith, not law

(Parallel teachings: Galatians 3:1-14)
(Thematic parallels: Hebrews 11:8-12, 17-19)

  • 13 For the promise for him to be an heir of the worldfnquotation/allusion to Genesis 12:3, Genesis 18:18, and Genesis 22:18 (all nations blessed), and also Genesis 12:7, Genesis 15:18, and Genesis 17:8 (inherit the land) (also quoted/alluded to by Gal 3:8; Acts 3:25); Note: Paul appears to make the promise for Abraham’s seed to inherit Israel apply to the whole world, making Galatians 3:29, and possibly Ephesians 6:2–3, contextually relevant. wasn’t given to Abraham or his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.
  • 14 For if the men of the law are heirs, faith has been made void and the promise has been nullified.
  • 15 For the law brings about wrath, but where there’s no law, there’s no deliberate violationfn“deliberate violation” is one word in Greek. It denotes an intentional stepping over a known boundary, not an accidental violation of that boundary. In this context, it’s deliberately violating God’s commands in the Law; see also Numbers 15:30-31 either.
  • 16 Therefore, it’s from faith so that it’s by grace, for the promise to be certain to all the seed; not only to the seed of the law, but also to the seed of Abraham’s faith, who is the father of us all.
  • 17 Just as it’s *written: “I have established you as a father of many nations.”fnquotation/allusion to Genesis 17:5 He believed before God, the One giving life to the dead and calling the things not existing like things that are existing.
  • 18 With hope against hope, Abraham believed the promise for him to become the father of many nations, in accordance with what has been spoken: “So will your seed be.”fnquotation/allusion to Genesis 15:5
  • 19 And not having been weak in faith, he consideredfnMany later manuscripts add negation, making it read “he did [not] consider his own body”. his own body as [already] good as *dead (being about one hundred years old) and the deadness of Sarah’s womb.fnquotation/allusion to Genesis 17:17 and Genesis 18:11
  • 20 But he didn’t doubt the promise of God in unbelief, but was strengthened by faith, having given glory to God,
  • 21 and having been fully convinced that what God has promised, He is also able to do.
  • 22 And therefore: “It was credited to him as righteousness.”fnquotation/allusion to Genesis 15:6 (also quoted/alluded to by Gal 3:6; Jas 2:23)
  • 23 Yet it wasn’t written that “it was credited to him” because of him alone,
  • 24 but also because of us (to whom it’s about to be credited), to the men believing on the One who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead,
  • 25 who was handed over because of our misstepsfnquotation/allusion to Isaiah 53:5 (also quoted/alluded to by 1 Pet 2:24; see also Matt 8:17). “missteps” the Greek word used here doesn’t quite mean “sin”. It’s the word “παράπτωμα” (paraptóma) and carries the connotation of a “slip-up” or a “false step” with the implication – but not certainty – that it was unintentional., and was raised for the sake of us being made righteous.fnquotation/allusion to Isaiah 53:11-12 (also quoted/alluded to by 1 Pet 2:24; Acts 8:32-35)

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