Romans 8:15

8:15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery leading again to fear, ¹  but you received the Spirit of adoption, ²  by whom ³  we cry, “Abba, Father.”

Romans 8:23

8:23 Not only this, but we ourselves also, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, ⁴  groan inwardly as we eagerly await our adoption, ⁵  the redemption of our bodies. ⁶ 

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¹ tn Grk “slavery again to fear.”

² tn The Greek term υἱοθεσία (Juioqesia) was originally a legal technical term for adoption as a son with full rights of inheritance. BDAG 1024 s.v. notes, “a legal t.t. of ‘adoption’ of children, in our lit., i.e. in Paul, only in a transferred sense of a transcendent filial relationship between God and humans (with the legal aspect, not gender specificity, as major semantic component).”

³ tn Or “in that.”

⁴ tn Or “who have the Spirit as firstfruits.” The genitive πνεύματος (pneumatos) can be understood here as possessive (“the firstfruits belonging to the Spirit”) although it is much more likely that this is a genitive of apposition (“the firstfruits, namely, the Spirit”); cf. TEV, NLT.

⁵ tn See the note on “adoption” in v. 15.

⁶ tn Grk “body.”