¹ tn The Greek sentence expresses this contrast more succinctly than is possible in English. Grk “For not the hearers of the law are righteous before God, but the doers of the law will be declared righteous.”

² sn Circumcision refers to male circumcision as prescribed in the OT, which was given as a covenant to Abraham in Gen 17:10-14. Its importance for Judaism can hardly be overstated: According to J. D. G. Dunn (Romans [WBC], 1:120) it was the “single clearest distinguishing feature of the covenant people.” J. Marcus has suggested that the terms used for circumcision (περιτομή, peritomh) and uncircumcision (ἀκροβυστία, akrobustia) were probably derogatory slogans used by Jews and Gentiles to describe their opponents (“The Circumcision and the Uncircumcision in Rome,” NTS 35 [1989]: 77-80).

³ tn This contrast is clearer and stronger in Greek than can be easily expressed in English.

⁴ tn Grk “if you should be a transgressor of the law.”

⁵ tn Νυνὶ δέ (Nuni de, “But now”) could be understood as either (1) logical or (2) temporal in force, but most recent interpreters take it as temporal, referring to a new phase in salvation history.

⁶ tn Grk “being witnessed by the law and the prophets,” a remark which is virtually parenthetical to Paul’s argument.

⁷ tn Or “was justified.”

⁸ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

⁹ tn Or “exult, boast.”

¹⁰ tn Grk “for before the law.”

¹¹ tn Or “sin is not reckoned.”

¹² tn Grk “you were slaves of sin but you obeyed.”

¹³ tn Or “type, form.”

¹⁴ tn The two aorist participles translated “freed” and “enslaved” are causal in force; their full force is something like “But now, since you have become freed from sin and since you have become enslaved to God….”

¹⁵ tn Grk “fruit.”

¹⁶ tn Or “covetousness.”

¹⁷ tn Grk “For to wish is present in/with me, but not to do it.”

¹⁸ tn Grk “are about to, are certainly going to.”

¹⁹ sn This remark is parenthetical to Paul’s argument.

²⁰ tn Grk “slavery again to fear.”

²¹ 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).”

²² tn Or “in that.”

²³ 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.

²⁴ tn See the note on “adoption” in v. 15.

²⁵ tn Grk “body.”

²⁶ tn Grk “vessels.” This is the same Greek word used in v. 21.

²⁷ tn Or “vessels destined for wrath.” The genitive ὀργῆς (orghs) could be taken as a genitive of destination.

²⁸ tn Or possibly “objects of wrath that have fit themselves for destruction.” The form of the participle could be taken either as a passive or middle (reflexive). ExSyn 417-18 argues strongly for the passive sense (which is followed in the translation), stating that “the middle view has little to commend it.” First, καταρτίζω (katartizw) is nowhere else used in the NT as a direct or reflexive middle (a usage which, in any event, is quite rare in the NT). Second, the lexical force of this verb, coupled with the perfect tense, suggests something of a “done deal” (against some commentaries that see these vessels as ready for destruction yet still able to avert disaster). Third, the potter-clay motif seems to have one point: The potter prepares the clay.

²⁹ tn Grk “Why? Because not by faith but as though by works.” The verb (“they pursued [it]”) is to be supplied from the preceding verse for the sake of English style; yet a certain literary power is seen in Paul’s laconic style.

³⁰ tc Most mss, especially the later ones (א² D Ψ 33 Ï sy), read νόμου (nomou, “of the law”) here, echoing Paul’s usage in Rom 3:20, 28 and elsewhere. The qualifying phrase is lacking in א* A B F G 6 629 630 1739 1881 pc lat co. The longer reading thus is weaker externally and internally, being motivated apparently by a need to clarify.

tn Grk “but as by works.”

³¹ tn Grk “the stone of stumbling.”

³² sn A quotation from Deut 9:4.

³³ sn A quotation from Deut 30:12.

³⁴ sn A quotation from Deut 30:14.

³⁵ tn Grk “the revelation,” “the oracle.”

³⁶ tn The Greek term here is ἀνήρ (anhr), which only exceptionally is used in a generic sense of both males and females. In this context, it appears to be a generic usage (“people”) since when Paul speaks of a remnant of faithful Israelites (“the elect,” v. 7), he is not referring to males only. It can also be argued, however, that it refers only to adult males here (“men”), perhaps as representative of all the faithful left in Israel.

³⁷ sn A quotation from 1 Kgs 19:18.

³⁸ tn Grk “the wrath,” referring to God’s wrath as the remainder of the verse shows.

³⁹ sn A quotation from Deut 32:35.

⁴⁰ tn Grk “its wrath”; the referent (the governing authorities) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁴¹ tn Grk “because of (the) conscience,” but the English possessive “your” helps to show whose conscience the context implies.

⁴² tn Grk “brother.”

⁴³ tc Some mss insert 16:25-27 at this point. See the tc note at 16:25 for more information.

⁴⁴ sn A quotation from Ps 69:9.

⁴⁵ sn A quotation from Isa 52:15.

⁴⁶ tn Grk “now no longer having a place…I have.”

⁴⁷ tn Grk “but having a desire…for many years.”