Discovery BoxRomans 4:11-13 
Context4:11 And he received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised, 1 so that he would become 2 the father of all those who believe but have never been circumcised, 3 that they too could have righteousness credited to them. 4:12 And he is also the father of the circumcised, 4 who are not only circumcised, but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham possessed when he was still uncircumcised. 5
4:13 For the promise 6 to Abraham or to his descendants that he would inherit the world was not fulfilled through the law, but through the righteousness that comes by faith.
1 tn Grk “of the faith, the one [existing] in uncircumcision.”
2 tn Grk “that he might be,” giving the purpose of v. 11a.
3 tn Grk “through uncircumcision.”
4 tn Grk “the father of circumcision.”
5 tn Grk “the ‘in-uncircumcision faith’ of our father Abraham.”
6 sn Although a singular noun, the promise is collective and does not refer only to Gen 12:7, but as D. Moo (Romans 1-8 [WEC], 279) points out, refers to multiple aspects of the promise to Abraham: multiplied descendants (Gen 12:2), possession of the land (Gen 13:15-17), and his becoming the vehicle of blessing to all people (Gen 12:13).
