King James 3 - The Literal Translation

1Therefore, O man, you are without excuse, every one judging, for in that in which you judge the other, you condemn yourself; for you, the one judging, practice the same things. 2But we know that the judgment of God is according to truth on the ones practicing such things. 3And, O man, the one judging those practicing such things, and doing them, do you think that you will escape the judgment of God? 4Or do you despise the riches of His kindness, and the forbearance and the longsuffering, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? 5But according to your hardness and your impenitent heart, you are treasuring up to yourself wrath in the day of wrath, and revelation of a righteous judgment of God. 6who “will give to each according to his works”: LXX-Psa. 61:13; MT-Psa. 62:12  7truly to the ones who with patience in good work seeking glory and honor and incorruptibility and everlasting life;  8but to the ones truly disobeying the truth out of self-seeking, but obeying unrighteousness, will be anger and wrath, 9trouble and distress on every soul of man fully working evil, both of Jew firstly, and of Greek. 10But glory and honor and peace will be to everyone working the good, both to the Jew firstly, and to the Greek. 11For there is no partiality with God. 12For as many as sinned without Law will also perish without Law. And as many as sinned within Law will be judged through Law. 13For not the hearers of the Law are just with God, but the doers of the Law shall be justified. 14For whenever nations not having law do the things of the law, these, not having law, are a law to themselves, 15who demonstrate the work of the law written in their hearts, witnessing with their conscience and between one another the thoughts accusing or even defending 16in a day when God judges the hidden things of men, according to my gospel, through Jesus Christ. 17Behold, you are named a Jew and rest in the Law, and boast in God, and know the will and approve the things excelling, being insructed out of the Law, 18and you have persuaded yourself to be a guide to blind ones, a light to the ones in darkness, 20an instructor of foolish ones, a teacher of the child-like, having the form of knowledge and of the truth in the Law. 21Therefore the one teaching another, do you not teach yourself? The one preaching not to steal, do you steal? 22The the one saying not to commit adultery, do you commit adultery? The one detesting the idols, do you rob temples? 23You who boast in Law, do you dishonor God through transgression of the Law? 24For the name of God is blasphemed among the nations through you, even as it is written. Isa. 52:5 25For indeed circumcision profits if you practice the Law, but if you are a transgressor of Law, your circumcision becomes uncircumcision. 26Therefore if the uncircumcision keeps the ordinances of the Law, will not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision? 27And will the uncircumcision by nature, by fulfilling the Law, judge you through your letter and circumcision become transgressor of Law? 28For not in the visible one, he is a Jew, nor is the circumcision in flesh a visible one; 29but in the secret one is the Jew, and circumcision is of heart, in spirit, not in letter; of whom the praise is not from men, but from God.


Jamieson Fausset Brown Bible Commentary
 4   THE JEW UNDER LIKE CONDEMNATION WITH THE GENTILE. (Rom. 2:1-29)
the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance--that is, is designed and adapted to do so.

 5   treasurest up unto thyself wrath against--rather "in."
the day of wrath--that is wrath to come on thee in the day of wrath. What an awful idea is here expressed--that the sinner himself is amassing, like hoarded treasure, an ever accumulating stock of divine wrath, to burst upon him in "the day of the revelation of the righteous judgment of God!" And this is said not of the reckless, but of those who boasted of their purity of faith and life.

 7   To them who, &c.--The substance of these verses is that the final judgment will turn upon character alone.
by patient continuance in well-doing, &c.--Compare Luke 8:15 : "That on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience"; denoting the enduring and progressive character of the new life.

 8   But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, &c.--referring to such keen and determined resistance to the Gospel as he himself had too painfully witnessed on the part of his own countrymen. (See Acts 13:44-Acts 13:46; Acts 17:5, Acts 17:13; Acts 18:6, Acts 18:12; and compare 1Thess 2:15-16).
indignation and wrath--in the bosom of a sin-avenging God.

 9   Tribulation and anguish--the effect of these in the sinner himself.

 10   to the Jew first--first in perdition if unfaithful; but if obedient to the truth, first in salvation (Rom 2:10).

 12   For as many as have sinned--not "as many as have sinned at all," but, "as many as are found in sin" at the judgment of the great day (as the whole context shows).
without law--that is, without the advantage of a positive Revelation.
shall also perish without law--exempt from the charge of rejecting or disregarding it.
and as many as have sinned in the law--within the pale of a positive, written Revelation.
shall be judged by the law--tried and condemned by the higher standard of that written Revelation.

 13   For not the hearers, &c.--As touching the Jews, in whose ears the written law is continually resounding, the condemnation of as many of them as are found sinners at the last involves no difficulty; but even as respects the heathen, who are strangers to the law in its positive and written form--since they show how deeply it is engraven on their moral nature, which witnesses within them for righteousness and against iniquity, accusing or condemning them according as they violate or obey its stern dictates--their condemnation also for all the sin in which they live and die will carry its dreadful echo in their own breasts.

 15   their thoughts the meanwhile accusing or else excusing--that is, perhaps by turns doing both.

 16   In the day, &c.--Here the unfinished statement of Rom 2:12 is resumed and closed.
shall judge the secrets of men--here specially referring to the unfathomed depths of hypocrisy in the self-righteous whom the apostle had to deal with. (See Eccl 12:14; 1Cor 4:5).
according to my gospel--to my teaching as a preacher of the Gospel.

 17   Behold--"But if" is, beyond doubt, the true reading here. (It differs but in a single letter from the received reading, and the sense is the same).

 18   approvest the things that are excellent--"triest the things that differ" (Margin). Both senses are good, and indeed the former is but the result of the latter action. (See on Phil 1:10).

 20   hast the form of knowledge and of the truth in the law--not being left, as the heathen are, to vague conjecture on divine things, but favored with definite and precise information from heaven.

 22   thou that abhorrest idols--as the Jews did ever after their captivity, though bent on them before.
dost thou commit sacrilege?--not, as some excellent interpreters, "dost thou rob idol temples?" but more generally, as we take it, "dost thou profane holy things?" (as in Matt 21:12-Matt 21:13, and in other ways).

 24   as it is written--(See Isa 52:5, Marginal reference).

 25   For circumcision--that is, One's being within the covenant of which circumcision was the outward sign and seal.
verily profiteth, if thou keep the law--if the inward reality correspond to the outward sign.
but if, &c.--that is, "Otherwise, thou art no better than the uncircumcised heathen."

 26   Therefore if the uncircumcision keep the . . . law, &c.--Two mistaken interpretations, we think, are given of these words: First, that the case here supposed is an impossible one, and put merely for illustration [HALDANE, CHALMERS, HODGE]; second that it is the case of the heathen who may and do please God when they act, as has been and is done, up to the light of nature [GROTIUS, OLSHAUSEN, &c.]. The first interpretation is, in our judgment, unnatural; the second, opposed to the apostle's own teaching. But the case here put is, we think, such as that of Cornelius (Acts 10:1-48), who, though outside the external pale of God's covenant, yet having come to the knowledge of the truths contained in it, do manifest the grace of the covenant without the seal of it, and exemplify the character and walk of Abraham's children, though not called by the name of Abraham. Thus, this is but another way of announcing that God was about to show the insufficiency of the mere badge of the Abrahamic covenant, by calling from among the Gentiles a seed of Abraham that had never received the seal of circumcision (see on Gal 5:6); and this interpretation is confirmed by all that follows.

 28   he is not a Jew which is one outwardly, &c.--In other words, the name of "Jew" and the rite of "circumcision" were designed but as outward symbols of a separation from the irreligious and ungodly world unto holy devotedness in heart and life to the God of salvation. Where this is realized, the signs are full of significance; but where it is not, they are worse than useless.
Note, (1) It is a sad mark of depravity when all that is designed and fitted to melt only hardens the heart (Rom 2:4, and compare 2Pet 3:9; Eccl 8:11). (2) Amidst all the inequalities of religious opportunity measured out to men, and the mysterious bearing of this upon their character and destiny for eternity, the same great principles of judgment, in a form suited to their respective discipline, will be applied to all, and perfect equity will be seen to reign throughout every stage of the divine administration (Rom 2:11-Rom 2:16). (3) "The law written on the heart" (Rom 2:14-Rom 2:15) --or the Ethics of Natural Theology--may be said to be the one deep foundation on which all revealed religion reposes; and see on Rom 1:19-Rom 1:20, where we have what we may call its other foundation--the Physics and Metaphysics of Natural Theology. The testimony of these two passages is to the theologian invaluable, while in the breast of every teachable Christian it wakens such deep echoes as are inexpressibly solemn and precious. (4) High religious professions are a fearful aggravation of the inconsistencies of such as make them (Rom 2:17-Rom 2:24). See 2Sam 12:14. (5) As no external privileges, or badge of discipleship, will shield the unholy from the wrath of God, so neither will the want of them shut out from the kingdom of heaven such as have experienced without them that change of heart which the seals of God's covenant were designed to mark. In the sight of the great Searcher of hearts, the Judge of quick and dead, the renovation of the character in heart and life is all in all. In view of this, have not all baptized, sacramented disciples of the Lord Jesus, who "profess that they know God, but in works deny Him," need to tremble--who, under the guise of friends, are "the enemies of the cross of Christ?"