The Jewish Annotated New Testament (250 page)

2
:
By works,
by deeds; i.e., circumcision of himself and the males of his extended household.
Boast about
, because he is marked as set apart to God.

3
: Gen 15.6.
Abraham believed God
, or Abraham was faithful to God.

5
: W
ithout works
, lit., “without working”; i.e., without circumcision.

7
–8
: Ps 32.1–2. The psalm ends with praise of an upright heart. “Without works/deeds” is not without Torah, but the failure to observe Torah fully, i.e., failure to do right even when one has an upright heart (cf. Ps 32.11); see 3.23.
Iniquities
, lit., “lawbreakings.”

9
: Gen 15.6;
pronounced only on the circumcised
, “pronounced” not in Gk.
Faith,
or faithfulness.

12
: Lit., “and father of circumcision not only for those from circumcision, but also for those walking in the footsteps of the one in foreskin, our faithful father Abraham.”

13
: See Gen 12.6–7; 15.5; 17.4–5; Isa 54.1–3; Philo,
Rewards
. 158. Paul answers the question posed in 4.1.
Law
(“nomos”) does not refer to Torah here but the “convention” of circumcision. “Promise” is a new element in his argument, and it was made to Abraham before the commandment to be circumcised in Gen 17. Cf. Sir 44.19–21.
Descendants
, lit., “seeds.”
Through the law,
or through a convention; i.e., circumcision; no article in Gk.

14
: Or for if the heirs are (merely) from a law/convention (i.e., of circumcision).

15
: For the convention (of circumcision) brings contempt for those who seem to be flaunting this God-given convention; but where no convention exists, neither does (the judgment) of sidestepping the work of circumcision (on the part of these non-Jews).

16
–17
: Those who follow Abraham’s example of trusting God at God’s word, i.e., who are faithful, are the very descendants he was promised. Cf. 2 Macc 7.28. Here Paul works with the concept of the “merit of the fathers” (cf. 11.28–29; Lev 26.40–45), that is, with Abraham inheriting what was promised, which for Paul includes those from the other nations who are now turning to God in Christ as well as those who have been faithful to God as Israelites all along.

16
:
It
, i.e., the promised inheritance;
faith
, or faithfulness.
Descendants
, lit., “seed”;
adherents of the law,
“adherents” not in Gk.

17
: Gen 17.5.
In whom he believed,
or to whom he was being faithful.

18
–19
: Gen 15.5; 17.2–7, and drawing from vv. 15–27. Abraham was faithful to hope what was “promised” would take place; see Gen 21.1–8.

20
–21
:
Faith
(Gk “pistis”), the translation should highlight the meaning “faithfulness” rather than “faith,” because Paul is defining a continuum of decisions and concomitant actions based on trust in God’s promises. See Gen 17.1,17–22. Paul may be alluding to Abraham’s willingness to be circumcised as an act of faithfulness toward being able to father this promised child.
Waver,
or quarrel;
strong,
or able.

22
:
His faith,
not in Gk. Gen 15.6, referring back to Rom 4.3.

24
:
But for ours also
, or but also because of us, making the analogy between Abraham’s faith and that of Paul’s contemporaries among the followers of Jesus.
Who believe in him,
or who are faithful to him [God].

25
:
To death,
not in Gk.

5.1
–21: The faithfulness of God in Christ.
The privileges now gained by these Gentiles should lead to celebration and service rather than judging others. God’s Spirit will enable those dedicated to this way of life even if they are not circumcised. Christ (through resurrection) broke a chain of death that began with Adam; now those in Christ are to live responsibly according to a new chain of life, not groping for self-satisfaction, but assured that God will provide.

1
–11
: This passage appears to be the voice of a Christ-following Gentile dialogue partner (“we” and “us”), drawing conclusions from what Paul has argued about their equal standing with Jews to this point, or of Paul speaking inclusively for them. Paul explains who they are and how they are to walk in the footsteps of Abraham when he was not yet circumcised (i.e., before circumcision [or Torah]; 4.12).

1
:
We have
, or let us have; see translators’ note
c
.

2
:
Grace,
or favor/benefaction. The concept of benefaction revolves around a reciprocal relationship involving a patron having the resources to give to clients gifts (such as work) beyond the means of those receiving them to repay precisely in kind; instead they repay from their means, including by the expression of loyalty (faithfulness), making known the honor and good deeds of the patron, etc.
And we
, other ancient authorities add “by faith/faithfulness.”

3
:
But we
, other ancient authorities have “but let us.”

5
:
Does not disappoint us
, lit., “is not ashamed.”
Holy Spirit
, capitalized to indicate its divine origin (see 1.4; 8.2). The later Christian doctrine of the Holy Spirit as a “person” in the Trinity is not necessarily implied here.

9
:
Wrath of God,
“of God,” not in Gk.

10
:
Enemies,
lit., “alienated ones.”
Saved,
or rescued. These non-Jews were formerly alienated from God, worshipping idols, the state of the nations Paul described in 1.18–32.

12–17
: Adam as sinner (similarly, see Wis 2.24; 2 Esd 3.21,26;
2 Bar
. 54.15), vs. Christ as obedient.
Law
(“nomos”), here does not likely refer to Torah, which was not given until Moses. The principle is that one cannot “miss the mark” (sin/err; Heb “
ḥt
’”) until a mark has been set by a convention (“nomos”), and once it has been set and missed, the consequence is distance (death) from the one the convention’s ideals express (God). Once Adam sinned, death became a reality for all his descendants, whether they sinned like Adam, or not (e.g., Christ). Adam illustrates the results of sin, i.e., failure to trust the reality of God’s command not to eat of the tree of knowledge, and thus he brought about death for all his descendants, just as Christ illustrates the results of faithfulness, trusting God, and thus gaining justification/righteousness for all his spiritual descendants.

13
:
Sin … law,
there was, in fact, sin (errors made) even when moral conventions had not yet been established, but it was not possible to take note of sin when moral conventions were not present.
Before the law,
no article in Gk; or before convention;
no law,
or no convention.

14
:
Transgression
, or sidestepping; Gentiles are [metaphorically] sidestepping circumcision yet becoming members of Abraham’s family.
A type
, a model.

15
–18
:
Free gift
, benefaction; “free” not in Gk.
Trespass
, misstep.
Grace
, or favor.

18
:
Led to condemnation
, led to a sentence of death.
Justification and life,
“and” not in Gk; lit., “justified living.”

21
:
Eternal life
, see 2.7n.

6.1
–23: The faithful obedience of life in Christ.
The argument is continued in diatribe style, though the particular speakers are sometimes not clear (see “Diatribe,” p.
257
). Gentiles who have turned to God because of the faithfulness of Christ are obliged to live faithfully to the new life; although they are technically not under Torah since they are not Israelites/Jews, they are to dedicate themselves to righteousness. It is self-evident that those from the nations who have turned to God because of the faithfulness of Christ are obliged to be faithful to the new life that this initiates, a life no longer dominated by the judgmentalism of sin and death but by the service of doing what is right. Just as those from the other nations lived in Adam, now they are to live in Christ. Although these ones faithful to Christ are not under Torah, since they are from the other nations and not circumcised, they are to dedicate themselves to righteousness. It is possible that the issue revolves around how these males are to signify their standing as righteous ones apart from circumcision. Thus, in euphemistic terms, even though foreskinned, they are responsible to dedicate their limbs not to the patterns of sin and death described in 1.18–32, for they are set apart to God and to righteous living.

1
: It may be that the Gentile interlocutor responds to Paul’s argument in ch 5.

3
:
Death
, presumably death to sin.

5
:
For if
, or for since.

7
:
Freed
, lit., “justified.”

8
:
Believe
, or trust.

10
:
Died to sin … lives to God
, perhaps meaning that as far as sin is concerned, Christ is as if dead and therefore impervious; as far as God is concerned, Christ is alive.
Once for all,
though the death was a singular event in the past, it is operative (in a way not specified) on behalf of anyone and everyone now.

11
: Cf. 4 Macc 7.19.

12
:
To make you obey their passions
, or, to listen obediently [to] its covetousnesses/intense lusts. Paul thinks the body needs to be tamed.

13
:
Members
, lit., “limbs”; by extension, organs (1 Cor 12.14). Paul may be personifying the “limbs” to refer to the penis that has been in dispute, and thus, to the implications for Gentiles: see Philo,
Migr
. 92: “because the rite of circumcision is an emblem of the excision of pleasures and of all the passions”;
Spec. Laws
1.8–10;
Virtues
214.