InterlinearVerse GEN EXO LEV NUM DEUT JOB YEHO (JOS) HERO (JDG) RUTH 1 SAM 2 SAM PSA AMOS HOS 1 KI 2 KI 1 CHR 2 CHR PROV ECC SNG YOEL (JOEL) MIC ISA ZEP HAB YIR (JER) LAM YNA (JNA) NAH OBAD DAN EZEK EZRA EST NEH HAG ZEC MAL 2 PS WIS TOB MAN BAR G DAN G ESD L ESD ESG JDT 3 MAC SIR 1 MAC 2 MAC 4 MAC YHN (JHN) MARK MAT LUKE ACTs YAC (JAM) GAL 1 TH 2 TH 1 COR 2 COR ROM COL LAOD PHM EPH PHP 1 TIM TIT 1 PET 2 PET 2 TIM HEB YUD (JUD) 1 YHN (1 JHN) 2 YHN (2 JHN) 3 YHN (3 JHN) REV
InterlinearVerse Rom C1 C2 C3 C4 C5 C6 C7 C8 C9 C10 C11 C12 C14 C15 C16
Rom 13 V1 V2 V4 V5 V6 V7 V8 V9 V10 V11 V12 V13 V14
OET-LV For/Because the rulers not are a_fear the to_good work, but the to_evil.
And you_are_wanting not to_be_fearing the authority?
The good be_practicing, and you_will_be_having praise from him.
OET (OET-RV) because rulers don’t evoke fear in people doing good, just those doing evil. Oh, so you don’t want to be afraid of the authorities? Then do good, and you’ll receive praise from them instead,
In this section, Paul told believers that they must submit to government officials, because God gave the officials the authority to rule. Fighting the government is fighting the thing that God put in place. Only people who do evil need to fear the government. The believer must do good. The government will approve those deeds. But if the believer does what is wrong, he or she should fear the government. It makes happen God’s anger against those who do evil. Submitting to the government helps avoid God’s anger and keeps our conscience clear.
Believers also should pay government taxes and fees. They should respect and honor the leaders.
Here are other possible headings for this section:
Our attitude toward the government
Our relationship with the government
For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad.
For leaders are not people who cause fear in people who do good things/deeds, but those who do bad.
For those leaders are a source of fear for people doing bad deeds, not to people doing good deeds.
For: This word introduces an explanation of incurring judgment in 13:2b.
rulers: This word refers to the governing authorities in 13:1–2. Using this new word, some languages might need to explicitly connect it to those people in 13:1–2. For example:
those rulers
are not a terror: This refers to not being someone that people are afraid of. Some languages must explain how the word terror is used here. For example:
are not a cause of fear (NABRE)
are not people to be feared
terror: This word generally means “fear.” Here it refers to the fear of being caught and punished for doing something bad.
to good conduct: Here the word conduct refers to what one does. For example:
to good deeds/behavior
In some languages it will be more natural to make explicit that it is people doing this good conduct. For example:
to people who do good things
but to bad: This indicates that rulers are a terror to people who have bad conduct. Some languages must add some or all of the words missing from the Greek and the English. For example:
but to bad conduct
but to the one who does evil
but he is a terror to the person who has bad conduct
Do you want to be unafraid of the one in authority?
Do you(sing) want to not fear someone with authority?
If you(plur) do not want to be afraid of a government authority,
Do you want to be unafraid of the one in authority?: The Greek is more literally “Do you(sing) want to not fear the authority?” It is a rhetorical question. It introduces the topic of how to have no fear of people in authority. Paul himself answered how in 13:3c. Here are other ways to translate these words:
Do you want to have no fear of authority?
Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? (NIV)
if you want to live with no fear of authority (NJB)
Then do what is right,
Then do(sing) good deeds,
you(plur) must do good things,
Then do what is right: The Greek is more literally “Do the good.” It is the answer to how to not fear people in authority. Here are other ways to translate this clause:
Do good (NET)
Then you must do good deeds/things
right: The Greek word refers to what is morally good. For example, helping the poor is morally good, but stealing is not, even though the thief might think it is good for himself.
and you will have his approval.
and you will have praise from him.
and the leader will say you are good.
you will have his approval: The Greek is literally “you(sing) will have praise from it.” The word “it” refers to the authority in 13:3b and implies the person holding that authority. Here the word his refers in general to that person. Here are other ways to translate this clause:
he will commend you (NIV)
they will praise you (GNT)
approval: This word refers to words saying someone is good. Here it is praise for doing good.
Note 1 topic: grammar-connect-words-phrases
γὰρ
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: οἱ Γάρ ἄρχοντες οὐκ εἰσίν φόβος τῷ ἀγαθῷ ἔργῳ ἀλλά τῷ κακῷ θέλεις Δέ μή φοβεῖσθαι τήν ἐξουσίαν Τό ἀγαθόν ποίει καί ἕξεις ἔπαινον ἐξ αὐτῆς)
For indicates that what follows this word explains what came before it. For here indicates that what follows in this verse explains what Paul said in the previous verse. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a different expression. Alternate translation: [In fact,]
Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns
φόβος & τὴν ἐξουσίαν? τὸ ἀγαθὸν & ἕξεις ἔπαινον
˓a˒_fear & (Some words not found in SR-GNT: οἱ Γάρ ἄρχοντες οὐκ εἰσίν φόβος τῷ ἀγαθῷ ἔργῳ ἀλλά τῷ κακῷ θέλεις Δέ μή φοβεῖσθαι τήν ἐξουσίαν Τό ἀγαθόν ποίει καί ἕξεις ἔπαινον ἐξ αὐτῆς)
If your language does not use abstract nouns for the ideas of terror, authority, good, and praise, you could express the same ideas in another way. Alternate translation: [terrifying … whom God has authorized … good things … you will be praised]
Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit
τῷ ἀγαθῷ ἔργῳ & τῷ κακῷ
¬the ˱to˲_good work & ¬the ˱to˲_evil
Here, the good deed and the evil deed refer to the people who do those deeds. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state this explicitly. Alternate translation: [to those who do the good deed … to those who do the evil deed]
Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / rquestion
θέλεις δὲ μὴ φοβεῖσθαι τὴν ἐξουσίαν
˱you˲_˓are˒_wanting (Some words not found in SR-GNT: οἱ Γάρ ἄρχοντες οὐκ εἰσίν φόβος τῷ ἀγαθῷ ἔργῳ ἀλλά τῷ κακῷ θέλεις Δέ μή φοβεῖσθαι τήν ἐξουσίαν Τό ἀγαθόν ποίει καί ἕξεις ἔπαινον ἐξ αὐτῆς)
Paul is not asking for information, but is using the question form here to emphasize the truth of what he is saying. If you would not use a rhetorical question for this purpose in your language, you could translate his words as a statement or an exclamation and communicate the emphasis in another way. Alternate translation: [Now this is how you cannot fear the authority:]
Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive
ἕξεις ἔπαινον
˱you˲_˓will_be˒_having praise
If your language does not use the passive form in this way, you can state this in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: [the authorities will praise you]
Note 6 topic: grammar-connect-logic-result
ἐξ αὐτῆς
from him
Here, from indicates the reason why you will have praise. Use a natural way in your language for indicating a reason. Alternate translation: [because of it]
OET-LV For/Because the rulers not are a_fear the to_good work, but the to_evil.
And you_are_wanting not to_be_fearing the authority?
The good be_practicing, and you_will_be_having praise from him.
OET (OET-RV) because rulers don’t evoke fear in people doing good, just those doing evil. Oh, so you don’t want to be afraid of the authorities? Then do good, and you’ll receive praise from them instead,
Note: The OET-RV is still only a first draft, and so far only a few words have been (mostly automatically) matched to the Hebrew or Greek words that they’re translated from.
Acknowledgements: The SR Greek text, lemmas, morphology, and VLT gloss are all thanks to the CNTR.
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