ROM 3:3 Interlinear View

1. Greek word
2. Greek lemma
3. OET-LV words
4. OET-RV words
5. Strongs
6. Role/Morphology
7. OET Gloss
8. VLT Gloss
9. CAPS codes
10. Confidence
11. OET tags
12. OET word #
1. τί
2. tis
3. what
4. -
5. 51010
6. R····NNS
7. what
8. what
9. -
10. Y60
11. 106184
1. Γάρ
2. gar
3. For/Because
4. -
5. 10630
6. C·······
7. for
8. for
9. S
10. Y60
11. 106185
1. εἰ
2. ei
3. if
4. -
5. 14870
6. C·······
7. if
8. if
9. -
10. Y60
11. 106186
1. ἠπείθησαν
2. apeitheō
3. -
4. -
5. 5440
6. VIAA3··P
7. disbelieved
8. disbelieved
9. -
10. -
11. 106187
1. ἠπίστησαν
2. apisteō
3. disbelieved
4. -
5. 5690
6. VIAA3··P
7. disbelieved
8. disbelieved
9. -
10. Y60
11. 106188
1. τινές
2. tis
3. some
4. -
5. 51000
6. R····NMP
7. some
8. some
9. -
10. Y60; F106193
11. 106189
1. Μή
2. mē
3. Not
4. -
5. 33610
6. T·······
7. not
8. not
9. S
10. Y60
11. 106190
1. ἡ
2. ho
3. the
4. -
5. 35880
6. E····NFS
7. the
8. the
9. -
10. Y60
11. 106191
1. ἀπιστία
2. apistia
3. unbelief
4. unbelief
5. 5700
6. N····NFS
7. unbelief
8. unbelief
9. -
10. Y60
11. 106192
1. αὐτῶν
2. autos
3. of them
4. -
5. 8460
6. R···3GMP
7. ˱of˲ them
8. ˱of˲ them
9. -
10. Y60; R106189
11. 106193
1. τήν
2. ho
3. the
4. -
5. 35880
6. E····AFS
7. the
8. the
9. -
10. Y60
11. 106194
1. πίστιν
2. pistis
3. faith
4. faith
5. 41020
6. N····AFS
7. faith
8. faith
9. -
10. Y60
11. 106195
1. τοῦ
2. ho
3. the
4. -
5. 35880
6. E····GMS
7. ¬the
8. ¬the
9. -
10. Y60
11. 106196
1. Θεοῦ
2. theos
3. of god
4. God
5. 23160
6. N····GMS
7. ˱of˲ god
8. ˱of˲ God
9. GN
10. Y60; Person=God
11. 106197
1. καταργήσει
2. katargeō
3. will be nullifying
4. -
5. 26730
6. VIFA3··S
7. ˓will_be˒ nullifying
8. ˓will_be˒ nullifying
9. -
10. Y60; F106200
11. 106198

SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 3:1–8: God is faithful and righteous

In chapter two, Paul spoke about some wrong ideas that the Jews had. In this section, Paul spoke to someone, probably a Jew, who might think that Paul implied that God was unfaithful to his covenant with the Jews. Paul showed that regardless of how God’s people had behaved, God was always faithful to what he said.

Keep in mind that Paul himself was a Jew. He knew how Jews thought, and he knew how to answer their objections.

Here are other possible headings for this section:

God is faithful to his covenant even if his people are not

God keeps his word and does what is right

3:3a–b

What if some did not have faith? Will their lack of faith nullify God’s faithfulness?: The Greek New Testament punctuates this verse so that it reads: “What then? If some were unfaithful, will their unfaithfulness nullify the faithfulness of God?” The beginning two words are the same as in Philippians 1:18. Many scholars support this punctuation, but few English versions do. Many English versions support the punctuation as in the BSB.

3:3a

What if some did not have faith?

What if some of them did not keep their agreement with God?
Some Jews broke their promise to God, what about them/that?

What if some did not have faith?: This is a rhetorical question. It introduces the fact that some Jews were unfaithful. Paul’s readers knew that. But it causes the readers to think about that fact. Translate it with that meaning. Here are some ways:

As a rhetorical question. For example:
But what if some of them were not faithful? (GNT)
As a statement. For example:
some of them were unfaithful (NLT)

did not have faith: There are two ways to interpret the Greek word that the BSB translates as did not have faith:

It means be unfaithful or fail to act in a loyal way here. The Jews made a covenant with God but some of them later broke that promise and stopped following it. For example:
were not faithful (GNT) (ESV, RSV, NIV11, GNT, NJB, NABRE, NLT, GW, REB, NCV)
It means do not believe. Some Jews refused to believe in God’s message (3:2c). For example:
did not believe (NASB) (BSB, NIV84, NASB, CEV, NET, KJV)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), because the contrast in 3:3–4 is between God being faithful to his promises, and the Jews not being faithful to theirs.Moo, Schreiner, and Morris support interpretation (1).

3:3b–4a

Will their lack of faith nullify God’s faithfulness? Certainly not!: This is a rhetorical question and its answer. The rhetorical question causes the reader to think of what might be the answer. Paul then told what the answer was. Here are some ways to translate this:

As a rhetorical question and its answer. For example:
Will their lack of faith cancel the faithfulness of God? ⁴Certainly not! (REB)
As a statement. You will need to combine 3:3 and 3:4. For example:
^3–4What if some lacked faith? Their lack of faith certainly does not cancel/nullify the faithfulness of God.…

3:3b

Will their lack of faith nullify God’s faithfulness?

Will their unfaithfulness cancel God’s faithfulness?
Them breaking their promise to God does not cause God to break his promises.

Will their lack of faith: The word that the BSB translates as lack of faith is the noun form of the word translated “did not have faith” in 3:3a. You should follow the same interpretation choice here as in 3:3a. For example:

Does the fact that they were not faithful

nullify: This word means “to make ineffective/useless.” Some Jews broke their promises, but that did not make God break his promises. Here are other ways to translate this word:

cancel (NJB)

destroy/ruin

But even so, God nonetheless stayed/remained keeping his word/promise.Uma Back Translation on TW.

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: grammar-connect-logic-result

γάρ

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: τί Γάρ εἰ ἠπίστησαν τινές Μή ἡ ἀπιστία αὐτῶν τήν πίστιν τοῦ Θεοῦ καταργήσει)

For here indicates that what follows is a response to what Paul said in the previous verse. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state this explicitly. Alternate translation: [If these things are true, then]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / rquestion

τί & εἰ ἠπίστησάν τινες? μὴ ἡ ἀπιστία αὐτῶν, τὴν πίστιν τοῦ Θεοῦ καταργήσει?

what & if (Some words not found in SR-GNT: τί Γάρ εἰ ἠπίστησαν τινές Μή ἡ ἀπιστία αὐτῶν τήν πίστιν τοῦ Θεοῦ καταργήσει)

In this verse Paul is not asking for information, but is using these two questions here to express the objections that a Jew might have to what Paul said in the previous verse. 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: [But some of them were unfaithful! Their unfaithfulness surely cannot nullify the faithfulness of God!]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / quotemarks

τί γάρ εἰ ἠπίστησάν τινες? μὴ ἡ ἀπιστία αὐτῶν, τὴν πίστιν τοῦ Θεοῦ καταργήσει?

what (Some words not found in SR-GNT: τί Γάρ εἰ ἠπίστησαν τινές Μή ἡ ἀπιστία αὐτῶν τήν πίστιν τοῦ Θεοῦ καταργήσει)

In this verse Paul is speaking as if he himself were a non-Christian Jew arguing against Paul. It may be helpful to your readers to indicate this by setting off all of this material with quotation marks or with whatever punctuation or convention your language uses to indicate a quotation.

Note 4 topic: writing-pronouns

τινες

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: τί Γάρ εἰ ἠπίστησαν τινές Μή ἡ ἀπιστία αὐτῶν τήν πίστιν τοῦ Θεοῦ καταργήσει)

The pronoun some refers to some Jewish people. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state this explicitly. Alternate translation: [some Jewish people]

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

μὴ ἡ ἀπιστία αὐτῶν, τὴν πίστιν τοῦ Θεοῦ καταργήσει

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: τί Γάρ εἰ ἠπίστησαν τινές Μή ἡ ἀπιστία αὐτῶν τήν πίστιν τοῦ Θεοῦ καταργήσει)

If your language does not use abstract nouns for the ideas of unfaithfulness or faithfulness, you could express the same ideas in another way. Alternate translation: [The fact that they are unfaithful will not nullify God’s faithful acts, will it]

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / possession

τὴν πίστιν τοῦ Θεοῦ

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: τί Γάρ εἰ ἠπίστησαν τινές Μή ἡ ἀπιστία αὐτῶν τήν πίστιν τοῦ Θεοῦ καταργήσει)

Paul is using the possessive form to describe the faithfulness that characterizes God. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a different expression. Alternate translation: [the faithfulness that characterizes God]

OET-LV English word order (‘Reverse’ interlinear)

1. OET-LV words
2. OET-RV words
3. Strongs
4. Greek word
5. Greek lemma
6. Role/Morphology
7. OET Gloss
8. VLT Gloss
9. CAPS codes
10. Confidence
11. OET tags
12. OET word #
1. For/Because
2. -
3. 10630
4. S
5. gar
6. C-·······
7. for
8. for
9. S
10. Y60
11. 106185
1. what
2. -
3. 51010
5. tis
6. R-····NNS
7. what
8. what
9. -
10. Y60
11. 106184
1. if
2. -
3. 14870
5. ei
6. C-·······
7. if
8. if
9. -
10. Y60
11. 106186
1. disbelieved
2. -
3. 5690
5. apisteō
6. V-IAA3··P
7. disbelieved
8. disbelieved
9. -
10. Y60
11. 106188
1. some
2. -
3. 51000
5. tis
6. R-····NMP
7. some
8. some
9. -
10. Y60; F106193
11. 106189
1. Not
2. -
3. 33610
4. S
5. mē
6. T-·······
7. not
8. not
9. S
10. Y60
11. 106190
1. the
2. -
3. 35880
5. ho
6. E-····NFS
7. the
8. the
9. -
10. Y60
11. 106191
1. unbelief
2. unbelief
3. 5700
5. apistia
6. N-····NFS
7. unbelief
8. unbelief
9. -
10. Y60
11. 106192
1. of them
2. -
3. 8460
5. autos
6. R-···3GMP
7. ˱of˲ them
8. ˱of˲ them
9. -
10. Y60; R106189
11. 106193
1. the
2. -
3. 35880
5. ho
6. E-····AFS
7. the
8. the
9. -
10. Y60
11. 106194
1. faith
2. faith
3. 41020
5. pistis
6. N-····AFS
7. faith
8. faith
9. -
10. Y60
11. 106195
1. of
2. God
3. 23160
4. GN
5. theos
6. N-····GMS
7. ˱of˲ god
8. ˱of˲ God
9. GN
10. Y60; Person=God
11. 106197
1. the
2. -
3. 35880
5. ho
6. E-····GMS
7. ¬the
8. ¬the
9. -
10. Y60
11. 106196
1. god
2. God
3. 23160
4. GN
5. theos
6. N-····GMS
7. ˱of˲ god
8. ˱of˲ God
9. GN
10. Y60; Person=God
11. 106197
1. will be nullifying
2. -
3. 26730
5. katargeō
6. V-IFA3··S
7. ˓will_be˒ nullifying
8. ˓will_be˒ nullifying
9. -
10. Y60; F106200
11. 106198

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.

OET interlinear ROM 3:3

SR Greek word order (including unused variant words in grey)

Section 3:1–8: God is faithful and righteous

3:3a–b

3:3a

3:3b–4a

3:3b

OET-LV English word order (‘Reverse’ interlinear)