OET interlinear ROM 3:4

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

μὴ γένοιτο

never ˱it˲_/might/_become

In this verse Paul responds to the rhetorical questions he wrote in the previous verse. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state this explicitly. Alternate translation: “I would respond by saying, ‘May it never be!’”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / exclamations

μὴ γένοιτο

never ˱it˲_/might/_become

May it never be is an exclamation that communicates a strong prohibition. Use an exclamation that is natural in your language for communicating a strong prohibition. Alternate translation: “Absolutely not” or “Certainly not”

Note 3 topic: grammar-connect-logic-contrast

δὲ

and

Instead here indicates that what follows is a contrast to the idea in the previous verse that unfaithful Jews could “nullify the faithfulness of God.” Use a natural way in your language for introducing a contrast. Alternate translation: “But” or “However”

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / imperative

γινέσθω & ὁ Θεὸς ἀληθής

/let_be/_becoming & ¬the God true

Here, let God be true is an imperative phrase, but this is not a command. Instead, Paul is exclaiming that people must consider that God is always truthful regardless of what people think. Use a form in your language that would be used in this type of situation. Alternate translation: “let people always know that God is true” or “may people always declare that God is true”

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

πᾶς & ἄνθρωπος ψεύστης

every & person /a/_liar

If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of liar, you could express the same idea in another way. Alternate translation: “every man lies”

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / ellipsis

πᾶς & ἄνθρωπος ψεύστης

every & person /a/_liar

Paul is leaving out some words that a sentence would need in many languages to be complete. If it would be helpful in your language, you could supply these words from the previous clause. Alternate translation: “let every man be a liar”

Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / gendernotations

πᾶς & ἄνθρωπος

every & person

Although the term man is masculine, Paul is using the word here in a generic sense that includes both men and women. Alternate translation: “every person”

Note 8 topic: writing-quotations

καθὼς γέγραπται

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: μὴ γένοιτο γινέσθω δὲ ὁ Θεὸς ἀληθής πᾶς δὲ ἄνθρωπος ψεύστης καθάπερ γέγραπται ὅπως ἂν δικαιωθῇς ἐν τοῖς λόγοις σου καὶ νικήσεις ἐν τῷ κρίνεσθαί σε)

See how you translated this phrase in 1:17.

Note 9 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive

καθὼς γέγραπται

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: μὴ γένοιτο γινέσθω δὲ ὁ Θεὸς ἀληθής πᾶς δὲ ἄνθρωπος ψεύστης καθάπερ γέγραπται ὅπως ἂν δικαιωθῇς ἐν τοῖς λόγοις σου καὶ νικήσεις ἐν τῷ κρίνεσθαί σε)

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. If you must state who did the action, the quotation was written by David. Alternate translation: “just as David wrote”

Note 10 topic: figures-of-speech / quotemarks

ὅπως ἂν δικαιωθῇς ἐν τοῖς λόγοις σου, καὶ νικήσεις ἐν τῷ κρίνεσθαί σε

so_that ¬wishfully ˱you˲_/may_be/_justified in the words ˱of˲_you and ˱you˲_/will_be/_overcoming in the_‹time› /to_be_being/_judged you

This sentence is a quotation from Psalm 51:4. 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 11 topic: grammar-connect-logic-result

ὅπως

so_that

So that indicates that what follows is the result of what David had written previously in Psalm 51:4, which is about how David had sinned. Paul assumes that his readers would be familiar with the earlier part of that verse. Use a natural way in your language for indicating result. Alternate translation: “I have sinned so that” or “Because of my sin”

Note 12 topic: figures-of-speech / yousingular

ὅπως ἂν δικαιωθῇς ἐν τοῖς λόγοις σου, καὶ νικήσεις ἐν τῷ κρίνεσθαί σε

so_that ¬wishfully ˱you˲_/may_be/_justified in the words ˱of˲_you and ˱you˲_/will_be/_overcoming in the_‹time› /to_be_being/_judged you

In this sentence, you and your refer to God and are singular. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state this explicitly, as in the UST.

Note 13 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive

δικαιωθῇς & ἐν τῷ κρίνεσθαί σε

˱you˲_/may_be/_justified & in the_‹time› /to_be_being/_judged you

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: “people would acknowledge how righteous you are … when people attempt to judge you” or “you would prove yourself to be righteous … when others try to judge you”

Note 14 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy

ἐν τοῖς λόγοις σου

in the words ˱of˲_you

Paul records David using words to describe the things that God said by using words. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “in what you say”