OET interlinear ROM 3:5

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: grammar-connect-words-phrases

εἰ δὲ

if but

In this verse, Paul is speaking as if he were an unbelieving Jew and is challenging the statement that Paul made in the previous verse. But here indicates that what follows is a response to what Paul said in the previous verse. If it might be helpful in your language, you could state this explicitly. Alternate translation: “If indeed that is true” or “Now if”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / quotemarks

εἰ δὲ ἡ ἀδικία ἡμῶν, Θεοῦ δικαιοσύνην συνίστησιν, τί ἐροῦμεν? μὴ ἄδικος ὁ Θεὸς, ὁ ἐπιφέρων τὴν ὀργήν?

if but the unrighteousness ˱of˲_us ˱of˲_God /the/_righteousness /is/_demonstrating what ˱we˲_/will_be/_saying not unrighteous_‹is› ¬the God the_‹one› inflicting the wrath

In these sentences Paul is speaking as if he 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 3 topic: grammar-connect-condition-hypothetical

εἰ & ἡ ἀδικία ἡμῶν, Θεοῦ δικαιοσύνην συνίστησιν, τί ἐροῦμεν?

if & the unrighteousness ˱of˲_us ˱of˲_God /the/_righteousness /is/_demonstrating what ˱we˲_/will_be/_saying

Paul is using a hypothetical situation to develop the argument that an unbelieving Jew would make. Alternate translation: “suppose our unrighteousness commends the righteousness of God. Then what will we say”

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / exclusive

ἡμῶν & ἐροῦμεν

˱of˲_us & ˱we˲_/will_be/_saying

Here, our and we are used exclusively to speak of Paul and other Jews. Your language may require you to mark these forms. Alternate translation: “Jewish … will we Jews say”

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

ἡ ἀδικία ἡμῶν, Θεοῦ δικαιοσύνην

the unrighteousness ˱of˲_us ˱of˲_God /the/_righteousness

If your language does not use abstract nouns for the ideas of unrighteousness or righteousness, you could express these ideas in another way. Alternate translation: “how unrighteous we are … how righteous God is”

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / rquestion

μὴ ἄδικος ὁ Θεὸς, ὁ ἐπιφέρων τὴν ὀργήν?

not unrighteous_‹is› ¬the God the_‹one› inflicting the wrath

In this sentence Paul is not asking for information, but is using this question here to express an objection that a Jew might have to what Paul said in the previous verse. This sentence is also the answer to the hypothetical question that precedes it. 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: “God certainly cannot be unrighteousness for imposing his wrath!”

Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / infostructure

εἰ & ἡ ἀδικία ἡμῶν, Θεοῦ δικαιοσύνην συνίστησιν, τί ἐροῦμεν? μὴ ἄδικος ὁ Θεὸς, ὁ ἐπιφέρων τὴν ὀργήν?

if & the unrighteousness ˱of˲_us ˱of˲_God /the/_righteousness /is/_demonstrating what ˱we˲_/will_be/_saying not unrighteous_‹is› ¬the God the_‹one› inflicting the wrath

If it would be more natural in your language, you could combine the hypothetical conditional statement of the first sentence with the rhetorical question of the second sentence. Alternate translation: “if our unrighteousness commends the righteousness of God, then we certainly cannot say that God is unrighteousness for imposing his wrath!”

Note 8 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy

ὁ ἐπιφέρων τὴν ὀργήν

¬the the_‹one› inflicting the wrath

Here Paul uses imposing his wrath to refer to the outcome of God’s anger, which is carried out by judging and punishing people because they are unrighteous. See how you translated the same use of wrath in 1:18.

Note 9 topic: figures-of-speech / aside

(κατὰ ἄνθρωπον λέγω.)

according_to human_origin ˱I˲_/am/_speaking

Paul could be saying this as an aside in order to show that he is not trying to challenge the righteousness of God. If this would be confusing in your language, you could add parentheses, as seen in the ULT, or use a natural way in your language to indicate an aside. Alternate translation: “I am reasoning like a human being”

Note 10 topic: figures-of-speech / idiom

(κατὰ ἄνθρωπον λέγω.)

according_to human_origin ˱I˲_/am/_speaking

Here, the phrase according to men is an idiom meaning “the way people do” or “like a human being.” If it would be helpful in your language, you could use an equivalent idiom or use plain language. Alternate translation: “I speak based on how human beings perceive things” or “I speak according to mere human reasoning”