ROM 4:1 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····ANS
7. what
8. what
9. -
10. Y60
11. 106618
1. Οὖν
2. oun
3. Therefore
4. So
5. 37670
6. C·······
7. therefore
8. therefore
9. PS
10. Y60
11. 106619
1. ἐροῦμεν
2. legō
3. we will be saying
4. -
5. 30040
6. VIFA1··P
7. ˱we˲ ˓will_be˒ saying
8. ˱we˲ ˓will_be˒ saying
9. -
10. Y60; R105120; Person=Paul; R105362; R106164
11. 106620
1. εὑρηκέναι
2. euriskō
3. to have found
4. -
5. 21470
6. VNEA····
7. ˓to_have˒ found
8. ˓to_have˒ found
9. -
10. Y60
11. 106621
1. Ἀβραάμ
2. abraam
3. Abraʼam/(ʼAⱱrāhām)
4. Abraham
5. 110
6. N····AMS
7. Abraʼam/(ʼAⱱrāhām)
8. Abraham
9. U
10. Person=Abraham; Y60
11. 106622
1. τόν
2. ho
3. the
4. -
5. 35880
6. E····AMS
7. the
8. the
9. -
10. Y60
11. 106623
1. προπάτορα
2. propatōr
3. forefather
4. -
5. 43105
6. N····AMS
7. forefather
8. forefather
9. -
10. Y60
11. 106624
1. πατέρα
2. patēr
3. -
4. -
5. 39620
6. N····AMS
7. father
8. father
9. -
10. -
11. 106625
1. ἡμῶν
2. egō
3. of us
4. our
5. 14730
6. R···1G·P
7. ˱of˲ us
8. ˱of˲ us
9. -
10. Y60; R105120; Person=Paul; R105362; R106164
11. 106626
1. εὑρηκέναι
2. euriskō
3. -
4. -
5. 21470
6. VNEA····
7. ˓to_have˒ found
8. ˓to_have˒ found
9. -
10. -
11. 106627
1. κατά
2. kata
3. according to
4. -
5. 25960
6. P·······
7. according_to
8. according_to
9. -
10. Y60
11. 106628
1. σάρκα
2. sarka
3. +the flesh
4. -
5. 45610
6. N····AFS
7. ˓the˒ flesh
8. ˓the˒ flesh
9. -
10. Y60
11. 106629

SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 4:1–12: God considers/calls people righteous like he did with Abraham

God called Abraham righteous because he believed what God told him (Genesis 15:1–6). In this section, Paul used that example to show that all people must believe in God for him to call them righteous. He did that for Abraham before Abraham was circumcised. So that shows that God makes people right with himself because they believe in him and not because they are circumcised.

Here are other possible headings for this section:

The Example of Abraham (GNT)

God called Abraham righteous because he believed

Abraham is/as an example of how to become righteous before God

The lesson/model of God calling Abraham righteous because he believed God

4:1a

What then shall we say that Abraham,

¶ So then, what shall we^(incl) say about what Abraham discovered,
¶ So/Then, think about what we can say about Abraham,

4:1b

our forefather, has discovered?

the ancestor from whom we are descended physically? (NJB)
our^(excl) ancestor of long ago according to human descent, and what he learned.

4:1a–b

What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather, has discovered?: This is a rhetorical question. It introduces a new subject, the example of Abraham. It causes the listener to think about what the answer might be. Translate this rhetorical question with that meaning. Here are some ways:

As a rhetorical question. For example:
What can we say that we have discovered about our ancestor Abraham? (GW)
As a statement. For example:
So then, here is what we can say about our ancestor Abraham according to human/natural descent:

What then shall we say: The word then indicates a connection to previous verses. It introduces an example of being justified by faith alone (3:28).SSA and Morris on TW.

In some languages, the conjunction must be first in the clause. For example:

Then, what shall we say

that Abraham, our forefather, has discovered: There are two issues here.

Issue 1: The text

There is a textual issue here.

Most very old Greek manuscripts have the Greek word that the BSB translates as has discovered. (BSB, ESV, NIV, GNT, NASB, NABRE, NLT, GW, NET, NRSV, NCV, KJV)
One very old Greek manuscript omits this word. (RSV, REB, CEV, NJB)

It is recommended that you follow option (1), because the UBS GNT recommends it.

Issue 2: Meaning

There are two ways to interpret the Greek word that the BSB translates as has discovered:

It means discover or learn here. For example:
Abraham…discovered in this matter (NIV) (BSB, NIV, NLT, NET, NASB, NABRE, GW, KJV, NCV)
It means attain here. For example:
was gained by Abraham (NRSV) (ESV, NRSV)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1).Moo (on TW) says, “Paul asks his readers to contemplate with him what Abraham has found to be the case with respect to the matters he is discussing.” Many other commentators support interpretation (1).

The Greek is literally “Abraham to have discovered.” It is not passive. Here are other ways to translate this clause according to option (1) and interpretation (1) above:

Abraham…What was his experience? (GNT)

Abraham…has found? (NASB)

Abraham…learned about faith? (NCV)

Abraham: Abraham was an important Jewish ancestor, the first of God’s chosen people. God selected him to be the father of a great nation and established his covenant with him. He was greatly respected by the Jews and they called themselves “sons of Abraham.”

our forefather: There is a textual issue in 4:1b: (1) Some Greek manuscripts have the word forefather (BSB, RSV, NIV, NJB, NASB, NLT, GW, CEV, NET, NABRE, REB, ESV). (2) Some Greek manuscripts have the word father (KJV, GNT, NCV). It is recommended that you follow option (1). The word forefather refers to an ancestor of long ago. Some Here are other ways to translate this phrase:

our ancestor (NET)

the father of our people (NCV)

The Greek literally says “our forefather according to the flesh.” The BSB does not translate the phrase “according to the flesh,” but it means “as a human being” here, as in 1:3. It emphasizes the physical rather than spiritual. Here are other ways to translate the phrase “according to the flesh”:

humanly speaking, (JBP)

by natural descent (REB)

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: grammar-connect-logic-result

τί οὖν

what (Some words not found in SR-GNT: τί Οὖν ἐροῦμεν εὑρηκέναι Ἀβραάμ τόν προπάτορα ἡμῶν κατά σάρκα)

Here, then indicates that what follows is a response to what Paul said in the previous chapter, especially what he said in [3:27–31](../03/27.md). See how you translated What then in [3:1](../03/01.md).

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / rquestion

τί οὖν ἐροῦμεν, εὑρηκέναι Ἀβραὰμ τὸν προπάτορα ἡμῶν κατὰ σάρκα

what (Some words not found in SR-GNT: τί Οὖν ἐροῦμεν εὑρηκέναι Ἀβραάμ τόν προπάτορα ἡμῶν κατά σάρκα)

In this verse Paul is not asking for information, but is using a question to express the objections that a Jew might have to what Paul said in the previous chapter, especially what he said in [3:27–31](../03/27.md). 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: [Then we will say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, has surely discovered something!]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / quotemarks

τί οὖν ἐροῦμεν, εὑρηκέναι Ἀβραὰμ τὸν προπάτορα ἡμῶν κατὰ σάρκα

what (Some words not found in SR-GNT: τί Οὖν ἐροῦμεν εὑρηκέναι Ἀβραάμ τόν προπάτορα ἡμῶν κατά σάρκα)

In this verse and the first part of the next verse, 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 4 topic: figures-of-speech / exclusive

ἐροῦμεν

˱we˲_˓will_be˒_saying

In [4:1–9](../04/01.md) Paul uses we exclusively to speak of himself and other Jews. Your language may require you to mark these forms. Alternate translation: [will we Jews say]

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / infostructure

εὑρηκέναι Ἀβραὰμ τὸν προπάτορα ἡμῶν κατὰ σάρκα

˓to_have˒_found (Some words not found in SR-GNT: τί Οὖν ἐροῦμεν εὑρηκέναι Ἀβραάμ τόν προπάτορα ἡμῶν κατά σάρκα)

If it would be more natural in your language, you could reverse the order of these phrases. Alternate translation: [that Abraham has discovered, who is our forefather according to the flesh]

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / idiom

κατὰ σάρκα

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: τί Οὖν ἐροῦμεν εὑρηκέναι Ἀβραάμ τόν προπάτορα ἡμῶν κατά σάρκα)

See how you translated according to the flesh in [1:3](../01/03.md).

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

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 4:1

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

Section 4:1–12: God considers/calls people righteous like he did with Abraham

4:1a

4:1b

4:1a–b

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