OET interlinear ROM 4:17

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / infostructure

καθὼς γέγραπται, ὅτι πατέρα πολλῶν ἐθνῶν τέθεικά σε

as ˱it˲_/has_been/_written ¬that /a/_father ˱of˲_many nations ˱I˲_/have/_appointed you

Here Paul interrupts the sentence he began in the previous verse and inserts these two clauses in order to support his argument. If it would be helpful in your language, you could mark these clauses in a way that shows they are inserted into the middle of a sentence, as in the UST. You could also move these clauses to the end of the verse so that they do not divide the main sentence.

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

καθὼς γέγραπται

as ˱it˲_/has_been/_written

Here Paul uses a quotation from the Old Testament in order to support the statement in the previous verse that Abraham “is the father of us all.” If it would be helpful in your language, you could make the relationship between this verse and the previous verse clearer. Alternate translation: “The fact that Abraham is the father of us all is written in the Scriptures, which say”

Note 3 topic: writing-quotations

καθὼς γέγραπται

as ˱it˲_/has_been/_written

See how you translated this phrase in 1:17.

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive

καθὼς γέγραπται

as ˱it˲_/has_been/_written

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 Moses. Alternate translation: “just as Moses wrote”

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / quotemarks

πατέρα πολλῶν ἐθνῶν τέθεικά σε

/a/_father ˱of˲_many nations ˱I˲_/have/_appointed you

In this clause Paul quotes Genesis 17:5. 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 6 topic: writing-pronouns

τέθεικά σε & ἐπίστευσεν

˱I˲_/have/_appointed you & ˱he˲_believed

The pronoun I refers to God, and you and he refer to Abraham. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state this explicitly. Alternate translation: “I, God, have appointed you, Abraham, as … Abraham trusted”

Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

πατέρα πολλῶν ἐθνῶν

/a/_father ˱of˲_many nations

Paul quotes God using father to refer to Abraham as if he were going to physically produce children who would comprise many nations. God means that Abraham would become the spiritual ancestor of a large number of people from many nations who trust in God as does Abraham. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternative translation: “the spiritual representative of numerous groups of people”

Note 8 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

κατέναντι οὗ ἐπίστευσεν Θεοῦ,

in_front_of whom ˱he˲_believed God

Here Paul continues the sentence from the previous verse that he had interrupted with the first two clauses in this verse. This clause completes the previous statement from the previous verse, “who is the father of us all.” If it would be helpful in your language, you could state this explicitly. You made need to start a new sentence, as in the UST. Alternate translation: “Abraham is the father of us all in the presence of God whom he trusted”

Note 9 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

κατέναντι & Θεοῦ

in_front_of & God

Paul uses in the presence of to refer to Abraham as if he were physically present with God. Paul means that God personally considers Abraham to represent the believers that come from many nations. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternative translation: “according to what God thinks” or “in God’s view”

Note 10 topic: figures-of-speech / distinguish

οὗ ἐπίστευσεν & τοῦ ζῳοποιοῦντος τοὺς νεκροὺς, καὶ καλοῦντος τὰ μὴ ὄντα ὡς ὄντα

whom ˱he˲_believed & the_‹one› giving_life ˱to˲_the dead and calling the_‹things› not being as being

These clauses give further information about God. If it would be helpful in your language, you could make the relationship between these phrases clearer by making new sentences or by another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “This is the God whom he trusted. It is this God who makes the dead live and calls the things not existing as existing”

Note 11 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

καλοῦντος τὰ μὴ ὄντα ὡς ὄντα

calling the_‹things› not being as being

Paul speaks of the things not existing as if God were calling to them. Paul means that God creates things by commanding them to exist, as Moses describes in Genesis 1:3–27. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternative translation: “summons into being things that did not previously exist” or “by speaking, creates things that did not previously exist”