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OET (OET-LV) Not be_presenting the members of_you_all, as_weapons of_unrighteousness to_ the _sin, but present yourselves to_ the _god, as_if from the_dead living, and the members of_you_all, as_weapons of_righteousness to_ the _god.
OET (OET-RV) Don’t be using any parts of your bodies to sin as if they’re weapons of disobedience, but instead present yourselves to God as if you came back to life from the dead, and use all your body parts for God as if they’re weapons of righteousness
In this section, Paul told the believers in Rome that they should not continue to sin, because baptism symbolizes death to sin. Jesus’ resurrection symbolizes the new life that believers can live in. The believers’ old way of life is crucified on the cross of Jesus so that they have no need to follow the desires to sin. Believers will live new lives for God and death no longer rules them, because Jesus died and was raised for them. Therefore believers should consider themselves dead to sin and do the good deeds that God wants them to do. God’s grace removes believers from the rule of sin in their lives.
Here are other possible headings for this section:
Believers are dead to sin, so they must live for God
Dead to Sin, Alive in Christ (NIV)
We are no longer slaves to sin, but God’s servants
Do not present the parts of your body to sin as instruments of wickedness,
Do not offer/give parts of your(plur) body to sin’s reign/rule as tools to do deeds/things that are not right to do,
And do not put any part of yourselves under the control of sin, as if they were something for doing things that are not upright/straight to do.
but present yourselves to God
but rather offer/give yourselves to God for him to rule,
Instead, put yourselves under God for him to lead you,
Do not present the parts of your body to sin: This phrase refers to not giving something to someone for him to control. Believers are not to allow themselves to be controlled by sin. Here are other ways to translate this phrase:
Do not give parts of your body to sin
Do not allow your members to come under the control of sin
the parts of your body: Here the word parts refers to parts of the body. Here it implies deeds done with those parts.Cranfield (page 317) says it refers to any natural ability. Here are other ways to translate this phrase:
your members (ESV)
yourselvesYakan Back Translation on TW.
as instruments of wickedness: Here the word instruments refers to tools. Here it is a metaphor. Like someone uses a screwdriver to tighten a screw, believers are not to use parts of their bodies to do unrighteous or evil deeds.The Greek word can also mean “weapons.” Weapons are tools that have the purpose of hurting others. But that specific purpose does not seem to be in focus here. Here are other ways to translate this phrase:
as tools for doing things that are not right to do
to be something used to do unrighteous deeds
wickedness: This word refers to deeds that God says are not right to do. See the examples above.
as those who have been brought from death to life;
according to you being people once dead but now alive,
for you have left the rule of death and now live the new life.
as those who have been brought from death to life: Here the word as indicates that believers are to present themselves to God in accord with the fact that they are those who have been brought from death to life. Here are other ways to translate this clause:
in accordance with being those who have been brought from death to life
because you are those who have been brought from death to life
The word as does not mean “like” here, as if believers were only to copy others who have been brought from death to life.
who have been brought from death to life: The Greek words are literally “out-from dead (one)s you(plur)-are-living.” Here are some fairly literal translations:
those alive from the dead (NASB)
people who have come back from death and are now alive (GW)
a person who comes out of death to life
The Greek words indicate that, earlier, God has brought believers from the death they died to sin to the new life in Christ.Jewett (page 411) says it refers to “the reality of believers who have been given new life in Christ.”
In some languages a literal translation would wrongly refer to believers being actually dead earlier. If that is true in your language, you may want to:
Translate literally and explain the meaning in a footnote. Here is an example footnote:
These words indicate that, earlier, God has brought believers from the death they died to sin to the new life in Christ.
Explain the meaning in your translation. For example:
you have new life after you died to sin
you now live the new life but earlier you died to sin
and present the parts of your body to Him as instruments of righteousness.
and offer/give all parts of your bodies to God as tools to do deeds/things that are right to do.
And also put every part of yourselves under God, as if they were something for doing things that are upright/straight to do.
and present the parts of your body to Him as instruments of righteousness: Here the BSB adds the word present that is implied here from 6:13b. In some languages repeating that word is more natural or more clear. However, some languages may not need to repeat this word. For example:
and your members to God as instruments for righteousness (ESV)
righteousness: This word refers to deeds that God says are right to do. It is the opposite of “wickedness” in 6:13a.
Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / infostructure
μηδὲ παριστάνετε τὰ μέλη ὑμῶν, ὅπλα ἀδικίας τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ, ἀλλὰ παραστήσατε ἑαυτοὺς τῷ Θεῷ, ὡσεὶ ἐκ νεκρῶν ζῶντας, καὶ τὰ μέλη ὑμῶν, ὅπλα δικαιοσύνης τῷ Θεῷ
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Μηδέ παριστάνετε τά μέλη ὑμῶν ὅπλα ἀδικίας τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ ἀλλά παραστήσατε ἑαυτούς τῷ Θεῷ ὡσεί ἐκ νεκρῶν ζῶντας καί τά μέλη ὑμῶν ὅπλα δικαιοσύνης τῷ Θεῷ)
If it would be more natural in your language, you could change the order of these clauses in order to emphasize the similar ideas. Alternate translation: [And do not keep presenting your members as tools of unrighteousness to sin, but present your members as tools of righteousness to God. And present yourselves to God, as living from dead ones]
Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor
μηδὲ παριστάνετε τὰ μέλη ὑμῶν, ὅπλα ἀδικίας τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ & καὶ τὰ μέλη ὑμῶν, ὅπλα δικαιοσύνης τῷ Θεῷ
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Μηδέ παριστάνετε τά μέλη ὑμῶν ὅπλα ἀδικίας τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ ἀλλά παραστήσατε ἑαυτούς τῷ Θεῷ ὡσεί ἐκ νεκρῶν ζῶντας καί τά μέλη ὑμῶν ὅπλα δικαιοσύνης τῷ Θεῷ)
Paul speaks of body parts as if they were tools that could be offered to someone or used by someone. He means that he wants his readers to stop using their body parts for sinning, but instead to use them to live in the way God wants. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: [And do not keep using your members to act unrighteously by sinning … and use your members to act righteously for God]
Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / possession
ὅπλα ἀδικίας
˱as˲_weapons ˱of˲_unrighteousness
Paul is using the possessive form to describe tools that are characterized by unrighteousness. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a different expression. Alternate translation: [as unrighteous tools] or [as tools for living unrighteously]
Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit
ὅπλα & ὅπλα
˱as˲_weapons & ˱as˲_weapons
Paul assumes that his readers will understand that the word translated as tools often refers to “weapons.” You could include this information if that would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: [as weapons … as weapons]
Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns
ἀδικίας & δικαιοσύνης
˱of˲_unrighteousness & ˱of˲_righteousness
If your language does not use abstract nouns for the ideas of unrighteousness and righteousness, you could express the same ideas in another way. Alternate translation: [of what is unrighteous … of what is righteous]
Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor
παραστήσατε ἑαυτοὺς τῷ Θεῷ
present (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Μηδέ παριστάνετε τά μέλη ὑμῶν ὅπλα ἀδικίας τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ ἀλλά παραστήσατε ἑαυτούς τῷ Θεῷ ὡσεί ἐκ νεκρῶν ζῶντας καί τά μέλη ὑμῶν ὅπλα δικαιοσύνης τῷ Θεῷ)
Paul speaks of his readers as if they could offer themselves as slaves to their master, who is God. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: [give yourselves to God]
Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / simile
ὡσεὶ ἐκ νεκρῶν ζῶντας
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Μηδέ παριστάνετε τά μέλη ὑμῶν ὅπλα ἀδικίας τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ ἀλλά παραστήσατε ἑαυτούς τῷ Θεῷ ὡσεί ἐκ νεκρῶν ζῶντας καί τά μέλη ὑμῶν ὅπλα δικαιοσύνης τῷ Θεῷ)
The point of this comparison is that Christians should live in such a way that demonstrates that they are now dead to sin, but alive to God, as mentioned in [6:11](../06/11.md). If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: [as those who are free from living sinfully] or [as those who are no longer controlled by living sinfully]
Note 8 topic: figures-of-speech / idiom
ἐκ νεκρῶν
from ˓the˒_dead
See how you translated this phrase in [6:4](../06/04.md).
Note 9 topic: figures-of-speech / ellipsis
καὶ τὰ μέλη ὑμῶν
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Μηδέ παριστάνετε τά μέλη ὑμῶν ὅπλα ἀδικίας τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ ἀλλά παραστήσατε ἑαυτούς τῷ Θεῷ ὡσεί ἐκ νεκρῶν ζῶντας καί τά μέλη ὑμῶν ὅπλα δικαιοσύνης τῷ Θεῷ)
Paul is leaving out a word that a clause would need in many languages to be complete. If it would be helpful in your language, you could supply this from the beginning of this sentence. Alternate translation: [and present your members]
Note 10 topic: figures-of-speech / possession
ὅπλα δικαιοσύνης
˱as˲_weapons ˱as˲_weapons ˱of˲_righteousness
Paul is using the possessive form to describe tools that are characterized by righteousness. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a different expression. Alternate translation: [as righteous tools] or [as tools for living righteously]
OET (OET-LV) Not be_presenting the members of_you_all, as_weapons of_unrighteousness to_ the _sin, but present yourselves to_ the _god, as_if from the_dead living, and the members of_you_all, as_weapons of_righteousness to_ the _god.
OET (OET-RV) Don’t be using any parts of your bodies to sin as if they’re weapons of disobedience, but instead present yourselves to God as if you came back to life from the dead, and use all your body parts for God as if they’re weapons of righteousness
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.
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