InterlinearVerse GEN EXO LEV NUM DEUT JOB YEHO (JOS) HERO (JDG) RUTH 1 SAM 2 SAM PSA AMOS HOS 1 KI 2 KI 1 CHR 2 CHR PROV ECC SNG YOEL (JOEL) MIC ISA ZEP HAB YIR (JER) LAM YNA (JNA) NAH OBAD DAN EZEK EZRA EST NEH HAG ZEC MAL 2 PS WIS TOB MAN BAR G DAN G ESD L ESD ESG JDT 3 MAC SIR 1 MAC 2 MAC 4 MAC YHN (JHN) MARK MAT LUKE ACTs YAC (JAM) GAL 1 TH 2 TH 1 COR 2 COR ROM COL LAOD PHM EPH PHP 1 TIM TIT 1 PET 2 PET 2 TIM HEB YUD (JUD) 1 YHN (1 JHN) 2 YHN (2 JHN) 3 YHN (3 JHN) REV
InterlinearVerse Rom C1 C2 C3 C4 C5 C6 C8 C9 C10 C11 C12 C13 C14 C15 C16
Rom 7 V1 V2 V3 V4 V5 V6 V7 V8 V9 V10 V11 V12 V13 V14 V15 V16 V17 V18 V19 V20 V21 V22 V23 V25
People tagged in the matching LV passage: Paul
In this section Paul answered another possible wrong conclusion about the law. In 7:12 Paul said that the law is good. Now he asked if it is right to think that the law brought death. The answer is no. Sin brought death and this shows that sin is very bad. Paul then talked about his own struggle with sinning even though he agrees that the law is good. He felt he was captive to sin. But God can rescue us from that captivity.
For the use of “I” in this section, see the General Comment in the summary of Section 7:7–12.
Here are other possible headings for this section:
The way that Paul struggled to stop sinning
The power of sin
What a wretched man I am!
I am a very miserable man/person.
A man of misery/unhappiness, that is me!
What a wretched man I am!: The Greek is literally “I (a) miserable/wretched man,” with the word “miserable/wretched” first to emphasize it. Here Paul considered himself very unhappy and distressed about the terrible situation he was in (wanting to do right but always sinning). Here are other ways to translate this clause:
I am such a miserable man!
A man of unhappiness/distress, that is me.
Who will rescue me from this body of death?
Who will rescue me from this body that is under the sentence/punishment of death?
Who will rescue me from this body that will cause me to die?
Who will rescue me from this body of death?: Here the word rescue means “deliver.” This question is a rhetorical question. Paul wanted his readers to think about the answer before he told them the answer in 7:25a. Translate this clause in that meaning. Here are some ways:
As a rhetorical question. For example:
Who will rescue me from this body of death? (NIV)
Who will rescue me from this body doomed to death? (NJB)
As a statement. For example:
There is only one person who will rescue me from this body destined to die.
this body of death: 7:23 says that the law of sin dwelt in the parts of Paul’s body. 6:23 says that the wages of sin is death. So in that way Paul here referred to his body as connected to death. Here are other ways to translate this phrase:
this body that is subject to death (NIV11)
this body that brings me death
Also see the ways this phrase was translated in the previous note.
Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / exclamations
ταλαίπωρος ἐγὼ ἄνθρωπος
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Ταλαίπωρος ἐγώ ἄνθρωπος Τίς μέ ῥύσεται ἐκ τοῦ σώματος τοῦ θανάτου τούτου)
This sentence is an exclamation that communicates deep despair. Use an exclamation that is natural in your language for communicating this. Alternate translation: [O, how miserable I am!]
Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / rquestion
τίς με ῥύσεται ἐκ τοῦ σώματος τοῦ θανάτου τούτου
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Ταλαίπωρος ἐγώ ἄνθρωπος Τίς μέ ῥύσεται ἐκ τοῦ σώματος τοῦ θανάτου τούτου)
Paul is not asking for information, but is using the question form here to emphasize his despair. 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: [Surely no one will rescue me from the body of this death!]
Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / possession
τοῦ σώματος τοῦ θανάτου τούτου
the body ¬the ˱of˲_death this
Paul is using the possessive form to describe how the body relates to this death. This phrase could refer to: (1) the body that results in this death. Alternate translation: [the body that causes this death]; (2) the body that is characterized by this death. Alternate translation: [this mortal body]
Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor
τοῦ θανάτου τούτου
the ¬the ˱of˲_death this
Here, this death could refer to: (1) physical death. Alternate translation: [that dies]; (2) spiritual death. Alternate translation: [of this spiritual death]
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.