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OET (OET-LV) Therefore what we_will_be_saying?
The law is sin?
Never it_might_become.
But the sin not I_knew, except not/lest by the_law, because/for the and covetousness, not I_had_known, except not/lest the law was_saying:
Not you_will_be_coveting.
OET (OET-RV) So what will we say then? Say that the law is sin? Not on your life! I wouldn’t have known what sin was if it wasn’t for the Law. For example, I wouldn’t have known what coveting was if the Law hadn’t told me not to covet.
In the last section Paul said that believers died to the law of Moses (7:4), that it is obsolete (7:6), and that it arouses sinful passions (7:5). In this section Paul answered a possible wrong conclusion that someone might make from what he just said. Someone might think that Paul meant that the law is sinful. But Paul clearly indicated that he did not think that. The laws of Moses point out what is sin, and sin causes people to want to do the things that the law says are sin. Sinning leads to death. The laws of Moses are holy and good. But the commandments make it clear what sin is and at the same time arouse sinful passions. Those passions lead to death.
Here are other possible headings for this section:
What about the Laws of Moses and sin?
God’s Law Reveals Our Sin (NLT)
Sin deceives us but the law is holy
Paul used the word “I” in this section and 7:13–25 too. There are at least seven different waysSee Cranfield (pages 342–344). that scholars think what Paul meant by “I” here. Here are the five main ones:
Paul was referring to himself as a Christian,See Schreiner (pages 359–364). implying all believers think the same way and have the same struggles.
Paul, as a believer, spoke of his experience before he believed. He spoke generally enough so that other people can see that they had similar struggles.See Jewett (pages 441–444). Paul then spoke about where we stand as believers regarding these struggles in chapter 8.
It refers generally to anyone who is not a believer but wants to be a good person by following the law. Paul used “I” to make the struggles in these verses more personal. Chapter 8 then explains the victory that believers have in contrast to the person of 7:7–25.
Paul was referring to Adam and from that all people.
Paul was referring to the history of Israel.
It is recommended that you use “I” in these verses.The English versions also use “I” and do not explain it in their translations.
What then shall we say?
¶ So then, should we(incl) say this:
¶ Therefore, is it right to say that
¶ And so, let’s not ask this,
What then shall we say?: The word then indicates a connection to previous verses. Here it introduces the question “What shall we say?” In some languages it is more natural to have the word then first. For example:
Then/Therefore, what shall we say?
This is a rhetorical question. It draws attention to what Paul said next. See how you translated this clause in 6:1.
Is the law sin? Certainly not!
“Maybe the law is sin?” Certainly not!
the Law is sinful? No indeed!
“Is the law bad?” No, that is not true at all!
Is the law sin? Certainly not!: This is a rhetorical question and its answer. It emphasizes that the law is not sin. Translate these words with that meaning. Here are some ways:
As a rhetorical question and its answer. See the examples in the notes below.
As a statement. For example:
Surely we should not say that the law is sin.
We should not say that the law is sin. No way!
Is the law sin?: At the beginning of this question the words “Shall we say” are implied from 7:7a. In some languages it is natural to leave those words off, since they were just said in 7:7a. In other languages these words must be added here for a natural question. For example:
Shall we say that the law is sin?
In 7:5 Paul said that the law aroused our sinful passions. Someone might misunderstand Paul’s words and then think that the law is bad. Here Paul referred to that thinking with this question. He showed that this thinking was clearly wrong with the words “By no means” after this question. Here are other ways to translate this question:
Is the law itself sinful?
do you think that I say that God’s law is bad?Otomi Back Translation on TW.
is it right to say/think that the law is evil?
the law: This probably refers to the Law of Moses here. For example:
the Law (GNT)
Moses’ laws (GW)
Certainly not!: The Greek is literally “May it not be.” It indicates a very strong “no.” The law is not sin. Here are other ways to translate this clause:
Not at all!
By no means! (ESV)
Of course not! (NLT)
No, indeed!
See how you translated this phrase in 3:4 or 6:2. Note that “Surely” and “No way” in the As a statement examples in the first note of 7:7b translate the words Certainly not! here. If you used “Surely” or “No way” there, do not translate these words here.
Indeed, I would not have been mindful of sin if not for the law.
But I did not know what sin was except by hearing what the laws said that I shouldn’t do.
I only knew what sins were because of the laws saying what was wrong.
Indeed: This word indicates that in Greek “I would not have been mindful of sin if not for the law” is connected with Paul saying that the law is not sin (7:7b). In some languages this connection can be implied. For example:
If there were no law,…Yakan Back Translation on TW.
I would not have been mindful of sin if not for the law: The Greek is literally “I did not know sin except through law.” It indicates that only through law did Paul know what sin was. But after he heard the law he knew what things were wrong to do. In some languages it is easier to understand the meaning without using the word not twice. For example:
I only knew what sin was through hearing the law
I: Paul used himself as an example of anyone in this connection of law to sin.
(reordered) For if, contrary to fact, the law had not said, “You must not covet,” then, contrary to fact, I would not have known coveting.
For I would not have been aware of coveting if the law had not said, “Do not covet.”: These words refer to a situation that did not happen, but which Paul spoke of to make his point about the law and sin clear. Some languages have a word, phrase, or special grammar to indicate that. For example:
Had-it-been-that the law had not said, “Do not covet,” it would-have-been-that I would not have been aware of coveting
if, contrary-to-fact, the law had not said, “Do not covet,” then, contrary-to-fact, I would not have been aware of coveting
For I would not have been aware of coveting
Indeed, for example, I would not have known desiring to take for myself the things of someone else
Look/Hey, here is an example. I learned what it is to desire other people’s things only
For: Here this word introduces an example.Morris (on TW). Some scholars say it introduces an explanation. But that would imply that coveting is the root cause of all sin. For example:
For example, (GW)
The Greek here is actually two words: “and for.” The word “and” here indicates emphasis. For example:
Indeed, for example
coveting: This word refers to desiring to possess for oneself something that belongs to someone else.
if the law had not said, “Do not covet.”
if the Laws had not said: “Do(sing) not desire to take for yourself the things of someone else.”
because the law in the Scriptures said: “Do not desire other people’s things.”
the law had not said: Paul made law the subject of “speak.” In some languages it is more natural to refer to God speaking here. For example:
God in his laws had not said
Do not covet: This is one of the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:17). It is a command to not covet. In some languages it may be helpful to explain that it is from the Old Testament. For example:
the law in the Scriptures had not said: “Do not covet.”
These words are a quote of Exodus 20:17. If you indicate the location of quotes from the Old Testament with cross-references, you may want to do so here.
Note 1 topic: grammar-connect-logic-result
τί οὖν ἐροῦμεν?
what (Some words not found in SR-GNT: τί Οὖν ἐροῦμεν Ὁ νόμος ἁμαρτία Μή γένοιτο Ἀλλά τήν ἁμαρτίαν οὐκ ἔγνων εἰ μή διά νόμου τήν τέ γάρ ἐπιθυμίαν οὐκ ᾔδειν εἰ μή ὁ νόμος ἔλεγεν Οὐκ ἐπιθυμήσεις)
Then indicates that what follows this word explains what came before it. Here, then indicates that what follows is a response to what Paul said in the previous verses, especially what he said in [7:5](../07/05.md). See how you translated this phrase in [6:1](../06/01.md).
Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / rquestion
τί οὖν ἐροῦμεν? ὁ νόμος ἁμαρτία?
what (Some words not found in SR-GNT: τί Οὖν ἐροῦμεν Ὁ νόμος ἁμαρτία Μή γένοιτο Ἀλλά τήν ἁμαρτίαν οὐκ ἔγνων εἰ μή διά νόμου τήν τέ γάρ ἐπιθυμίαν οὐκ ᾔδειν εἰ μή ὁ νόμος ἔλεγεν Οὐκ ἐπιθυμήσεις)
In these two sentences Paul is not asking for information, but is using questions to address an objection that some people may have to what he said in [7:5](../07/05.md) because they misunderstood him. If you would not use rhetorical questions for this purpose in your language, you could translate his words as statements or exclamations or communicate the emphasis in another way. Alternate translation: [Then we will say that the law is sin!]
Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / quotemarks
τί οὖν ἐροῦμεν? ὁ νόμος ἁμαρτία?
what (Some words not found in SR-GNT: τί Οὖν ἐροῦμεν Ὁ νόμος ἁμαρτία Μή γένοιτο Ἀλλά τήν ἁμαρτίαν οὐκ ἔγνων εἰ μή διά νόμου τήν τέ γάρ ἐπιθυμίαν οὐκ ᾔδειν εἰ μή ὁ νόμος ἔλεγεν Οὐκ ἐπιθυμήσεις)
In these two sentences Paul is speaking as if he were a Jewish Christian who misunderstood what Paul had taught in the previous verses. 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 / abstractnouns
ἁμαρτία & τὴν ἁμαρτίαν
sin & (Some words not found in SR-GNT: τί Οὖν ἐροῦμεν Ὁ νόμος ἁμαρτία Μή γένοιτο Ἀλλά τήν ἁμαρτίαν οὐκ ἔγνων εἰ μή διά νόμου τήν τέ γάρ ἐπιθυμίαν οὐκ ᾔδειν εἰ μή ὁ νόμος ἔλεγεν Οὐκ ἐπιθυμήσεις)
If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of sin, you could express the same idea in another way. Alternate translation: [something sinful … what things are sinful]
Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit
μὴ γένοιτο
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: τί Οὖν ἐροῦμεν Ὁ νόμος ἁμαρτία Μή γένοιτο Ἀλλά τήν ἁμαρτίαν οὐκ ἔγνων εἰ μή διά νόμου τήν τέ γάρ ἐπιθυμίαν οὐκ ᾔδειν εἰ μή ὁ νόμος ἔλεγεν Οὐκ ἐπιθυμήσεις)
In this sentence Paul begins to respond to the rhetorical questions he wrote earlier in the verse. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state this explicitly. Alternate translation: [I would respond by saying, ‘May it never be!’]
Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / exclamations
μὴ γένοιτο
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: τί Οὖν ἐροῦμεν Ὁ νόμος ἁμαρτία Μή γένοιτο Ἀλλά τήν ἁμαρτίαν οὐκ ἔγνων εἰ μή διά νόμου τήν τέ γάρ ἐπιθυμίαν οὐκ ᾔδειν εἰ μή ὁ νόμος ἔλεγεν Οὐκ ἐπιθυμήσεις)
See how you translated this phrase in [3:4](../03/04.md) and [6:2](../06/02.md).
Note 7 topic: grammar-connect-logic-contrast
ἀλλὰ
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: τί Οὖν ἐροῦμεν Ὁ νόμος ἁμαρτία Μή γένοιτο Ἀλλά τήν ἁμαρτίαν οὐκ ἔγνων εἰ μή διά νόμου τήν τέ γάρ ἐπιθυμίαν οὐκ ᾔδειν εἰ μή ὁ νόμος ἔλεγεν Οὐκ ἐπιθυμήσεις)
But here indicates that what follows is in contrast to what came before it. Here, But introduces the contrast to the idea that the law is sinful. Use a natural way in your language for introducing a contrast. Alternate translation: [Nevertheless,] or [By contrast,]
Note 8 topic: grammar-connect-words-phrases
γὰρ
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: τί Οὖν ἐροῦμεν Ὁ νόμος ἁμαρτία Μή γένοιτο Ἀλλά τήν ἁμαρτίαν οὐκ ἔγνων εἰ μή διά νόμου τήν τέ γάρ ἐπιθυμίαν οὐκ ᾔδειν εἰ μή ὁ νόμος ἔλεγεν Οὐκ ἐπιθυμήσεις)
For indicates that what follows this word explains what came before it. Here, it introduces an example from God’s law that illustrates the importance of the law. See how you translated the same use of For in [7:2](../07/02.md).
Note 9 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns
τήν & ἐπιθυμίαν
¬the & covetousness
If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of covetousness, you could express the same idea in another way. Alternate translation: [what it means to be covetous]
Note 10 topic: writing-quotations
ὁ νόμος ἔλεγεν
the law ˓was˒_saying
Here Paul uses said to indicate a quotation from the law that is written in the Old Testament ([Exodus 20:17](../exo/20/17.md)). If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a comparable phrase that indicates that Paul is quoting from an important text. Alternate translation: [it had been written in the law]
Note 11 topic: figures-of-speech / personification
ὁ νόμος ἔλεγεν
the law ˓was˒_saying
Here Paul speaks of the law as if it were a person who could say something. He means that God said what was written down in the law. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: [God said in the law]
7:7-25 Well then (see study note on 6:1): Paul has just said some rather negative things about the law, and he now explains how God’s law is good in order to guard against any notion that it is evil in itself.
OET (OET-LV) Therefore what we_will_be_saying?
The law is sin?
Never it_might_become.
But the sin not I_knew, except not/lest by the_law, because/for the and covetousness, not I_had_known, except not/lest the law was_saying:
Not you_will_be_coveting.
OET (OET-RV) So what will we say then? Say that the law is sin? Not on your life! I wouldn’t have known what sin was if it wasn’t for the Law. For example, I wouldn’t have known what coveting was if the Law hadn’t told me not to covet.
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.