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InterlinearVerse GEN EXO LEV NUM DEU JOB JOS JDG RUTH 1 SAM 2 SAM PSA AMOS HOS 1 KI 2 KI 1 CHR 2 CHR PROV ECC SNG JOEL MIC ISA ZEP HAB JER LAM YNA (JNA) NAH OBA DAN EZE EZRA EST NEH HAG ZEC MAL LAO GES LES ESG DNG 2 PS TOB JDT WIS SIR BAR LJE PAZ SUS BEL MAN 1 MAC 2 MAC 3 MAC 4 MAC YHN (JHN) MARK MAT LUKE ACTs YAC (JAM) GAL 1 TH 2 TH 1 COR 2 COR ROM COL 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
Rom C1 C2 C3 C4 C5 C6 C7 C8 C9 C10 C11 C12 C13 C14 C15 C16
Rom 9 V1 V2 V3 V4 V5 V6 V7 V8 V9 V10 V11 V12 V13 V14 V15 V16 V17 V18 V19 V20 V21 V22 V23 V24 V25 V26 V27 V28 V29 V30 V31 V33
OET (OET-LV) For/Because_reason why?
Because it_was not by faith, but as by works.
They_stumbled over_the stone of_ the _stumbling,
OET (OET-RV) How come? Because they tried to reach it by works and not by faith. They tripped over the stumbling stone,
In this section Paul compared the Gentiles to the Jews. Some Gentiles believed in Jesus and God made them righteous, but the Jews tried to obey the law of Moses to become righteous. They stumbled over who Jesus was as the Messiah, because he did not fit their ideas of what the Messiah should be.
Paul explained that he wanted the Jews to believe in Jesus as the Messiah. The Jews were enthusiastic to follow God, but they did not understand the right way to become righteous.
Here are other possible headings for this section:
The Jews followed the wrong way to become righteous
The Jews followed the Laws of Moses but did not believe in Jesus as the Christ/Messiah
Why not? Because their pursuit was not by faith,
Why/Why-not? It was because they did not strive for it by means of believing,
How can that be? They did not, because their basis for seeking to follow the law was not faith.
Why not?: Some English versions translate the Greek word here as Why not? as the BSB does. These translations add the word not because that same word occurs in 9:31b. In some languages it is more natural, in connection with 9:31b, to add that word here.
In some languages the question word Why alone in a question indicates a rebuke. If that is true in your language, use a question word or sentence that does not indicate a rebuke. For example:
What is the reason?
How might that be?
This is a rhetorical question. Paul immediately answered it himself. Some languages cannot use this word in that way. If that is true in your language, translate as a statement. For example:
Here is the reason: It is…
Because: Some languages do not start sentences with Because. If that is true in your language, repeat some or all of 9:31b or use the verb “do” instead. For example:
They did not succeed because
They did not because
their pursuit was not by faith: The Greek is literally just not by faith. Many scholars think that was is the correct verb to add here. Other scholars believe that the verb “pursue” is the correct verb to add.For example: Morris, Longenecker, Cranfield, Dunn, Schreiner, and Jewett. For example:
they did not did pursue it by faith (ESV)
but as if it were by works.
but they strove by means of deeds, as if it was possible.
Instead, as is not even possible, they made deeds their basis.
but as if it were by works: There is a textual issue in 9:32b: (1) Some Greek manuscripts have the word works (BSB, RSV, NIV, GNT, NJB, NASB, NABRE, ESV, NLT, GW, NET, REB, NCV). (2) Some Greek manuscripts have the words works of the law (KJV only). It is recommended that you follow option (1). The Greek word that the BSB translates as by is the same Greek word translated “by” in 9:32a. Translate it the same way here.
as if it were: Here the word as indicates that it is not possible to attain the goals of the law by works.Jewett (page 610). The BSB adds the words if it were to help with that meaning. Here are other ways to translate this Greek word:
as though it were (NASB)
as if it was possible to pursue it
works: Here this word refers to deeds. It implies deeds that God said the Jews must do. It does not refer to the outcome of someone’s paying job. For example:
what they do (GNT)
their own efforts (GW)
keeping the law (NLT)
They stumbled over the stumbling stone,
They tripped on the stone that people trip over.
They are like people who stumbled over the stumbling stone.
They stumbled over the stumbling stone: This is a figure of speech. It implies that the Jews have difficulty accepting Jesus as the Christ. But 9:33 also uses the metaphor of stumbling over a stone, so the metaphor should be kept here. But in some languages a literal translation would indicate only an actual stumbling over an actual stone, you may want to add the word “like” here. For example:
They are like those who have stumbled over the stumbling stone
stumbled: The Greek is the regular past tense. This word refers to someone losing his balance when walking because he hit his foot on something and nearly fell down.
the stumbling stone: This refers to a stone that causes people to stumble. For example:
the stone that causes stumbling (NABRE)
Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / ellipsis
διὰ τί?
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Διά τί Ὅτι οὐκ ἐκ πίστεως ἀλλʼ ὡς ἐξ ἔργων Προσέκοψαν τῷ λίθῳ τοῦ προσκόμματος)
Paul is leaving out some of the words that a sentence would need in many languages to be complete. If it would be helpful in your language, you could supply these words from the previous verse. Alternate translation: [Why could they not attain righteousness?]
Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / rquestion
διὰ τί?
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Διά τί Ὅτι οὐκ ἐκ πίστεως ἀλλʼ ὡς ἐξ ἔργων Προσέκοψαν τῷ λίθῳ τοῦ προσκόμματος)
Paul is not asking for information, but is using the question form here to emphasize the truth of what he is saying. 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: [This is why:]
Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / ellipsis
ὅτι οὐκ ἐκ πίστεως
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Διά τί Ὅτι οὐκ ἐκ πίστεως ἀλλʼ ὡς ἐξ ἔργων Προσέκοψαν τῷ λίθῳ τοῦ προσκόμματος)
Paul is leaving out some of the words that a clause would need in many languages to be complete. If it would be helpful in your language, you could supply these words from the previous verse. Alternate translation: [They did not attain righteousness because it was not by faith]
Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns
ἐκ πίστεως
by faith
See how you translated this phrase in [9:30](../09/30.md).
Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit
ἐξ ἔργων
by works
Paul assumes that his readers would understand that works means “works of the law.” See how you translated the same use of works in [4:2](../04/02.md).
Note 6 topic: grammar-connect-logic-result
προσέκοψαν
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Διά τί Ὅτι οὐκ ἐκ πίστεως ἀλλʼ ὡς ἐξ ἔργων Προσέκοψαν τῷ λίθῳ τοῦ προσκόμματος)
They stumbled over introduces a sentence that states the result of what Paul described in the previous sentence. Use a natural way in your language for indicating result. Alternate translation: [As a result, they stumbled over]
Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor
προσέκοψαν τῷ λίθῳ τοῦ προσκόμματος
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Διά τί Ὅτι οὐκ ἐκ πίστεως ἀλλʼ ὡς ἐξ ἔργων Προσέκοψαν τῷ λίθῳ τοῦ προσκόμματος)
Here Paul speaks of Christ as if he were a stone that the Jews stumbled over. He means that the Jews were offended by Christ because they tried to become righteous by works. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a simile or express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: [They were offended by Jesus, like people who stumbled over a stone of stumbling] or [They were offended by Jesus]
Note 8 topic: figures-of-speech / possession
τῷ λίθῳ τοῦ προσκόμματος
˱over˲_the stone ¬the ˱of˲_stumbling
Paul is using the possessive form to describe a stone that causes stumbling. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a different expression. Alternate translation: [the stone that causes stumbling]
9:32-33 The great rock in their path is Christ. People either build on him by putting their faith in him, or they stumble over his message that faith, and not human works, is the key to getting right with God.
OET (OET-LV) For/Because_reason why?
Because it_was not by faith, but as by works.
They_stumbled over_the stone of_ the _stumbling,
OET (OET-RV) How come? Because they tried to reach it by works and not by faith. They tripped over the stumbling stone,
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.