Romans 4

Romans · Chapter 4

Romans 4:1

1What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found?2For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God.3For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.4Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.5But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.6Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works,7Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.8Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.9Cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision only, or upon the uncircumcision also? for we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness.10How was it then reckoned? when he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision.11And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also:12And the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had being yet uncircumcised.13For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.14For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect:15Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression.16Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all,17(As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.18Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be.19And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah’s womb:20He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;21And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.22And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.23Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him;24But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead;25Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.

King James Version (1769)

Other translations

VerseKJVBSBASV
1What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found?What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather, has discovered?What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather, hath found according to the flesh?

In context

AI-assisted, sourced

Romans 4:1-8Abraham believed God

About Romans 4"Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness," and David speaks of the blessedness of those "whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered." This was counted to Abraham "Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision," so "that he might be the father of all them that believe," and the promise came "not... through the law, but through the righteousness of faith." Abraham "staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith," and this was written "for us also," who believe on him that raised up Jesus, "Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification." Romans 4:3Romans 4:7Romans 4:10Romans 4:11Romans 4:13Romans 4:20Romans 4:24Romans 4:25

Who, where and when in this chapter

Original Greek words

EnglishGreekSay itStrong'sMeaning
WhatΤίTiG5101
which?

τίς (tis) τίς, neut., τί, genitive, τίνος, interrog. pron., [in LXX for מָה ,מִי ;] in masc. and fem., who, which, what?; in neut., which, what?, used both in direct and in indirect questions. I. I. As subst., 1. 1. masc., fem.: τίς; who, what?, Mat.3:7 26:68; Mrk.11:28, Luk.9:9, al. mult.; with genitive partit., Act.7:52, Heb.1:5, al; before ἐκ (= genitive partit.), Mat.6:27, Luk.14:28, Jhn.8:46; = ποῖος, Mrk.4:41 6:2, Luk.19:3, Act.17:19, al.; = πότερος (M, Pr., 77), Mat.21:31 27:17, Luk.22:27, al.; = ὅς or ὅστις (rare in cl.; cf. Bl., §50, 5; M, Pr., 93), Act.13:25. …

thenοὖνounG3767
therefore/then

οὖν (oun) οὖν, particle expressing consequence or simple sequence (never standing first in a sentence), wherefore, therefore, then: Mat.3:10, Luk.3:9, Jhn.8:38, Act.1:21, Rom.5:9, al.; in exhortations, Mat.3:8, Luk.11:35, Act.3:19, Rom.6:12, al.; in questions, Mat.13:28, Mrk.15:12, Jhn.8:[5], Rom.6:1, al.; continuing a narrative or resuming it after a digression, Mat.1:17, Luk.3:18, Jhn.1:22 2:18 (and very frequently in this Gospel), Act.26:22, al.; ἄρα οὖν (see: ἄρα); ἐπεὶ οὖν, Heb.2:14; οὖν with ptcp. (= ἐπεὶ οὖν), Act.2:30, Rom.5:1, al.; ἐὰν οὖν (where οὖν rather in sense belongs to the apodosis), …

will we sayἐροῦμενeroumenG4483
to say

ἐρέω (rheō, ereō) λέγω, [in LXX very freq., chiefly for אמר; λέγει for נְאֻם, Gen.22:16, al. ;] 1. in Hom., to pick out, gather, reckon, recount. 2. In Hdt. and Att., to say, speak, affirm, declare: absol., Act.13:15, 24:10; before orat. dir., Mat.9:34, Mrk.3:11, Jhn.1:29, al.; before ὅτι recit., Mrk.3:21, Luk.1:24, Jhn.6:14, al.; accusative and inf., Luk.11:18, Jhn.12:29, al.; after another verb of speaking, προσφωνεῖν κ. λέγειν, Mat.11:17, al.; ἀπεκρίθη (ἐλάλησεν) λέγων (καὶ λέγει; Dalman, Words, 24 ff.), Mat.25:9, Mrk.3:33, 7:28, Luk.24:6, 7, al.; of unspoken thought, λ. ἐν ἑαυτῷ, Mat.3:9, Luk.3:8, al.; of …

to have discoveredεὑρηκέναιheurēkenaiG2147
to find/meet

εὑρίσκω (ehuriskō) εὑρίσκω, [in LXX chiefly for מצא, also for נשׂג hi., etc. ;] to find, with or without previous search: absol., opposite to ζητέω, Mat.7:7, 8 Luk.11:9, 10; with accusative, Mat.2:8, Mrk.1:37, Act.13:22, 2Ti.1:17, al.; pass., οὐχ εὑ., of disappearance, Heb.11:5, Rev.16:20, al.; γῆ κ. τὰ ἐν αὐτῇ ἔργα εὑρεθήσεται (for conjectures as to the meaning of this reading, see Mayor, ICC, in l.), 2Pe.3:10, WH, R, mg. Metaphorical, to find, find out by inquiry, learn, discover: Luk.19:48, Act.4:21; αἰτίαν, Jhn.18:38, Act.13:28, al.; pass., Mat.1:18, Luk.17:18, Rom.7:10, 1Co.4:2, Gal.2:17, 1Pe.1:7, Rev.5:4 …

AbrahamἈβραὰμAbraamG0011
Abraham

Ἀβραάμ (Abraam) Ἀβραάμ (Heb. אַבְרָהָם), ὁ, indecl. (in FlJ, Ἄβραμος, -ου; MM, VGT, see word), Abraham (Gen.17:5 al.): Mat.1:1, 2 al. (AS)

ancestorπροπάτοραpropatoraG6074
ancestor

προπάτωρ (propatōr) the first founder of a family, forefather , (Herdotus Historicus):—;in plural ancestors, forefathers , (Herdotus Historicus), etc.; ὦ Ζεῦ, προγόνων προπάτωρ (Sophocles Tragicus) (ML)

of usἡμῶνhēmōnG3165
me

μέ (me) 1. apostrophe for με. 2. rarely for μοι, (Homer) (ML)

according toκατὰkataG2596
according to

κατά (kata) κατά (bef. a vowel κατ᾽, καθ᾽; on the frequently neglect of elision, see Tdf., Pr., 95; WH, App., 146a), prep. with genitive, accusative, down, downwards. I. C. genitive (WM, §47, k; Bl., §42, 2). 1. C. genitive of thing(s), in local sense; (a) down, down from: Mat.8:32, Mrk.5:13, Luk.8:33, 1Co.11:4; (b) throughout (late usage; Bl, l.with): κ. ὅλης κ.τ.λ., Luk.4:14 23:5, Act.9:31 10:37; (with) in a peculiar adjectival phrase: ἡ κ. βάθους, deep or extreme poverty, 2Co.8:2. 2. C. genitive of person(s), usually in hostile sense; …

[the] flesh?σάρκα;sarkaG4561
flesh

σάρξ (sarx) σάρξ, σαρκός, ἡ [in LXX chiefly for בָּשָׂר ;] flesh; 1. as in cl. generally, (a) prop., of the soft substance of the animal body: 1Co.15:39, 2Co.12:7, Gal.6:13, al.; σ. καὶ αἷμα, 1Co.5:50; σ. καὶ ὀστέα, Luk.24:39; pl., of the flesh of many or parts of the flesh of one (cl.), Rev.17:16 19:18; φαγεῖν, Re, ll. with (cf. κατεσθίειν, 4Ki.9:36, al., and βιβρώσκειν, frequently in l.); metaphorically, Jas.5:3; mystically, φ. (τρώγειν) τὴν σ. τοῦ υἱοῦ τ. ἀνθρώπου, Jhn.6:52-56; …

Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.