What Is the Best Rendition of Rom.1:5?

1. I'm not after the entire verse, only εις υπακοην πιστεως, "unto obedience of faith."

2. Here are several versions on this part of the verse:

NASB: "to bring about the obedience of faith"

NIV: "to the obedience that comes from faith"

TNIV: "to faith and obedience"

KJV/NKJV: "for obedience to the faith"

ESV: "to bring about the obedience of faith"

NET: "to bring abou the obedience of faith"

A footnote in the NET on the Greek under consideration:

3. I tend to favor the reading in the NASB, ESV, KJV/NKJV, because the thought behind this prepositional phrase signifies that the prepositional phrase should express purpose: "Through whom [Jesus Christ] we have received grace and apostleship," then we have a eis to set off the phrase, which at times signifies purpose, and is clearly the choice here.

 

1. If you were to look at a range uses of eis you will surely find that that metaphoric direction signfies purpose.

2. And when eis is used in the place of en, it hardly has motion toward in mind. Let's not limit the versatility of eis, for eis even have the nuance of "against."

 

So both the objective and subjective genitives here, which would be considered the plenary genitive (Dan B. Wallace). Not bad!

 

Both the ISV and NJB take the genitive as objective, while the NLTse takes it as subjective.

Where do you stand?

 

I missed your subtlety. :laugh:

 

How can you be neutral?

 

I'm hardly an expert in these matters. I leave the expert and technical issues up to John; I just put in my 2cents worth of Greek from time to time.

 

Hmmm...Interesting choice! What's the texual basis for the appositional genitive, "obedience, namely, faith?"

 

1. Douglas Moo is one of the few commentators that I really enjoying reading. He says this about taking the phrase as appositional: "It improperly collapses obedience into faith, whereas in Paul they are usually distinct ideas."

2. His choice is to leave the phrase straightforward, though ambiguous, "'obedience of faith,' and to interpret the words in the phrase as mutually interpreting: faith, if genuine, always has obedience as its outcome; obedience, if it is to please God, must always be accompanied by faith."

3. Moo clearly takes the genitive as subjective, "obedience that flows from faith."

 

1. I see credence for Moo's position in Romans 15:18, "I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in leading the Gentiles to obey God by what I have said and done" (NIV, emphasis mine, εις υπακοην, "to obedience")

2. It must be assumed that this obedience springs from faith (1:5), interestingly among the Gentiles.