Romans 13

Romans 13:1

1. πᾶσαψυχὴ. Cf. Romans 2:9 (Revelation 16:3, of fish); Acts 2:43; Acts 3:23. L. & S. give |[258] from Greek class. poetry. Epictet. fr. 33 ψυχαὶ = slaves.

[258] | parallel to

ἐξουσίαις, of persons holding civil authority Luke 12:11; Titus 3:1 only; cf. 1 Corinthians 15:24; Ephesians 1:21 alibi; Colossians 1:16 alibi; 1 Peter 3:22.

ὑπερεχούσαις. Simply of superiority in any degree; cf. 1 Peter 2:13.

οὐγὰρἔστινἐξ. κ.τ.λ. S. Paul lays down the principle that the fact of authority being established involves the divine ordinance of it. The two clauses state the same principle, in a negative and a positive form. The repetition emphasises the point.

Romans 13:2

2. ἐαυτοῖς. Emphatic: will bring judgment upon themselves.

κρίμαλήμψονται. Of the civil judgment involved by their acts; cf. Luke 23:40; Luke 24:20.

Romans 13:3

3. γὰρ. The justice of the government is assumed: Song of Solomon 4 a.

τῷἀγαθῷἔργῳ. Hort favours P. Young’s conj., ἀγαθοεργῷ; cf. 1 Timothy 6:18, ἀγαθοεργεῖν; tempting but hardly necessary.

τὸἀγαθὸνποίει. Cf. 1 Peter 2:15.

Romans 13:4

4. ἔκδικοςεἰςὀργὴν. Cf. 1 Thessalonians 4:6: for the execution of wrath; the wrath of offended authority.

Romans 13:5

5. ἀνάγκη. “The necessity is twofold, external on account of ‘the wrath’ which the magistrate executes, internal on account of conscience towards GOD.” Giff.

διὰτὴνσυνείδησιν. Cf. Acts 23:1; Acts 24:16, ‘because of your own conscience’: because, as your paying tribute shows, you recognise them as authorities duly constituted, and therefore ministers of GOD. Hence it is a matter of conscience towards GOD; cf. 1 Peter 2:19. See Add. Note, p. 209.

Romans 13:6

6. φόρους. Luke 20:22; Luke 23:2 only, direct taxes on persons, houses or land. τέλος of customs, taxes on trades.

λειτουργοί, of public service or office; here as administering public functions committed to them by GOD: the connexion of the word with public service of religion is secondary.

εἰςαὐτὸτοῦτο, to this very end, i.e. of securing social order and obedience, τὸὑποτάσσεσθαι.

προσκαρτεροῦντες, absol.: cf. Acts 2:46.

Romans 13:7

7. ἀπόδοτε, pay as their due, οὐδὲγὰρχαρίζῃτοῦτοποιῶνὀφειλὴγάρἐστιτὸπρᾶγμα, Chrys.

Romans 13:8

8. μηδενὶμηδὲν. The repetition of the negative gives a strong emphasis to the injunction. ὀφείλετε in pres. = remain under debt to no man in any matter, except in love.

εἰμὴτὸἀλλήλουςἀγαπᾷν. ἀλλὴλους must be given as wide a reference as μηδενὶ; love is a permanent debt (pres. infin.) that can never be fully discharged; cf. Aug. Ep. cxcii. 1 (qu. Lid.) “semper autem debeo caritatem quae sola etiam reddita detinet redditorem.” This sums up all the teaching of Rom 12:3 to Romans 13:7.

ὁγὰρἀγαπῶνκ.τ.λ. This is the only way of fulfilling law, and this does fulfil it.

τὸνἔτερον. Apparently used by S. Paul to give the widest possible extension to the principle: anyone with whom a man is brought into relation: it avoids vagueness (not πάνταςἀνθρώπους or τοὺςἄλλους) by its individual note and bars all casuistry as to ‘the neighbour’; cf. Luke 10:29. It is grammatically possible to take τὸνἕτερον with νόμον (cf. Hort on James 2:8 ad fin.); but the phrase would be strained, and the context (ἀλλήλους—τὸνπλησίον) is against it.

νόμονπεπλήρωκεν. Cf. Matthew 5:17: supra Romans 8:4; Galatians 5:14 and subst. Romans 13:10. νόμος is quite general, though as the next verse shows the Decalogue is the crucial instance. πεπλ. perfect, has by that continuing act fulfilled and does fulfil, not abolished or done away.

Romans 13:9

9. τὸγὰρκ.τ.λ., n. sing. = the injunction regarded as one, contained in the several ἐντολαί following.

οὐμοιχεύσειςκ.τ.λ. The order differs from the Hebr. text in Exodus 20:13; Deuteronomy 5:17: follows the B text of Deut. LXX[261], as also Luke 18:20; James 2:11; Philo de decal., Clem. Alex. Strom. vi. 16 S. H. N. the ninth commandment is omitted (but inserted in some MSS.).

[261] LXX. the Septuagint Version of the Old Testament

ἐντῷλόγῳτούτῳ = in this saying of Scripture.

ἀνακεφαλαιοῦται, is summed up and included. Ephesians 1:10 only.

ἀγαπήσ. τ. π. σ. ὡςσ. Leviticus 19:18, where the context seems to limit it to Israelites: here the context has already given the widest interpretation.

Romans 13:10

10. κακὸνοὐκἐργάζεται. The negative expression corresponds to the negative form of the precepts in Romans 13:9. Love cannot do any of these evils to the neighbour; therefore it fulfils law. Its positive effect in going beyond any possible extension of positive precepts is implied in Romans 13:8.

ἡἀγάπη = the love which Christians owe to all. It is to be noted, again, that in laying down the moral requirements of Christian conduct, S. Paul avoids rules and insists on the quality which in its proper operation belongs to the Christian as such and produces conduct conformable to the character of the life which is in him.

Romans 13:11

11. καὶτοῦτο, cf. 1 Corinthians 6:6; 1 Corinthians 6:8; Ephesians 2:8; cf. καὶταῦτα, Hebrews 11:12; resumes with emphasis the whole exhortation.

εἰδότες. Cf. Luke 12:56; Mark 13:33 = realising the character of the present period and its demands upon you.

τὸνκαιρόν. Cf. 1 Corinthians 7:29; Ephesians 5:16; 1 Peter 4:17; Revelation 1:3; Revelation 22:10; Luke 21:8; almost technical for the period before the Second Coming, S. H.

ὅτι explains the characteristics which they ought to realise.

ὑμᾶςἐξὕπνουἐγερθῆναι. ὕπνος metaph. only here; cf. Ephesians 5:7-14. Here the contrast is not with the heathen state, but of the awakened and alert spirit with the sleeping and inert: a warning against acquiescence in the present. Giff. cf[262] Matthew 25:1 f.; perh. cf. 1 Corinthians 11:30.

[262] confert

ἡσωτηρία. Cf. Romans 5:9; 1 Peter 1:5; 1 Thessalonians 5:8-9. It is not always clear whether the word is used of the present state in which the Christian is by faith: or the final state which is the object of his hope and is brought about by the Second Coming. Here the context decides for the latter.

ἐπιστεύσαμεν. We became believers—a good instance of the ‘ingressive’ aorist; cf. Moulton p. 129 f.; cf. [Mk] Romans 16:16; Acts 2:44; Acts 19:2; 1 Corinthians 3:5; 1 Corinthians 15:2; Galatians 2:16; Ephesians 1:13; Hebrews 4:3.

Romans 13:12

12. ἡνὺξκ.τ.λ. 1 Thessalonians 5:2-7; Revelation 21:25; Revelation 22:5. προεκ. ‘is far spent’ (advanced): A. and R.V., aor. marks the point reached. The night is almost gone, the signs of the coming day are already in the sky.

ἀποθώμεθαοὖνκ.τ.λ. Here the contrast with the heathen life seems to come out. N. the aor., it is to be a single act done once for all. τὰἔργατ. σ. the deeds which are characteristic of the darkness. τὰὅπλατ. φ., the weapons needed for the work to be done in the light; cf. 1 Thessalonians 5:6-8, where both thoughts are more fully expressed. Ephesians 5:10 f. describes the warfare of the light. Taking Romans 13:14 into account, we see that there is a reference here, as in 1 Thes. and Eph., to the Messianic warfare in which the. Christian, as ἐνΧριστῷ, has to take his part.

Romans 13:13

13. ὡςἐνἡμέρᾳκ.τ.λ. The conduct (περιπ.) must befit the day and its occupations.

Romans 13:14

14. ἐνδύσασθε. Metaph. only in S. Paul (exc. Luke 24:49); cf. Galatians 3:27; Ephesians 4:24; Colossians 3:10, with 11 ad fin. The closest parallel in thought, though not in language, is Eph. l.c[263], as the reference is not primarily to baptism (as in Gal. l.c[264], Col. l.c[265]) but is the repeated effort to realise the Christian character, that is the character of the Christ as living in the Christian.

The metaphor is found in O.T. Job 29:14; Psalms 132:9; of. Lk. l.c[266] Colossians 3:12 after 10, 11, shows the meaning of the metaphor, and gives us a clear hint that in describing the details of Christian character S. Paul is consciously reproducing the elements of the character of our Lord, as we learn them from the gospels. In estimating the amount of acquaintance with the Gospel story which S. Paul had, this fact must be given full weight.

The aorist here has the ‘constative’ force (Moulton, p. 130), i.e. describes as one effort the constantly repeated efforts of growth in the Christian character.

[263] l.c. locus citatus

[264] l.c. locus citatus

[265] l.c. locus citatus

[266] l.c. locus citatus

τὸνκύριονἸ. Χρ. The full name is remarkable, contrast Gal. l.c[267] If it is the correct reading, it emphasises (1) the indwelling of the Christ, (2) the model given by the life of Jesus on earth, (3) the motive of obedience and allegiance to the Lord.

[267] l.c. locus citatus

τῆςσαρκὸςκ.τ.λ. Cease to provide for the flesh with a view to desires: the negative with the present imperative has its idiomatic force (Moulton, p. 122 f.).

πρόνοιανμὴποιεῖσθε = μὴπρονοεῖσθε; cf. reff. ap. Field, ad loc[268]; cf. Matthew 6:25; Luke 12:22 f.; Philippians 4:6.

[268] ad loc. ad locum

εἰςἐπιθυμίας, quite general, of all desires of the flesh: the needs and desires of the flesh must no longer be the controlling motives in the life of the new man. = τὰἐπὶτῆςγῆς, Colossians 3:2; Ephesians 4:22 is more limited: so Galatians 5:16; 1 Peter 2:11.