The Jewish Annotated New Testament (255 page)

28
–29
: Paul appeals to the faithfulness (or merit) of the fathers (cf. 8.32; Gen 22.16–17).

28
:
Enemies of God,
(“of God” not in Gk); lit., an adj.: “enemied”; i.e, alienated
for your sake
.

29
:
Irrevocable
, lit., “not regretted.”

30
:
Disobedient to God
, lit., “not-persuaded with respect to God”;
because of their disobedience
, lit., “with respect to the not-being-persuaded-state of these ones.” Paul does not write “disobey” in the sense “know and reject”; he writes “not persuaded yet.”

32
:
Has imprisoned
, or has joined together;
all in disobedience
, lit., “everyone into a not-being-persuaded-state”;
so that he may be merciful to all
, or in order that everyone might be [equally in need of being] shown mercy.

33
:
Judgments
, or decisions.

34
: Adapted from Isa 40.13 LXX.

35
: Cf. Job 35.7; 41.1,3.
Given
, lit., “first given.”
To receive a gift in return
, lit., “and [or, even] it will be repaid to him.”

12.1
–21: Living faithfully, “therefore.”
Paul explains how Gentiles are to live faithfully as Christ-followers in the midst of the Jewish communities of Rome. In disclosing how God is working through those Israelites who are bringing the message to the nations as well as those who are not, Paul
therefore
exhorts the non-Jewish Christ-followers to change their mind-set and behavior to fulfill their responsibilities in this design. Rather than respond on the basis of present appearances, they are to live according to that which has been revealed, for they play an important role in the completion of God’s rescue of everyone. Most of this chapter gives general instructions for how to live with respect and consideration toward everyone in their lives, including those who may oppose them and their claims. This they can do if they work together and look to God’s empowerment, since God is the just judge who indeed knows the intentions and actions of everyone. Their responsibility is instead to serve the other, and they are to realize that they only play a small part, however important, in the midst of all of humanity, so they must learn to live on behalf of everyone, even on behalf of those who may seem to be obstacles to their own success or happiness. As he argued in ch 2, things (and people) may not be as they seem; leave the judging to God. Most of the specific instructions for how to carry this out are attested in Tanakh and other wisdom literature of the time (see annotations).

1
:
Therefore
, in view of what Paul has just argued about the role of these Gentiles in God’s plan, including how their interests are related to how God is working with Israelites, he offers in chs 12 to 15 the following exhortation for how these Gentiles ought to behave.
Mercies
, or, compassions.
Living sacrifice
, dedicating one’s body and mind to God (cf. 15.16; Isa 1.10–17; 66.18–20; 1QS 8.5–10; 9.3–5; 4QFlor. 1.2–7;
Odes Sol
. 20.1–5).
Which is your spiritual worship
, or which is a logical expression of your worship [or service]; cf.
b. Sanh
. 43b.

2
: See 6.4.
To this world
, to this age.
Renewing … minds,
cf. Isa 1.18.

3
:
Each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned
, lit., “as God distributed to each person a measure of faithfulness.” Cf. 1QS 4.2–6; 24–25.

4
–5
:
Members
, or parts. Paul (and other NT writers) used this imagery about the community of Jesus followers, e.g., 1 Cor 12.12–30; Eph 4.16; 5.30.

6
:
Prophecy
, not predicting the future but speaking the present word of God to the community.

8
: Gives can also mean shares; Job 31.17 [LXX]; giving cheerfully, cf. Prov 22.9; 2 Cor 9.7; Sir 35.9; Philo,
Spec. Laws
7.74;
Lev. Rab
. 34.9.

9
:
Be genuine
, lit., “without hypocrisy.” Cf. Lev 19.33–34; Amos 5.15; Ps 97.10; 1QS 1.4–5;
T. Benj
. 8.1.

10
:
Love
, or be devoted to. Cf. Lev 19.18; 1QS 2.24–25; Jn 13.34;
m. Avot
4.15.

11
:
Do not lag in zeal
, cf. Prov 6.6,9; 20.4.

12
:
Persevere
, or persist, devote yourself to prayer; cf. Isa 56.7; Prov 15.8.

13
:
Saints
, see 1.7n.
Hospitality
, see Gen 18; Job 31.32; Philo,
Abr
. 107–14;
Ant
. 1.196; Mk 1.29–31; 6.8–11; 14.3; Lk 10.38–42.

14
: Cf. Mt 5.44; Lk 6.28; contrast Gal 1.8–9; 5.11–12; 1 Thess 2.14–16.

15
: Cf. Job 30.25; Eccl 3.4–5; Sir 7.34; Epictetus,
Diatr
. 2.5.23.

16
: Cf. Isa 5.21; Prov 3.7.
Lowly
, or humble, weak; it can refer to social standing or poverty. Cf. Judg 6.15; Isa 14.32; Ps 10.18; 18.27; 34.18; 131.1–3; Prov 3.34; Job 5.11; Sir 3.20; 10.15.

17
: Cf. Prov 3.4; 20.22; 24.29.

18
: Ps 34.14 (LXX 33.15); Mk 13.22; Lk 6.27–36; 2 Cor 8.21.
Ant
. 4.310.

19
: Deut 32.35; cf. Lev 19.18.
Wrath of God
, “of God” not in Gk. The echoes of Proverbs in this section reflect similar concern to exhort to righteous living.

20
:
Heap burning coals
, drawn from Prov 25.22, perhaps indicates the blood rising for one who is shamed by the receipt of kindness from one to whom the recipient has been unkind; cf. 2 Kings 6.22; 1QS 10.17–20 similarly develops Prov 25.22; 9.21–22;
4 Ezra
16.54;
Tg. Prov
. 25.21–23.

21
:
Overcome evil with good
, cf. Lk 6.27–36; 1QS 10.17–18;
b. Ber
. 10a.

13.1
–14: Subordination to higher authorities enjoined.
The traditional view of this chapter is that it exhorts the community to obey or subject themselves to the empire or state. Some interpreters see it as referring to subordination rather than obedience per se (i.e., willing to pay the consequences for resistance to unethical demands). It could also be understood to be an ironic or “hidden” transcript; that is, in view of the instructions just given in ch 12, and what comes immediately after in the rest of ch 13, the audience can understand it as signifying compliance, yet not for the reasons offered, in case the letter became known to Roman authorities (since it was sent to Rome). The person or institution to which the community should subordinate itself is not specified. It could refer to synagogue rulers, also called “archontes,” the word translated “rulers” in v. 3 (cf. Lk 8.41; 12.11; 18.18; 23.13,35; 24.20; Acts 7.27,35; 14.5;
C.I.J
. 1.347). That would follow the general line of instruction, concerned with how these non-Jews were to behave among those who did not share their convictions, and who perhaps were in a position to bring pressure on them to alter those convictions (as “enemies”; see 11.28n.). Resistance to synagogue communal authorities and membership obligations (such as the Temple tax) might well be expected from non-Jews, if the legitimacy of their claims and social needs were being questioned, or rebuffed, provoking such an instruction. That would be in keeping with Paul’s continued concern to challenge any temptations toward resentment, most explicit in ch 11, now in the more practical matters of institutional behavior. Thus one of the ways that these Gentiles are instructed to live respectfully toward Jews is to accept the authority of the Jewish communal leaders. This includes the payment of the Temple tax for those who would claim full membership in Israel, such as these Gentile Christ-followers do. They are not under Torah on the same terms as Jews, but faithfulness for them similarly means living according to the righteous lifestyle and concern for the other that express the ideals of Torah. They are from the other nations, but now, because they are Christ-followers, they are called to a new way of expressing what that means in the world. See
Ant
. 14.110; 16.160–73; Cicero,
Flac
., 28.66–69. Tacitus,
Hist
. 5.5.1. See also v. 2n.

1
:
Governing authorities
, or protective/higher powers; i.e., synagogue leaders; no article in Gk. It is difficult to understand how, if the traditional interpretation here is assumed, Paul would sanction either the Roman Empire or its administration as instituted, or as the alternative suggests, “arranged by God”; the present age is “night,” and thus “darkness” (13.12) and “evil” according to Paul, one from which people need to be freed (cf. Gal 1.4; 1 Thess 5.3; 2 Thess 2.6ff.).

2
: The critique of the role of Israel’s kings and other authorities, including religious leaders such as priests and prophets, is a significant part of Israelite ideals, and all the more, of the rulers of other nations and their gods, who are often used to discipline the unrighteous but who are also guilty of harming the righteous; they will be punished, and are frequently resisted in acts of faithful righteousness (cf. e.g., Deut 17.14–20; 1 Sam 8; Isa 47; Jer 29; Dan 3; 2 Macc 7; Wis 6.3–5).

3
:
Approval
, lit., “praise for behaving righteously,” even when their identity claims are resisted.

4
: It is not likely that Paul means to say that the rulers of the Roman Empire were just, or the Empire was God’s servant. The
sword
(“machaira”) was a small one that represented police-like and judicial authority (“ius gladii”), which is descriptive of the synagogue communal leader’s rights and obligations to police among Jews, under the authority of the Empire, e.g., the responsibility to collect taxes and keep order. The sword signifies these same kinds of responsibilities for authorities of the empire in general, but not literally. Note that Paul says he has been punished (including physical measures) by synagogue authorities (2 Cor 11.23–26; Acts 14.5,19; 16.22–23), and moreover that he had, previously, sought to harm Christ-believers under some kind of Jewish communal police-like rights (cf. Gal 1.13–15,23; Acts 8.1; 9.1–2; 22.4–5), a case which also brings into question any assertion that Paul would claim that justice is always carried out even by Jewish authorities.

5
: Anticipates the argument of chs 14–15.
Conscience
, the sense of what is right.