Romans 13:12

Romans 13:12 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.
• New International Version (NIV)The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.
• English Standard Version (ESV)The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.
• New King James Version (NKJV)The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.

Context of Romans 13:12

10If you love other people, you will never do anything bad to them. So anyone who loves other people has obeyed God's Law completely. 11Live in that way, because you know what is happening in this time now. It is time that you should stop sleeping. It is now time to wake up. The time when God will save us completely is near. That time is nearer now than when we first believed in him. The night has nearly finished and the day is almost here. So we must stop doing the bad things that belong to the dark. Instead, we must take weapons like soldiers who are ready to fight in the light. 13We should live in a good way, because we live in the light of day. We should not go to wild parties. We must not be drunks. We must not have sex with anyone who is not our own wife or husband. We must not do wrong things with our bodies. We must not quarrel. We must not be jealous of other people. 14Instead, you must live with the Lord Jesus Christ as your guide. Do not even think about the bad things that you may want to do to make yourself happy.

Romans 13:12 word by word

ἡ νὺξ προέκοψεν ἡ δὲ ἡμέρα ἤγγικεν. ἀποθώμεθα οὖν τὰ ἔργα τοῦ σκότους, ἐνδυσώμεθα δὲ τὰ ὅπλα τοῦ φωτός.Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• The nightνύξnux · nightG3571
• is far spentπροκόπτωprokoptō · to advanceG4298
• ·δέde · thenG1161
• the dayἡμέραhēmera · dayG2250
• is at handἐγγίζωeggizō · to come nearG1448
• let usἀποτίθημιapotithēmi · to put asideG659
• thereforeοὖνoun · therefore/thenG3767
• the worksἔργονergon · workG2041
• of darknessσκότοςskotos · darknessG4655
• andκαίkai · andG2532
• let us put onἐνδύωenduō · to put onG1746
• the armourὅπλονhoplon · weaponG3696
• of lightφῶςphōs · lightG5457

Cross-references for Romans 13:12

• 1 John 2:8But there is something new about it. This rule has become true in the way that Christ lived. Now it has also become true in your lives. God's true message has brought light to shine in your lives. You no longer live in the dark where you do bad things.
• Isaiah 2:20At that time, people will throw away their silver idols and their gold idols. They made those idols so that they could worship them. But now they will throw them into caves where rats and bats live.
• Isaiah 30:22Then you will destroy your idols and your images of false gods. You used silver or gold to make them beautiful. But now you will throw them away like a piece of dirty cloth. You will tell them, ‘Go away!’
• Ezekiel 18:31Stop doing all the sins that you have been doing. Instead, think with new thoughts. Live with a new spirit inside you. You do not need to die, Israel's people!
• Ephesians 4:22They taught you to change the way that you live. You must put away the nature that you had before. That old nature deceived you. As a result, you wanted to do things that would destroy you.
• Colossians 3:8But now you must refuse to do all kinds of things like that. Do not become angry with people or shout at them. Do not do anything or say anything that will hurt other people. Do not speak any bad or disgusting words.
• James 1:21So stop doing disgusting things. Stay away from the wicked things that are all around you. God has put his message deep inside you, and it can save you. So be careful to accept that message.
• 1 Peter 2:1So you must refuse to do any evil things. Do not tell lies to deceive people. Do not be hypocrites. Do not be jealous of other people. Do not say bad things against other people.
• Job 24:14Murderers rob people when it is still dark. They kill poor, weak people during the night.
• John 3:19God's Son has brought light into the world. But some people did not love the light. They loved the dark instead. That was because they were doing evil things. That is why God has decided to punish those people.
• Ephesians 5:11People whose minds are in the dark do things that have no good purpose. Keep away from wrong things like that. Instead, show how bad those things really are.
• 1 Thessalonians 5:5All of you are people who belong to the light and to the day. We who are believers do not belong to the night or to the dark.
• 1 John 1:5We are telling you the good news that Jesus Christ told to us. This is the message: God is completely good and clean. He is like light. There is nothing dark about him.
• Romans 13:14Instead, you must live with the Lord Jesus Christ as your guide. Do not even think about the bad things that you may want to do to make yourself happy.
• 2 Corinthians 6:7We speak a true message. God's power gives us strength. We do what is right, so we fight like soldiers on God's behalf. It is like we have God's weapons in both hands!
• Ephesians 6:11Use all the help that God gives to us. Then you can be like a soldier who fights against the Devil. You must put on the whole armour that God gives to us. The Devil attacks us in clever ways, and we need to be strong.

Commentaries on Romans 13:12

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 12The night is far spent - If we understand this in reference to the heathen state of the Romans, it may be paraphrased thus: The night is far spent - heathenish darkness is nearly at an end. The day is at hand - the full manifestation of the Sun of righteousness, in the illumination of the whole Gentile world approaches rapidly. The manifestation of the Messiah is regularly termed by the ancient Jews יום yom, day, because previously to this all is night…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 12The night - The word “night,” in the New Testament, is used to denote “night” literally (Matthew 2:14, etc.); the starry heavens Revelation 8:12; and then it denotes a state of “ignorance” and “crime,” and is synonymous with the word “darkness,” as such deeds are committed commonly in the night; 1 Thessalonians 5:5. In this place it seems to denote our present imperfect and obscure condition in this world as contrasted with the pure light of heaven The…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 11-14Verses 11-14 Four things are here taught, as a Christian's directory for his day's work. When to awake; Now; and to awake out of the sleep of carnal security, sloth, and negligence; out of the sleep of spiritual death, and out of the sleep of spiritual deadness. Considering the time; a busy time; a perilous time. Also the salvation nigh at hand. Let us mind our way, and mend our pace, we are nearer our journey's end. Also to make ourselves ready. The…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 12-13the day has drawn near: The word day comes from two sources: First, the Old Testament repeatedly predicts the Day of the LORD. This is the time when God brings his plan to its completion (see Isaiah 13:4–13; Jeremiah 3:18; 30:8–9; Joel 2:1–32; Obadiah 1:15–18). Second, moral teaching in the ancient world often used day and light to represent what is good. Night and darkness represented what is evil. Greeks, Romans, and Jews all used this contrast. Because…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1212. The night--of evil is far spent, the day--of consummated triumph over it is at hand: let us therefore cast off--as a dress the works of darkness--all works holding of the kingdom and period of darkness, with which, as followers of the risen Saviour, our connection has been dissolved. and let us put on the armour of light--described at length in Ep 6:11-18.Read the comment

Topics related to Romans 13:12

• Armor
• Commandments
• Darkness
• Holiness
• Night
• Rising
• War

In the dictionaries

• Chamber
• Chambering
• Comprehend
• Custom
• Fear
• Near
• Owe
• Sword
• Terror
• Armor; Arms

Commentaries on Romans 13

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• The People’s New Testament
• Robertson’s Word Pictures
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings