Romans 2:29

Romans 2:29 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.
• New International Version (NIV)No, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a person’s praise is not from other people, but from God.
• English Standard Version (ESV)But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God.
• New King James Version (NKJV)but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God.

Context of Romans 2:29

27In that way, even Gentiles will show that you who are Jews are wrong. God's Law was written to help you Jews. They circumcised you to show that you belong to God. But if you refuse to obey God's Law, then God will punish you. The Gentiles who do obey God's Law will show that God is right to punish you. 28Not everyone who seems to be a Jew is really a Jew who belongs to God. God does not accept a man just because someone has circumcised that man's body. No! A true Jew is someone who belongs to God in his spirit. He belongs to God because God's Spirit has changed his life. It is like God has circumcised him in his spirit, not in his body. The rules in God's Law cannot do that work in a person. Other people may not praise a person like that, but God will praise him.

Romans 2:29 word by word

ἀλλ᾽ ὁ ἐν τῷ κρυπτῷ Ἰουδαῖος, καὶ περιτομὴ καρδίας ἐν πνεύματι οὐ γράμματι, οὗ ὁ ἔπαινος οὐκ ἐξ ἀνθρώπων ἀλλ᾽ ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ.¶Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• Butἀλλάalla · butG235
• a JewἸουδαῖοςIoudaios · JewG2453
• ·ἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
• inwardlyκρυπτόςkruptos · hiddenG2927
• andκαίkai · andG2532
• circumcisionπεριτομήperitomē · circumcisionG4061
• of the heartκαρδίαkardia · heartG2588
• the spiritπνεῦμαpneuma · spirit/breath: spiritG4151
• notοὐou · noG3756
• in the letterγράμμαgramma · something writtenG1121
• whoseὅςhos hē ho · whichG3739
• praiseἔπαινοςepainos · praiseG1868
• ofἐκek ex · out fromG1537
• menἄνθρωποςanthrōpos · a humanG444
• Godθεόςtheos · GodG2316

Cross-references for Romans 2:29

• 1 Samuel 16:7But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not look at how handsome or how tall Eliab is. I have not chosen him. The Lord does not look at people in the way that people do. People look at the face and body of a person. But the Lord sees what they are like inside.’
• 1 Chronicles 29:17My God, I know that you look carefully at our thoughts. You are pleased when we want to do things that are right. And I really do want to offer all these things to you. I know that your people who have met together here are happy. I can see that they are pleased to give these things to you.
• Psalms 45:13The king's bride is in the palace, and she looks beautiful! Her dress has gold threads in it.
• Jeremiah 4:14People of Jerusalem, remove the evil things from your lives. Then the Lord may save you. Do not continue to have wicked ideas.
• Matthew 23:25It will be very bad for you, teachers of God's Law and Pharisees. You are hypocrites! You always clean the outside of your cups and plates very carefully. You only clean the outside part that people can see. But on the inside, everything is still dirty. Inside you, your minds are full of bad thoughts. You want to have more things for yourself. You hurt other people to get what you want.
• Luke 11:39So the Lord Jesus said to him, ‘You Pharisees are like someone who only cleans the outside of his cup and his plate. You only clean the part that people can see. But inside, your mind is full of bad thoughts. You like to take things from other people.
• Luke 17:21Nobody will say, “Look everyone! God is ruling here,” or “Look! God is ruling over there.” No, it is not like that. God is already ruling in the lives of his people.’
• John 4:23But people will soon have a new way to worship the Father. Yes, that time has already come. Those people who really want to worship the Father will worship him in their spirits, in a true way. The Father looks for people who will worship him like that.
• 1 Peter 3:4Do not just think about your body, but think about what you are really like inside yourself. Be patient and do not become angry easily. Then you will always continue to be beautiful. If you are beautiful in your spirit, God likes that very much.
• Deuteronomy 10:16So remember that you belong to the Lord. Live to please him! Do not refuse to obey him.
• Deuteronomy 30:6The Lord your God will change you so that you want to serve him. He will do that for your descendants too. Then you will love him completely in everything that you think and in everything that you do. You will continue to live in your land.
• Jeremiah 4:4Give yourselves to me, the Lord, and agree to serve me faithfully. Remove from your lives everything that is not right, so that you obey my covenant. If you do not do that, I will be very angry with you. I will punish you like a hot fire that destroys things. Nobody will be able to stop my anger. People of Judah and Jerusalem, if you continue to do wicked things, I will certainly punish you.’
• Colossians 2:11Also, because you are united with Christ, you truly belong to God's people. No person has circumcised you to show this. It is like Christ himself has circumcised you, to show that you belong to God. It is like he has cut off your old nature which made you do bad things.
• Romans 2:27In that way, even Gentiles will show that you who are Jews are wrong. God's Law was written to help you Jews. They circumcised you to show that you belong to God. But if you refuse to obey God's Law, then God will punish you. The Gentiles who do obey God's Law will show that God is right to punish you.
• Romans 7:6But now we have become free from the authority of the law. It is as if we have died. So those rules no longer control us. We do not still try to obey rules that someone has written down. That is the old way. Instead, we serve God in a new way. God's Spirit helps us to please him.
• Romans 14:17We belong to God's people and he is our King. The things that we eat and drink are not really important to him. This is important: We should do what is right. We should have peace in our minds. And we should be truly happy. God's Holy Spirit helps us to live like that.

Commentaries on Romans 2:29

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 29But he is a Jew - A true member of the Church of God. Which is one inwardly - Who has his heart purified, according to what God has uniformly prescribed by his prophets; see above: for circumcision is of the heart, in the spirit, by the Spirit of God, who is the author of all spiritual affections and holy purposes: or, every thing here is to be understood spiritually, and not literally; for without holiness none can please God, and without holiness none…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 29But he is a Jew - He comes up to the design of the Jewish institution; he manifests truly what it is to be a Jew. Which is one inwardly - Who is “in heart” a Jew. Who has the true spirit, and fulfils the design of their being separated as a special people. This passage proves that the design of separating them was not merely to perform certain external rites, or to conform to external observances, but to be a people holy in heart and in life. It cannot be…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 25-29Verses 25-29 No forms, ordinances, or notions can profit, without regenerating grace, which will always lead to seeking an interest in the righteousness of God by faith. For he is no more a Christian now, than he was really a Jew of old, who is only one outwardly: neither is that baptism, which is outward in the flesh: but he is the real Christian, who is inwardly a true believer, with an obedient faith. And the true baptism is that of the heart, by the…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 29the written code: This refers to God's law written on tablets of stone (see 2 Corinthians 3:3). Now the Holy Spirit writes God’s law on people’s hearts, meaning that God places his law within them and changes how they think and live (Jeremiah 31:33–34). This contrast shows the difference between obeying rules only on the outside and obeying God because he has changed a person’s inner life.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 25-2925-29. For circumcision--that is, One's being within the covenant of which circumcision was the outward sign and seal. verily profiteth, if thou keep the law--if the inward reality correspond to the outward sign. but if, &c.--that is, "Otherwise, thou art no better than the uncircumcised heathen."Read the comment

Topics related to Romans 2:29

• Circumcision
• Formalism
• God
• Heart
• Holiness
• Hypocrisy
• Man
• Regeneration

In the dictionaries

• God
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Accuse
• Boast
• Continuance
• Doer
• Excuse
• Fall of man
• Forbearance
• Letter

Commentaries on Romans 2

• 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
• 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