EasyEnglish Bible 2018
Romans 2:4
4Remember that God is very kind and patient with us. He waits a long time before he punishes us. Do you not think that that is important? You should understand that God is giving you a chance to change. He waits patiently, so that you may turn away from wrong things.
Romans 2:4 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?
- New International Version (NIV)Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?
- English Standard Version (ESV)Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?
- New King James Version (NKJV)Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?
Context of Romans 2:4
2When God judges people, he does it in a way that is right and fair. He punishes people who do those kind of bad things. 3I ask each of you again: ‘Do you speak against people who do bad things, but you do those same bad things yourself?’ Then God will certainly punish you and you will not go free. Remember that God is very kind and patient with us. He waits a long time before he punishes us. Do you not think that that is important? You should understand that God is giving you a chance to change. He waits patiently, so that you may turn away from wrong things. 5But you refuse to change the way that you live. You are not sorry about the wrong things that you have done. As a result, you cause God to become even angrier with you. So he will punish you even more on the day when he will judge everyone. On that day, he will show how angry he is against people who do bad things. Everyone will know that he judges people in a right way. 6He will give to each person what they ought to have because of the things that they have done.
Read all of Romans 2Romans 2:4 word by word
ἢ τοῦ πλούτου τῆς χρηστότητος αὐτοῦ καὶ τῆς ἀνοχῆς καὶ τῆς μακροθυμίας καταφρονεῖς ἀγνοῶν ὅτι τὸ χρηστὸν τοῦ θεοῦ εἰς μετάνοιάν σε ἄγει;Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- Orἤē · orG2228
- despisest thouκαταφρονέωkataphroneō · to despiseG2706
- the richesπλοῦτοςploutos · richesG4149
- of hisαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
- goodnessχρηστότηςchrēstotēs · kindnessG5544
- andκαίkai · andG2532
- forbearanceἀνοχήanochē · toleranceG463
- longsufferingμακροθυμίαmakrothumia · patienceG3115
- not knowingἀγνοέωagnoeō · be ignorantG50
- thatὅτιhoti · that/since: thatG3754
- the goodnessχρηστόςchrēstos · good/kindG5543
- of Godθεόςtheos · GodG2316
- leadethἄγωagō · to bringG71
- theeσύsu · youG4771
- toεἰςeis · towardG1519
- repentanceμετάνοιαmetanoia · repentanceG3341
Cross-references for Romans 2:4
- Romans 6:1Someone might say, ‘Perhaps we should continue to do wrong things. Then God can be kind to us in more and more ways.’
- Psalms 10:11The wicked person says to himself, ‘God will give me no trouble! He does not even see what I do.’
- Ecclesiastes 8:11People who are guilty should receive their punishment quickly. If that does not happen, other people also want to do evil things.
- Jeremiah 7:10You do that and then you come to meet me here, in my own house! You say, ‘We are safe!’
- Ezekiel 12:22‘Son of man, you have this proverb in the land of Israel: “A long time passes and visions never truly happen.”
- Matthew 24:48But another servant might be bad. He might say to himself, “My master will not come yet.”
- 2 Peter 3:3The first thing that you should understand is this. In the last days of this world, some people will laugh at you because you believe in God. These people will do whatever bad things they want to do.
- Romans 9:23Other people are like valuable pots that God has chosen to make. God wants to be kind to people like that. He wants to use them to show people how great he is. He has prepared them to be with him for a special party in heaven.
- Romans 10:12It says ‘everyone’. There is no difference between Jews and Gentiles. There is the same Lord for all of them. He helps everyone who asks him with many good things.
- Romans 11:33Yes! God is very great! He has everything! He knows and he understands all things! Nobody can completely understand the things that he decides. Nobody can explain the ways in which he works.
- Psalms 86:5Yes, my Lord, you are very kind, and you are ready to forgive people. When anyone calls to you for help, you love them with your faithful love.
- Psalms 104:24Lord, you have made very many different things! You were very wise in the way that you have made them all. The earth is full of the living things that you have made.
- Ephesians 1:7When Christ died as a sacrifice on the cross, he paid the price to make us free. Because of Christ's death on our behalf, God has forgiven our sins. God is so very kind that he has done all this for us!
- Ephesians 2:4But God is very good and kind! He loved us very much.
- Ephesians 3:8I am the least important of all God's people. But God has given this special work to me because he is so kind. He has sent me to tell his good news to the Gentiles. Then they know about the many valuable things that Christ has prepared for us.
- Philippians 4:19My Lord God in heaven has plenty of good and valuable things. Because you belong to Christ Jesus, God will give to you everything that you need.
Commentaries on Romans 2:4
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness - Wilt thou render of none effect that marked benevolence of God towards thee which has given so many superior advantages, and that forbearance which has tolerated thy many miscarriages, and that long-suffering which, after repeated provocations, still continues to bear with thee? Not knowing - , not acknowledging that this goodness of God, which has so long manifested itself in forbearance and long-suffering…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4Or despisest - This word properly means to contemn, or to treat with neglect. It does not mean here that they professedly treated God‘s goodness with neglect or contempt; but that they perverted and abused it; they did not make a proper use of it; they did not regard it as suited to lead them to repentance; but they derived a practical impression, that because God had not come forth in judgment and cut them off, but had continued to follow them with…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 4not realizing that God’s kindness leads you to repentance?: Jewish writings describe a common attitude of false security about judgment (for example, Wisdom of Solomon 12–15; compare Jeremiah 7:1–5; Amos 5:18–27). Paul uses this idea when he asks his question. Many Jews believed that because they were God’s people, they did not need to fear judgment. They thought their sins would not be punished in the same way as the sins of Gentiles. Paul makes clear…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-29From those without, the apostle now turns to those within the pale of revealed religion, the self-righteous Jews, who looked down upon the uncovenanted heathen as beyond the pale of God's mercies, within which they deemed themselves secure, however inconsistent their life may be. Alas! what multitudes wrap themselves up in like fatal confidence, who occupy the corresponding position in the Christian Church! 4. the goodness of God leadeth thee to…Read the comment
Topics related to Romans 2:4
In the dictionaries
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
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