Romans 5:13

Romans 5:13 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)(For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law.
• New International Version (NIV)To be sure, sin was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not charged against anyone’s account where there is no law.
• English Standard Version (ESV)for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law.
• New King James Version (NKJV)(For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law.

Context of Romans 5:13

11But that is not everything! We are very happy now because of what God has done for us. Our Lord Jesus Christ has made this possible. It is because of him that we have now become God's friends. 12It was because of one man, Adam, that sin came into the world. Death was the result of Adam's sin. Because of that, death came to all people, because everyone failed to obey God. Before God gave his Law to Moses, people did wrong things. Sin was already there in the world. But at that time, God did not say that people were guilty, because there was no law for them to obey. 14But still death ruled all people, from the time when Adam lived until the time when Moses lived. Everyone died, even those who did not fail in the same way that Adam failed. Adam shows us something about God's special Messiah who would come at a future time. 15But they are not the same. Adam was the man who did not obey what God said to him. Jesus Christ is the man who brought God's free gift to people. Adam was just one person but many people died because of his sin. But God has shown in a greater way that he is very kind to people. Very many people have received God's gift because of one man, Jesus Christ. Christ has been very kind to many people!

Romans 5:13 word by word

ἄχρι γὰρ νόμου ἁμαρτία ἦν ἐν κόσμῳ, ἁμαρτία δὲ οὐκ ἐλλογεῖται μὴ ὄντος νόμου·Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Forγάρgar · forG1063
• untilἄχριachri achris · untilG891
• the lawνόμοςnomos · lawG3551
• sinἁμαρτίαhamartia · sinG266
• wasεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
• inἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
• the worldκόσμοςkosmos · worldG2889
• butδέde · thenG1161
• isἐλλογέωellogeō · to chargeG1677
• notοὐou · noG3756
• noμήmē · notG3361

Cross-references for Romans 5:13

• Genesis 4:7If you do what is right, I will accept you. But if you do not do the right thing, sin will be very near to you. It will be like a wild animal at your door that is ready to eat you. But you must become its master.’
• Genesis 6:5The Lord saw that men and women on the earth had become very bad. They thought only of evil things all the time.
• Genesis 8:21The Lord smelled the sacrifice and it made him happy. The Lord said to himself, ‘I will never curse the ground again because of the bad things that people do. From the time that they are children, they want to do bad things. But I will never again destroy everything that breathes, as I have done this time.
• Genesis 13:13The people of Sodom were very wicked. They did not obey the Lord at all.
• Genesis 18:20So the Lord said to Abraham, ‘I have heard how bad the people in Sodom and Gomorrah are. Everybody says that their sins are very bad.
• Genesis 19:4After that, they were preparing to go to bed. Then all the men who lived in Sodom came to Lot's house. They were old men and young men, who came from every part of the city. They stood all round the house.
• Genesis 38:7But the Lord saw that Er, Judah's firstborn son, was very bad. So the Lord caused him to die.
• Romans 4:15The rules in Moses' Law say that God will punish people who do not obey those rules. But without any rules, there is nothing for people to obey.
• 1 Corinthians 15:56Death only has power to hurt us because of our sins. And it is the authority of God's Law that gives power to sins.
• 1 John 3:4If a person continues to do wrong things, he is choosing not to obey God's rules. Sin is when we do not obey God's rules.

Commentaries on Romans 5:13

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 13For until the law sin was in the world - As death reigned from Adam to Moses, so also did sin. Now, as there was no written law from Adam to that given to Moses, the death that prevailed could not be the breach of that law; for sin, so as to be punished with temporal death, is not imputed where there is no law, which shows the penalty of sin to be death. Therefore, men are not subjected to death for their own personal transgressions, but for the sin of…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 12-21Verses 12-21 Romans 5:12-21 has been usually regarded as the most difficult part of the New Testament. It is not the design of these notes to enter into a minute criticism of contested points like this. They who wish to see a full discussion of the passage, may find it in the professedly critical commentaries; and especially in the commentaries of Tholuck and of Professor Stuart on the Romans. The meaning of the passage in its general bearing is not…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 12-14Verses 12-14 The design of what follows is plain. It is to exalt our views respecting the blessings Christ has procured for us, by comparing them with the evil which followed upon the fall of our first father; and by showing that these blessings not only extend to the removal of these evils, but far beyond. Adam sinning, his nature became guilty and corrupted, and so came to his children. Thus in him all have sinned. And death is by sin; for death is the…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 13-14Paul continues his explanation of "all sinned"(5:12) by stating that people who died between the times of Adam and Moses were not subject to specific commandments from God. Therefore, their condemnation was not only because of their own sin. It was because of their union with Adam, who sinned by violating a clear commandment of God.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 13-1413-14. For until the law sin was in the world--that is during all the period from Adam "until the law" of Moses was given, God continued to treat men as sinners. but sin is not imputed where there is no law--"There must therefore have been a law during that period, because sin was then imputed"; as is now to be shown.Read the comment

Topics related to Romans 5:13

• Depravity of Man
• Justification
• Sin

In the dictionaries

• Abound
• Access
• Atonement
• Condemnation
• Covenant
• Die
• Disobedience
• Faith
• Figure
• Grace

Commentaries on Romans 5

• 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