Romans 7:8

Romans 7:8 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead.
• New International Version (NIV)But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of coveting. For apart from the law, sin was dead.
• English Standard Version (ESV)But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. For apart from the law, sin lies dead.
• New King James Version (NKJV)But sin, taking opportunity by the commandment, produced in me all manner of evil desire. For apart from the law sin was dead.

Context of Romans 7:8

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. 7So someone might say, ‘God's Law must be bad.’ No! Certainly, it is not bad! Without that law, I would not have known what sin really is. One rule says, ‘You must not want to take things for yourself that belong to other people.’ Without that command, I would not have known that it is wrong to want other people's things. But the command gave sin a chance to come into my thoughts. As a result, I started to want all kinds of wrong things. If there is no law to tell us what is wrong, then sin has no power to make us guilty. 9As for me, there was a time when I did not know God's laws. I was living without any law to obey. But when I learned about that command, sin now had power in my life. 10As a result, I became separate from God, as if I had died. So the command that should have brought life to me brought death instead.

Romans 7:8 word by word

ἀφορμὴν δὲ λαβοῦσα ἡ ἁμαρτία διὰ τῆς ἐντολῆς κατειργάσατο ἐν ἐμοὶ πᾶσαν ἐπιθυμίαν· χωρὶς γὰρ νόμου ἁμαρτία νεκρά·Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Butδέde · thenG1161
• sinὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• sinἁμαρτίαhamartia · sinG266
• takingλαμβάνωlambanō · to takeG2983
• occasionἀφορμήaphormē · opportunityG874
• byδιάdia · through/because ofG1223
• the commandmentἐντολήentolē · commandmentG1785
• wroughtκατεργάζομαιkatergazomai · to workout/produceG2716
• inἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
• meἐγώegō · I/weG1473
• all manner ofπᾶςpas · allG3956
• concupiscenceἐπιθυμίαepithumia · desireG1939
• Forγάρgar · forG1063
• withoutχωρίςchōris · withoutG5565
• the lawνόμοςnomos · lawG3551
• deadνεκρόςnekros · deadG3498

Cross-references for Romans 7:8

• Romans 7:11That command gave sin a chance to deceive me. It caused me to become separate from God.
• 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.
• Romans 5:20God gave his Law to Moses to show more clearly that people were doing wrong things. But when people did more and more wrong things, God continued to be kind in more and more ways.
• James 1:14It is our own thoughts that make us do bad things. When we want to do something wrong, our thoughts lead us in a bad way.
• John 15:22I have come and I have spoken my message to them. If I had not done that, they would not have been guilty of their sin. But now they cannot say, “We have not done anything wrong.”
• 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.

Commentaries on Romans 7:8

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 8Sin, taking occasion by the commandment - I think the pointing, both in this and in the 11th verse, to be wrong: the comma should be after occasion, and not after commandment. But sin taking occasion, wrought in me by this commandment all manner of concupiscence. There are different opinions concerning the meaning of the word , which we here translate occasion. Dr. Waterland translates the clause, Sin, taking Advantage. Dr. Taylor contends that all…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 8But sin - To illustrate the effect of the Law on the mind, the apostle in this verse depicts its influence in exciting to evil desires and purposes. Perhaps no where has he evinced more consummate knowledge of the human heart than here. He brings an illustration that might have escaped most persons, but which goes directly to establish his position that the Law is insufficient to promote the salvation of man. Sin here is personified. It means not a real…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 7-13Verses 7-13 There is no way of coming to that knowledge of sin, which is necessary to repentance, and therefore to peace and pardon, but by trying our hearts and lives by the law. In his own case the apostle would not have known the sinfulness of his thoughts, motives, and actions, but by the law. That perfect standard showed how wrong his heart and life were, proving his sins to be more numerous than he had before thought, but it did not contain any…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 8Sin, seizing its opportunity through the commandment: The word opportunity is a military term for a position seized in enemy territory that becomes a base of operations (see 7:11). By expressing God’s demands, the commandments provoke rebellion within people controlled by sin. God's commandments become a chance for sin to achieve its harmful goals. apart from the law, sin is dead: The law, by plainly expressing God’s will, makes people more accountable…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 7-87-8. What ... then? Is the law sin? God forbid!--"I have said that when we were in the flesh the law stirred our inward corruption, and was thus the occasion of deadly fruit: Is then the law to blame for this? Far from us be such a thought." Nay--"On the contrary" (as in Ro 8:37; 1Co 12:22; Greek). I had not known sin but by the law--It is important to fix what is meant by "sin" here. It certainly is not "the general nature of sin" [Alford, &c.], though…Read the comment

Topics related to Romans 7:8

• Death
• Justification
• Lasciviousness

In the dictionaries

• Appear
• Captivity
• Concupiscence
• Condescend
• Consent
• Decalogue
• Delight
• Member
• Mind
• Occasion

Commentaries on Romans 7

• 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