God’s Word Translation
Romans 2:16
16This happens as they face the day when God, through Christ Jesus, will judge people’s secret thoughts. He will use the Good News that I am spreading to make that judgment.
Romans 2:16 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.
- New International Version (NIV)This will take place on the day when God judges people’s secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares.
- English Standard Version (ESV)on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.
- New King James Version (NKJV)in the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel.
Context of Romans 2:16
14For example, whenever non-Jews who don’t have the laws in Moses’ Teachings do by nature the things that those laws contain, they are a law to themselves even though they don’t have any of those laws. 15They show that some requirements found in Moses’ Teachings are written in their hearts. Their consciences speak to them. Their thoughts accuse them on one occasion and defend them on another. This happens as they face the day when God, through Christ Jesus, will judge people’s secret thoughts. He will use the Good News that I am spreading to make that judgment. 17You call yourself a Jew, rely on the laws in Moses’ Teachings, brag about your God, 18know what he wants, and distinguish right from wrong because you have been taught Moses’ Teachings.
Read all of Romans 2Romans 2:16 word by word
ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ὅτε κρίνει ὁ θεὸς τὰ κρυπτὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων κατὰ τὸ εὐαγγέλιόν μου διὰ Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ.¶Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Inἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
- the dayἡμέραhēmera · dayG2250
- whenὅτεhote ho te hē te tō te · whenG3753
- Godὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- Godθεόςtheos · GodG2316
- shall judgeκρίνωkrinō · to judgeG2919
- the secretsκρυπτόςkruptos · hiddenG2927
- of menἄνθρωποςanthrōpos · a humanG444
- byδιάdia · through/because ofG1223
- JesusἸησοῦςIēsous · JesusG2424
- ChristΧριστόςChristos · ChristG5547
- according toκατάkata · according toG2596
- myἐγώegō · I/weG1473
- gospelεὐαγγέλιονeuaggelion · gospelG2098
Cross-references for Romans 2:16
- Romans 2:5Since you are stubborn and don’t want to change the way you think and act, you are adding to the anger that God will have against you on that day when God vents his anger. At that time God will reveal that his decisions are fair.
- Romans 3:6That’s unthinkable! Otherwise, how would God be able to judge the world?
- Romans 14:10Why do you criticize or despise other Christians? Everyone will stand in front of God to be judged.
- Genesis 18:25It would be unthinkable for you to do such a thing, to treat the innocent and the guilty alike and to kill the innocent with the guilty. That would be unthinkable! Won’t the judge of the whole earth do what is fair?”
- Psalms 9:7Yet, the Lord is enthroned forever. He has set up his throne for judgment.
- Psalms 50:6The heavens announce his righteousness because God is the judge. Selah
- Psalms 96:13in the Lord’s presence because he is coming. He is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness and its people with his truth.
- Psalms 98:9in the Lord’s presence because he is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with justice and its people with fairness.
- Ecclesiastes 3:17I thought to myself, “God will judge righteous people as well as wicked people, because there is a specific time for every activity and every work that is done.”
- Ecclesiastes 11:9You young people should enjoy yourselves while you’re young. You should let your hearts make you happy when you’re young. Follow wherever your heart leads you and whatever your eyes see. But realize that God will make you give an account for all these things when he judges everyone.
- Ecclesiastes 12:14God will certainly judge everything that is done. This includes every secret thing, whether it is good or bad.
- Matthew 16:27The Son of Man will come with his angels in his Father’s glory. Then he will pay back each person based on what that person has done.
- Matthew 25:31“When the Son of Man comes in his glory and all his angels are with him, he will sit on his glorious throne.
- Luke 8:17There is nothing hidden that will not be revealed. There is nothing kept secret that will not come to light.
- John 12:48Those who reject me by not accepting what I say have a judge appointed for them. The words that I have spoken will judge them on the last day.
- 1 Corinthians 4:5Therefore, don’t judge anything before the appointed time. Wait until the Lord comes. He will also bring to light what is hidden in the dark and reveal people’s motives. Then each person will receive praise from God.
Commentaries on Romans 2:16
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 16In the day when God shall judge - And all this shall be farther exemplified and proved in the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ; which judgment shall be according to my Gospel - according to what I am now laying down before you, relative to the impartiality of God, and his righteous procedure in judging men, not according to their opinions or prejudices, not according to revelations which they never possessed, but according to…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 16In the day - This verse is doubtless to be connected with Romans 2:12, and the intermediate verses are a parenthesis, and it implies that the pagan world, as well as the Jews, will be arraigned at the bar of judgment. At that time God will judge all in righteousness, the Jew by the Law which he had, and the pagan by the Law which he had. When God shall judge - God is often represented as the Judge of mankind; Deuteronomy 32:36; Psalm 50:4; 1 Samuel 2:10…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 16secrets (literally the hidden things): Scripture often emphasizes that God will judge people based on their thoughts and intentions (see 1 Samuel 16:7; Psalm 139:1–2; Jeremiah 17:10).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1616. In the day, &c.--Here the unfinished statement of Ro 2:12 is resumed and closed. shall judge the secrets of men--here specially referring to the unfathomed depths of hypocrisy in the self-righteous whom the apostle had to deal with. (See Ec 12:14; 1Co 4:5). according to my gospel--to my teaching as a preacher of the Gospel.Read the comment
Topics related to Romans 2:16
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
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
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