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.
• 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.
• New Living Translation (NLT)Yes, people sinned even before the law was given. But it was not counted as sin because there was not yet any law to break.

Context of Romans 5:13

11Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. 12Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned— 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. 14Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who is a pattern of the one to come. 15But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!

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, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.”
• Genesis 6:5The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time.
• Genesis 8:21The Lord smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart: “Never again will I curse the ground because of humans, even though every inclination of the human heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done.
• Genesis 13:13Now the people of Sodom were wicked and were sinning greatly against the Lord.
• Genesis 18:20Then the Lord said, “The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous
• Genesis 19:4Before they had gone to bed, all the men from every part of the city of Sodom—both young and old—surrounded the house.
• Genesis 38:7But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the Lord’s sight; so the Lord put him to death.
• Romans 4:15because the law brings wrath. And where there is no law there is no transgression.
• 1 Corinthians 15:56The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.
• 1 John 3:4Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness.

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