Romans 4:13

Romans 4:13 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.
• New International Version (NIV)It was not through the law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith.
• English Standard Version (ESV)For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith.
• New King James Version (NKJV)For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.

Context of Romans 4:13

11Circumcision was a sign that Abraham already had faith and that God had already accepted him and declared him to be righteous—even before he was circumcised. So Abraham is the spiritual father of those who have faith but have not been circumcised. They are counted as righteous because of their faith. 12And Abraham is also the spiritual father of those who have been circumcised, but only if they have the same kind of faith Abraham had before he was circumcised. Clearly, God’s promise to give the whole earth to Abraham and his descendants was based not on his obedience to God’s law, but on a right relationship with God that comes by faith. 14If God’s promise is only for those who obey the law, then faith is not necessary and the promise is pointless. 15For the law always brings punishment on those who try to obey it. (The only way to avoid breaking the law is to have no law to break!)

Romans 4:13 word by word

οὐ γὰρ διὰ νόμου ἡ ἐπαγγελία τῷ Ἀβραὰμ ἢ τῷ σπέρματι αὐτοῦ τὸ κληρονόμον αὐτὸν εἶναι κόσμου ἀλλὰ διὰ δικαιοσύνης πίστεως.Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• Forγάρgar · forG1063
• the promiseἐπαγγελίαepaggelia · promiseG1860
• that heαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• should beεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
• the heirκληρονόμοςklēronomos · heirG2818
• of the worldκόσμοςkosmos · worldG2889
• notοὐou · noG3756
• to AbrahamἈβραάμAbraam · AbrahamG11
• orἤē · orG2228
• toσπέρμαsperma · seed: offspringG4690
• throughδιάdia · through/because ofG1223
• the lawνόμοςnomos · lawG3551
• butἀλλάalla · butG235
• the righteousnessδικαιοσύνηdikaiosunē · righteousnessG1343
• of faithπίστιςpistis · faithG4102

Cross-references for Romans 4:13

• Genesis 12:3I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.”
• Genesis 17:4“This is my covenant with you: I will make you the father of a multitude of nations!
• Genesis 22:17I will certainly bless you. I will multiply your descendants beyond number, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will conquer the cities of their enemies.
• Genesis 28:14Your descendants will be as numerous as the dust of the earth! They will spread out in all directions—to the west and the east, to the north and the south. And all the families of the earth will be blessed through you and your descendants.
• Genesis 49:10The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from his descendants, until the coming of the one to whom it belongs, the one whom all nations will honor.
• Psalms 2:8Only ask, and I will give you the nations as your inheritance, the whole earth as your possession.
• Psalms 72:11All kings will bow before him, and all nations will serve him.
• Galatians 3:16God gave the promises to Abraham and his child. And notice that the Scripture doesn’t say “to his children,” as if it meant many descendants. Rather, it says “to his child”—and that, of course, means Christ.
• Romans 4:11Circumcision was a sign that Abraham already had faith and that God had already accepted him and declared him to be righteous—even before he was circumcised. So Abraham is the spiritual father of those who have faith but have not been circumcised. They are counted as righteous because of their faith.

Commentaries on Romans 4:13

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 13For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world - This promise intimated that he should be the medium through whom the mercy of God should be communicated to the world, to both Jews and Gentiles; and the manner in which he was justified, be the rule and manner according to which all men should expect this blessing. Abraham is here represented as having all the world given to him as his inheritance; because in him all nations of the earth are…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 13For the promise … - To show that the faith of Abraham, on which his justification depended, was not by the Law, the apostle proceeds to show that the promise concerning which his faith was so remarkably evinced was before the Law was given. If this was so, then it was an additional important consideration in opposition to the Jew, showing that acceptance with God depended on faith, and not on works. That he should be heir of the world - An heir is one who…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 13-22Verses 13-22 The promise was made to Abraham long before the law. It points at Christ, and it refers to the promise, Ge 12:3. In Thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. The law worketh wrath, by showing that every transgressor is exposed to the Divine displeasure. As God intended to give men a title to the promised blessings, so he appointed it to be by faith, that it might be wholly of grace, to make it sure to all who were of the like precious…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 13of the world: God told Abraham that he would be the father of many nations (4:17; Genesis 12:2; 13:16; 15:5; 17:4–6, 16–20; 22:17). God also said Abraham would bring blessings to all people (Genesis 12:3; 18:18; 22:18; compare Isaiah 55:3–5).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 13-1513-15. For the promise, &c.--This is merely an enlargement of the foregoing reasoning, applying to the law what had just been said of circumcision. that he should be the heir of the world--or, that "all the families of the earth should be blessed in him." was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law--in virtue of obedience to the law. but through the righteousness of faith--in virtue of his simple faith in the divine promises.Read the comment

Topics related to Romans 4:13

• Abraham
• Bigotry
• Catholicity
• Faith
• Justification
• Righteousness
• Salvation
• Works

In the dictionaries

• Abraham
• Abraham, Abram
• Flesh
• Heir
• Impute
• Quicken
• Raise
• Reckon
• Stagger
• Unbelief

Commentaries on Romans 4

• 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