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

11So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God. 12When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned. 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. 14Still, everyone died—from the time of Adam to the time of Moses—even those who did not disobey an explicit commandment of God, as Adam did. Now Adam is a symbol, a representation of Christ, who was yet to come. 15But there is a great difference between Adam’s sin and God’s gracious gift. For the sin of this one man, Adam, brought death to many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ.

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 4:7You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.”
• Genesis 6:5The Lord observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil.
• Genesis 8:21And the Lord was pleased with the aroma of the sacrifice and said to himself, “I will never again curse the ground because of the human race, even though everything they think or imagine is bent toward evil from childhood. I will never again destroy all living things.
• Genesis 13:13But the people of this area were extremely wicked and constantly sinned against the Lord.
• Genesis 18:20So the Lord told Abraham, “I have heard a great outcry from Sodom and Gomorrah, because their sin is so flagrant.
• Genesis 19:4But before they retired for the night, all the men of Sodom, young and old, came from all over the city and surrounded the house.
• Genesis 38:7But Er was a wicked man in the Lord’s sight, so the Lord took his life.
• Romans 4:15For 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!)
• 1 Corinthians 15:56For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power.
• 1 John 3:4Everyone who sins is breaking God’s law, for all sin is contrary to the law of God.

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