Passage
Romans 7.6
Book: Romans · ASV / WEB / KJV / YLT
Immediate context (±2 verses)
ASV
4. Wherefore, my brethren, ye also were made dead to the law through the body of Christ; that ye should be joined to another, even to him who was raised from the dead, that we might bring forth fruit unto God. 5. For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions, which were through the law, wrought in our members to bring forth fruit unto death.
6. But now we have been discharged from the law, having died to that wherein we were held; so that we serve in newness of the spirit, and not in oldness of the letter.
- What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Howbeit, I had not known sin, except through the law: for I had not known coveting, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet: 8. but sin, finding occasion, wrought in me through the commandment all manner of coveting: for apart from the law sin is dead. (Romans 7:4-8, ASV)
WEB
4. Therefore, my brothers, you also were made dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you would be joined to another, to him who was raised from the dead, that we might produce fruit to God. 5. For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were through the law, worked in our members to bring out fruit to death.
6. But now we have been discharged from the law, having died to that in which we were held; so that we serve in newness of the spirit, and not in oldness of the letter.
- What shall we say then? Is the law sin? May it never be! However, I wouldn’t have known sin, except through the law. For I wouldn’t have known coveting, unless the law had said, “You shall not covet.” 8. But sin, finding occasion through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of coveting. For apart from the law, sin is dead. (Romans 7:4-8, WEB)
KJV
4. Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God. 5. For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death. motions: Gr. passions
6. But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter. that being: or, being dead to that
- What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet. lust: or, concupiscence 8. But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead. (Romans 7:4-8, KJV)
YLT
4. So that, my brethren, ye also were made dead to the law through the body of the Christ, for your becoming another's, who out of the dead was raised up, that we might bear fruit to God; 5. for when we were in the flesh, the passions of the sins, that [are] through the law, were working in our members, to bear fruit to the death;
6. and now we have ceased from the law, that being dead in which we were held, so that we may serve in newness of spirit, and not in oldness of letter.
- What, then, shall we say? the law [is] sin? let it not be! but the sin I did not know except through law, for also the covetousness I had not known if the law had not said: 8. 'Thou shalt not covet;' and the sin having received an opportunity, through the command, did work in me all covetousness, for apart from law sin is dead. (Romans 7:4-8, YLT)
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Setting
- Speaker: Paul the Apostle
- Audience: the Roman house churches (mixed Jewish-Gentile), whom Paul had not yet met
- Location: Corinth, near the close of the third missionary journey
- Time period: c. AD 56-57
Theological reading
The transitional verse that closes Paul's marriage analogy and states the thesis chapter 7 will then defend. Nyni de katērgēthēmen apo tou nomou, but now we have been released from the law, using the same katargeō Paul applied to the body of sin at Romans 6:6.
The release is explained by death, not by the law's abolition: "having died to that by which we were bound." The preceding verses argued from the ordinary case of a wife bound to her husband while he lives and free when he dies. Paul is careful about which party dies. In the analogy the husband dies; in the application the believer has died with Christ, which is a deliberate asymmetry, and it keeps the law's own integrity intact. The bond ends because one party has died, not because the law was defective. Chapter 7 will insist twice more that the law is holy, righteous, and good.
The purpose clause gives the letter one of its programmatic contrasts, en kainotēti pneumatos kai ou palaiotēti grammatos, in newness of Spirit and not oldness of letter. The same pairing appears in 2 Corinthians 3:6. It is not a contrast between the Old Testament and the New, nor between literal and figurative reading; gramma here denotes the written code approached as an external requirement, and pneuma the Spirit who now indwells. Chapter 8 will spell out what that newness means. See Mosaic Law.
Key words
Theologically-loaded Greek or Hebrew words in this verse may have entries in the lexicon. Curated to roughly 100 contested terms across the corpus, not every word; see Lexicon Roadmap.
- G2722 - katecho, katecho, Strong's G2722
- G2673 - katargeo, katargeo, Strong's G2673
- G3551 - nomos, nomos, Strong's G3551
- G4151 - pneuma, pneuma, Strong's G4151
Quoted in
Arguments and defeaters:
- Christians Not Under Mosaic Law
- Deuteronomy 28-68 Slave Trade Prophecy Objection Defeater, via Romans 7.1-6
Concepts:
- Mosaic Law, via Romans 7.4-6
Lexicon:
Why these four translations
ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the most literal English translations available (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the public domain in the United States, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.
The four:
- ASV (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
- WEB (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
- KJV (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
- YLT (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.
See Bibles for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.