ris3n's Apologetics Codex

Passage

Romans 8.20-22

Book: Romans · ASV / WEB / KJV / YLT

Immediate context (±2 verses)

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ASV

18. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed to us-ward. 19. For the earnest expectation of the creation waiteth for the revealing of the sons of God.

20. For the creation was subjected to vanity, not of its own will, but by reason of him who subjected it, in hope 21. that the creation itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the liberty of the glory of the children of God. 22. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.

  1. And not only so, but ourselves also, who have the first-fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for our adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. 24. For in hope were we saved: but hope that is seen is not hope: for who hopeth for that which he seeth? (Romans 8:18-24, ASV)
WEB

18. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which will be revealed toward us. 19. For the creation waits with eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed.

20. For the creation was subjected to vanity, not of its own will, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21. that the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of decay into the liberty of the glory of the children of God. 22. For we know that the whole creation groans and travails in pain together until now.

  1. Not only so, but ourselves also, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for adoption, the redemption of our body. 24. For we were saved in hope, but hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for that which he sees? (Romans 8:18-24, WEB)
KJV

18. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. 19. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.

20. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, 21. Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 22. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. the: or, every creature

  1. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. 24. For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? (Romans 8:18-24, KJV)
YLT

18. For I reckon that the sufferings of the present time [are] not worthy [to be compared] with the glory about to be revealed in us; 19. for the earnest looking out of the creation doth expect the revelation of the sons of God;

20. for to vanity was the creation made subject, not of its will, but because of Him who did subject [it], in hope, 21. that also the creation itself shall be set free from the servitude of the corruption to the liberty of the glory of the children of God; 22. for we have known that all the creation doth groan together, and doth travail in pain together till now.

  1. And not only [so], but also we ourselves, having the first-fruit of the Spirit, we also ourselves in ourselves do groan, adoption expecting, the redemption of our body; 24. for in hope we were saved, and hope beheld is not hope; for what any one doth behold, why also doth he hope for [it]? (Romans 8:18-24, YLT)

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Setting

  • Speaker: Paul the Apostle
  • Audience: the mixed Jewish and Gentile house churches at Rome, a congregation Paul had neither founded nor yet visited
  • Location: composed at Corinth, addressed to Rome
  • Time period: c. AD 57

Theological reading

The creation was subjected to vanity, not of its own will, but by reason of him who subjected it. This is the New Testament's most important passage on natural evil, and it says something stronger than most readers notice.

The subjection was not creation's doing (not of its own will), and it was imposed by an agent. The passive with by reason of him who subjected it points to God rather than to Adam or to Satan, which means the futility is judicial rather than accidental. Mataiotes is the Septuagint's word in Ecclesiastes for the vapour-like emptiness of things under the sun, and Paul is claiming that quality was introduced rather than original.

Critically, the subjection is stated in hope. Verse 21 gives the terminus: creation itself will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the liberty of the glory of the children of God. So the natural order is not written off, replaced, or escaped. It is bound in order to be released, and its release is tied to the revealing of the redeemed. That coupling matters for environmental ethics and against any spirituality that treats the material world as a disposable stage.

Verse 22 gives the image that holds the paragraph together: the whole creation groans and travails together until now. Birth pains are not merely pain; they are pain with a direction and an end. Paul then places three groans in a row, creation in verse 22, believers in verse 23, and the Spirit in verse 26, which is a deliberate progression rather than repetition. The Christian answer to natural evil here is not that it is illusory or unimportant but that it is labour rather than death throes. See Problem of Evil.

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.

Quoted in

Arguments and defeaters:

Concepts:

People:

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.