Romans 2:14

When (ὅταν) Lit., whenever, supposing a case which may occur at any time. The Gentiles Rev., properly, Gentiles. There is no article. Not the Gentiles collectively, but Gentiles among whom the supposed case occurs. Which have not the law (τὰ μὴ νόμον ἔχοντα) The μὴ not negatives the possession of the law. Rev., which have no law. Having not the law (νόμον μὴ ἔχοντες) Here μὴ not negatives the possession of the law. Rev., having no law. It is difficult to indicate the proper emphasis in the English text, since the use of italics is limited to words not in the original.

{6} For when the Gentiles, which have {i} not the law, do by {k} nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: (6) He prevents an objection which might be made by the Gentiles, who even though they do not have the law of Moses, yet they have no reason why they may excuse their wickedness, in that they have something written in their hearts instead of a law, as men do who forbid and punish some things as wicked, and command and commend other things as good. (i) Not that they are without any law, but rather the law of the Jews. (k) Command honest things, and forbid dishonest.

Here he preoccupates the Gentiles’ plea. They might object, that having not the law, they could not transgress, nor be culpable in judgment: see Romans 4:15 . To this he says, that though they had not the law written in tables of stone, as the Jews had, yet they had a law written in their hearts, which was a copy or counterpart of the other, and had in a manner the effects of it; for thereby they were instructed to do well, and debarred from doing evil, which are the two properties of all laws. Do by nature; nature is opposed to Scripture and special revelation: by the direction of the law, and light of nature, they did many things which the law of Moses commanded, and forbore many things which it forbade. Are a law unto themselves; i.e. they have in themselves such principles of reason and rules of equity, as are to them instead of a law, prescribing what they ought to do and avoid.

(14) A sort of parenthesis begins here. Romans 2:16 refers back to the main subject of the paragraph, and not to the particular point on which the Apostle digresses in Romans 2:14-15 , the virtual operation of law among the Gentiles as well as Jews. By nature.—Spontaneously; of their own motion; not acting under the coercion of any external rule, but simply by the promptings of their own conscience left to itself. The things contained in the law.—Literally, the things of the law. In this one instance the article is used, meaning, however, not “the law of Moses,” but “of this law,” or “of such law”—i.e., the ideal law spoken of just before.

Romans 2:14 . There is, indeed, when we look closely, no such thing as a man absolutely without the knowledge of God’s will, and therefore such a judgment as the Apostle has described is legitimate. Gentiles, “such as have not law” in any special shape, when they do by nature “the things of the law”— i.e. , the things required by the law given to Israel, the only one known to the Apostle—are in spite of not having law (as is the supposition here) a law to themselves. ἔθνη is not “the Gentiles,” but “Gentiles as such”—persons who can be characterised as “without law”. The supposition made in τὰ μὴ νόμον ἔχοντα is that of the Jews; and the Apostle’s argument is designed to show that though formally, it is not substantially true.

Romans 2:14-15 . For when the Gentiles — That is, any of them who have not the law — Not a written revelation of the divine will; do by nature — That is, by the light of nature, without an outward rule, or by the untaught dictates of their own minds, influenced, however, by the preventing grace of God, which hath appeared to all men, Titus 2:11 ; or, the true light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world: the things contained in the law — The moral duties required by the precepts of the law, the ten commandments being only the substance of the law of nature. These, not having the written law, are a law unto themselves — That is, what the law was to the Jews, they are by the light and grace of God to themselves, namely, a rule of life. All the ancient Greek commentators, as Whitby has shown, interpreted this passage not of the Gentiles who had been converted to Christianity, but of those Gentiles who had not been favoured with a revealed law, and therefore were neither proselytes to Judaism nor Christianity. Who show — To themselves and others, and, in a sense, to God himself, the work of the law — In its most important moral precepts, in the substance, though not in the letter of them; written in their hearts — By the same divine hand which wrote the commandments on the tables of stone; their conscience also bearing witness — For or against them, or testifying how far they have complied with their light or law.

There is not one of all its faculties which the soul has less in its power than this. And their thoughts — Or their reasonings or reflections upon their own conduct; the meanwhile — Or, as the expression, μεταξυ αλληλων , is translated in the margin, between themselves, or by turns, according as they do well or ill; accusing — Checking and condemning them when they have acted contrary to their light; or else excusing — Approving and justifying them when they have conformed to it. Hence the apostle meant it to be inferred, that it was not the having, or knowing the law, ( Romans 2:13 ,) nor the condemning others for the transgression of it, could avail a man, but the doing of it, or walking according to it. We may observe further on this verse, that, as the law in this context signifies divine revelation, the work of the law must be men’s duty, which revelation discovers by its precepts, which is also in part discovered by men’s natural reason and conscience, influenced by the light and grace of God; on which account it is said to be written on their hearts. Thus, in the compass of two verses, the apostle hath explained what the light of nature is, and demonstrated that there is such a light existing. It is a revelation from God written originally on the heart or mind of man; consequently is a revelation common to all nations; and, so far as it goes, it agrees with the things written in the external revelation which God hath made to some nations.

Romans 2:14 . Ὅταν , when ) After Paul has finished the refutation of the perverse judgment of the Jews against the Gentiles, he next proceeds to show the true judgment of God against the latter. He treats here of the Gentiles more directly, for the purpose of convicting them; and yet, what is granted to them in passing, is granted with this end in view, that the Jew may be dealt with the more heavily; but Romans 2:26 treats of the Gentiles quite incidentally, in order to convict the Jew. Wherefore, ὅταν , when , is used here [ Romans 2:14 ]; ἐὰν , if , there [ Romans 2:26 ].— γὰρ for ) He gives the reason, why the Gentiles should also be required to be the doers of the law; for when they do ever so little of it, they recognise their obligations to obey it. And yet he shows, that they cannot be justified by the law of nature, or by their ownselves. There are four sentences beginning with the words: when—these—who—the conscience bearing witness along with . The second is explained by the third, the first by the fourth.— ἔθνη ) Not, τὰ ἔθνη ; some individuals of the Gentiles; and yet there is no man, who does not fulfil some of the requirements of the law ( ἐκ τῶν τοῦ νόμου ).

He did not choose to say ἐθνικοὶ , which is usually taken rather in a bad sense.— μὴ νόμον · νόμον μὴ ,— not the law: the law not ) Not even here is the change in the arrangement of the words without a reason; in the former place, the not is the emphatic word, so that greater force may be given to the, have not; in the latter place, the word νόμον , the law , contains the emphasis, thus forming an antithesis to the ἑαυτοις , unto themselves . So also, νὁμος , law , has sometimes the article, and sometimes not, and not without a good reason in each instance, Romans 2:13 ; Romans 2:23 ; Romans 2:27 ; Romans 3:19-21 ; Romans 7:1 ., etc.— φύσει , by nature ) The construction is, μὴ νόμον ἔχοντα φύσει , not having the law by nature .[29] [But Engl. vers. joins nature with do , not with having ] precisely as in Romans 2:27 , ἡ ἐκ φύσεως ἀκροβυστία , the uncircumcision by nature , contrary to the Syriac version of Romans 2:27 , which connects the word nature with doing , “ doing by nature the law .” The Gentiles are by nature (that is, when left to themselves, as they are born, not as individuals, but as nations), destitute of the (written) law; the Jews are by nature Jews, Galatians 2:15 , and therefore have by nature the (written) law, ch. Romans 11:24 , the end of the verse.

Verses 14, 15. - For when Gentiles, which have not law, do by nature (or, having not law by nature, do ; cf. ver. 27, ἡ ἐκ φύσεως ἀκροβυστία ) the things of the Law ( i.e. the Mosaic Law), these, not having law, are law unto themselves; which ( οἵτινες , with its usual significance of quippequi ) show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness (or, bearing witness therewith ) , and their thoughts betwixt each other accusing or else excusing (not, as in the Authorized Version, meanwhile accusing or else excusing one another , μεταξὺ being used as a preposition, governing ἀλλήλων ). The "for" at the beginning of ver. 14 connects it with the preceding one thus: "Not hearers but doers of law will be justified." The Jew, therefore, has no advantage in the way of justification over the Gentile from being in a peculiar sense a hearer. For Gentiles also may be doers , though not of a positive revealed law, yet of the law of conscience. It is not, of course, implied that on the ground of any such doing they "shall be justified;" only that, so far as they do , they will, equally with the Jews, be rewarded. Nor is it said that any, in fact, do all that law enjoins. We observe the hypothetical form of expression, ὅταν ποιῇ , and also, τὰ τοῦ νόμου , i.e. any of the Law's requirements.