• Romans 1:17
    The Kingdom Interlinear Translation of the Greek Scriptures

    • 17 δικαιοσύνη righteousness γὰρ for θεοῦ of God ἐν in αὐτῷ it ἀποκαλύπτεται is being revealed ἐκ out of πίστεως faith εἰς into πίστιν, faith, καθὼς according as γέγραπται it has been written Ὁ The δὲ but δίκαιος righteous (one) ἐκ out of πίστεως faith ζήσεται. will live.

  • Romans Study Notes—Chapter 1
    New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (Study Edition)

    • 1:17

      just as it is written: Paul often used this phrase (Greek, ka·thosʹ geʹgra·ptai, form of graʹpho, “to write”) to introduce quotes from the inspired Hebrew Scriptures. (Ro 2:24; 3:10; 4:17; 8:36; 9:13, 33; 10:15; 11:26; 15:3, 9, 21; 1Co 1:31; 2:9; 2Co 8:15) In his letter to the Romans, Paul quoted more than 50 passages from the Hebrew Scriptures and made numerous other references or allusions to them.

      But the righteous one will live by reason of faith: Some have called Ro 1:16, 17 the theme text of the book of Romans, since it expresses the book’s central thought: God is impartial and holds out the possibility of salvation to “everyone having faith.” (Ro 1:16) Throughout his letter to the Romans, Paul emphasizes the importance of faith, using Greek terms related to “faith” some 60 times. (Some examples are: Ro 3:30; 4:5, 11, 16; 5:1; 9:30; 10:17; 11:20; 12:3; 16:26.) Here at Ro 1:17, Paul quotes from Hab 2:4. Also, in two of his other letters, Paul quotes from Hab 2:4 in the context of encouraging Christians to show faith.​—Ga 3:11; Heb 10:38; see study note on by reason of faith in this verse.

      by reason of faith: Here Paul quotes from Hab 2:4, which says “will live by his faithfulness.” In many languages, the ideas of being faithful and having faith are closely related. The Hebrew word rendered “faithfulness” (ʼemu·nahʹ) is related to the Hebrew term ʼa·manʹ (to be faithful; to be trustworthy), which can also convey the idea of having faith. (Ge 15:6; Ex 14:31; Isa 28:16) Therefore, Hab 2:4 (see ftn.) could also be rendered “will live by his faith.” Paul may have quoted the Septuagint rendering of Hab 2:4, which uses the Greek word piʹstis. This Greek word primarily conveys the thought of confidence, trust, firm persuasion. It is most often rendered “faith” (Mt 8:10; 17:20; Ro 1:8; 4:5), but depending on the context, it may also be understood to mean “faithfulness” or “trustworthiness” (Mt 23:23, ftn.; Ro 3:3). At Heb 11:1, Paul gives a divinely inspired definition of the term “faith” (Greek, piʹstis).​—See study note on But the righteous one will live by reason of faith in this verse.