Romanos 4:13 NVT

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Romans 4:13

For the promise ... - To show that the faith of Abraham, on which his justification depended, was not by the Law, the apostle proceeds to show that the promise concerning which his faith was so remarkably evinced was before the Law was given. If this was so, then it was an additional important consideration in opposition to the Jew, showing that acceptance with God depended on faith, and not on works.That he should be heir of the world - An heir is one who succeeds, or is to succeed to an... read more

Donald C. Fleming

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - Romans 4:1-25

Some examples (4:1-25)To illustrate what he has just been teaching, Paul refers to the example of Abraham. Abraham was justified because of his faith, not because of any good deeds that he did (4:1-3). (To understand the illustrations concerning Abraham that follow, read Genesis 12:1-3; Genesis 15:1-6; Genesis 16:1-16; Genesis 17:15-22; Genesis 18:1-15; Genesis 21:1-21.)Righteousness is a gift received by faith, not payment for work that a person does (4-5). David, as well as Abraham, knew that... read more

E.W. Bullinger

E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes - Romans 4:13

For, &c . The Greek reads, "For not through law was the promise. "Compare Galatians 1:3 , Galatians 1:18 . heir . Compare Galatians 1:3 , Gal 1:29 and Hebrews 11:8-10 . world . App-129 . through . App-104 .Romans 4:1 . read more

James Burton Coffman

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - Romans 4:13

For not through the law was the promise to Abraham or to his seed that he should be heir of the world, but through the righteousness of faith.The law ... is here a reference to Moses' law; but, since that was the best ever given, it includes, by extension, every other kind of legal system.The promise ... is the new element under consideration in this verse. Previously, in this chapter, Paul had shown that Abraham's righteousness had been reckoned unto him upon the basis of an obedient faith,... read more

Thomas Coke

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - Romans 4:13

Romans 4:13. The heir of the world— Abraham and his seed together are the heir of the world; for the promise is made to both; and the original word αυτου includes both: and his seed, in the next verse, are called heirs as well as he; that is to say, heirs of the world, not lords and possessors of it, as some suppose. The world, we conceive, must here be considered as a great family, and Abraham and his seed as the heir or heirs, to whom, by the free donation of God, belonged the birth-right,... read more

Robert Jamieson; A. R. Fausset; David Brown

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Romans 4:13

13-15. For the promise, &c.—This is merely an enlargement of the foregoing reasoning, applying to the law what had just been said of circumcision. that he should be the heir of the world—or, that "all the families of the earth should be blessed in him." was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law—in virtue of obedience to the law. but through the righteousness of faith—in virtue of his simple faith in the divine promises. read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Romans 4:13

God gave His promise to bless the Gentiles through Abraham long before He gave the Mosaic Law. Consequently it was wrong for the Jews to think that the blessing of the Gentiles depended on their obedience to the Law. It depended on God’s faithfulness to His promise. God gave that promise to Abraham not because of his obedience but because of his faith. The giving of that promise even antedated Abraham’s circumcision. read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Romans 4:13-17

4. The priority of faith to the promise concerning headship of many nations 4:13-17The Jews believed that they had a claim on Abraham that Gentiles did not have. Obviously he was the father of their nation, and this did place him in a unique relationship to his physical descendants. However, they incorrectly concluded that all the blessings that God had promised Abraham would come to them alone. Paul reminded his readers that part of God’s promised blessing to Abraham was that he would be the... read more

John Dummelow

John Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible - Romans 4:1-25

Acceptance by Faith foreshadowed in the old DispensationIn Romans 3:21.; St. Paul set forth the great truth of acceptance by faith. A Jew might object that it was new, and therefore not true. In Romans 3:31; St. Paul answered that in the Law and in faith there is the same moral and religious ideal, which is more completely developed and more perfectly fulfilled by faith. Now he turns to the past, to show that acceptance by faith is not a new idea. It was faith for which Abraham was accepted,... read more

Charles John Ellicott

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers - Romans 4:1-25

IV.(1-25) The subject of the chapter is an application of the foregoing to the special (and crucial) case of Abraham, with particular reference to two ideas that are continually recurring throughout the last chapter: (1) the supposed superiority of Jew to Gentile (and, à fortiori, of the great progenitor of the Jews); (2) the idea of boasting or glorying based upon this superiority. Following out this the Apostle shows how even Abraham’s case tells, not against, but for the doctrine of... read more