the Week of Proper 16 / Ordinary 21
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Wycliffe Bible
Romans 4:2
Bible Study Resources
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- InternationalParallel Translations
If Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about—but not before God.
For if Abraham were iustified by workes, hee hath whereof to glory, but not before God.
For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God.
For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God.
For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about; but not before God.
If Abraham was made right by the things he did, he had a reason to brag. But this is not God's view,
For if Abraham was justified [that is, acquitted from the guilt of his sins] by works [those things he did that were good], he has something to boast about, but not before God.
For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God.
For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about—but not before God!
If Abraham was indeed justified by works, he had something to boast about, but not before God.
If he became acceptable to God because of what he did, then he would have something to brag about. But he would never be able to brag about it to God.
For if Avraham came to be considered righteous by God because of legalistic observances, then he has something to boast about. But this is not how it is before God!
For if Abraham has been justified on the principle of works, he has whereof to boast: but not before God;
If Abraham was made right by the things he did, he had a reason to boast about himself. But God knew different.
For if Abraham were iustified by workes, he hath wherein to reioyce, but not with God.
For if Abraham were justified by works, he had reason to be proud; but not before God.
If he was put right with God by the things he did, he would have something to boast about—but not in God's sight.
For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God.
For if Abraham was justified by works, he has a boast, but not with God.
For if Abraham was justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not toward God.
For if Abraham got righteousness by works, he has reason for pride; but not before God.
For if Avraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not toward God.
For if Abraham was justified by works, he would have had something to boast about - though not before God.Romans 3:20,27-28;">[xr]
For if Abraham by works was justified, he had cause for boasting; but not with Aloha.
But if Abraham was justified by works, he had [fn] glorying; yet not before God.
For if Abraham were iustified by workes, the hath he wherein to boaste, but not before God.
For if Abraham was justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not toward God.
For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not toward God.
If Abraham was justified by works, he hath whereof to glory: but he hath not in the sight of God.
For if he was held to be righteous on the ground of his actions, he has something to boast of; but not in the presence of God.
For if Abraham was justified by works, he has whereof to glory; but not toward God.
For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath [whereof] to glory, but not before God.
For if Abraham was declared righteous by works, he has something to boast about—but not before God.
For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God.
If his good deeds had made him acceptable to God, he would have had something to boast about. But that was not God's way.
If Abraham was made right with God by what he did, he would have had something to be proud of. But he could not be proud before God.
For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God.
For, if Abraham by works was declared righteous, he hath whereof to boast; - nevertheless, not towards God, -
For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory, but not before God.
For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God.
If Abraham were iustified by dedes the hath he wherin to reioyce: but not with god.
for if Abraham by works was declared righteous, he hath to boast -- but not before god;
This we saye: Yf Abraham were made righteous thorow workes, then hath he wherin to reioyse, but not before God.
for if Abraham was justified by works, he had matter of pretension, whereas he had no such claim from God.
If it was, he'd have plenty to brag about. But that's not what God saw in him.
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
Abraham: Romans 3:20-28, Philippians 3:9
he hath: Romans 3:27, Romans 15:17, Ezekiel 8:9, Jeremiah 9:23, Jeremiah 9:24, 1 Corinthians 9:16, 2 Corinthians 5:12, 2 Corinthians 11:12, 2 Corinthians 11:30, 2 Corinthians 12:1-9, Galatians 6:13, Galatians 6:14, Ephesians 2:9
but: Genesis 12:12, Genesis 12:13, Genesis 12:18, Genesis 12:20, Genesis 20:9-13, Joshua 24:2, 1 Corinthians 1:29, 1 Corinthians 4:7, Galatians 3:22
Reciprocal: Luke 10:29 - willing Romans 2:13 - justified Romans 4:17 - who quickeneth 1 Corinthians 4:4 - yet Galatians 2:16 - that
Cross-References
And the Lord God sente hym out of paradijs of likyng, that he schulde worche the erthe, of which he was takun.
Also yit Adam knewe his wijf, and sche childide a sone, and clepide his name Seth, and seide, God hath put to me another seed for Abel, whom Cayn killide.
But also a sone was borun to Seth, which sone he clepide Enos; this Enos bigan to clepe inwardli the name of the Lord.
And Noe, an erthe tiliere, bigan to tile the erthe, and he plauntide a viner,
Israel seide to Joseph, Thi britheren kepen scheep in Sichymys; come thou, Y schal sende thee to hem.
whiche he axide, What werk han ye? Thei answeriden, We thi seruauntis ben kepers of scheep, bothe we and oure faderis;
Forsothe Moises kepte the scheep of Jetro, `his wyues fadir, preest of Madian; and whanne he hadde dryue the floc to the ynnere partis of deseert, he cam to Oreb, the hil of God.
the eritage of the Lord `is sones, the mede is the fruyt of wombe.
And the Lord took me, whanne Y suede the floc; and the Lord seide to me, Go, and profesie thou to my puple Israel.
fro the blood of the iust Abel to the blood of Zacharie, that was slayn bitwixe the auter and the hous. So Y seie to you, it schal be souyt of this generacioun.
Gill's Notes on the Bible
For if Abraham were justified by works,.... That Abraham was not, and could not be justified by works, is clear from hence, that if this was his case,
he hath whereof to glory; which will be allowed him before men, on account of his pious life and conversation:
but not before God; who saw all the iniquity of his heart, and was privy to all his failings and infirmities: besides, glorying before God in a man's own works, is contrary to the scheme and method of God's grace; is excluded by the doctrine of faith; nor is there any place for glorying before God but in Christ, and his righteousness: if therefore Abraham had not that of which he could glory before God, he could not be justified by works in his sight: but does not the Apostle James say that he was justified by works, James 2:21? To this it may be replied, that the two apostles, Paul and James, are not speaking of the same thing: Paul speaks of justification before God, James of justification before men; Paul speaks of the justification of the person, James of the justification of a man's cause, as the truth of his faith, or the uprightness of his conduct; Paul speaks of works, as the causes of justification, James of them as the effects and evidences of faith; Paul had to do with the self-righteous, who trusted in their own works for justification, James with Gnostics, who slighted and neglected the performance of them. These things considered, they will be found to agree.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
For if Abraham ... - This is the answer of the apostle. If Abraham was justified on the ground of his own merits, he would have reason to boast, or to claim praise. He might regard himself as the author of it, and take the praise to himself; see Romans 4:4. The inquiry, therefore, was, whether in the account of the justification of Abraham, there was to be found any such statement of a reason for self-confidence and boasting.
But not before God - In the sight of God. That is, in his recorded judgment, he had no ground of boasting on account of works. To show this, the apostle appeals at once to the Scriptures, to show that there was no such record as that Abraham could boast that he was justified by his works. As God judges right in all cases, so it follows that Abraham had no just ground of boasting, and of course that he was not justified by his own works. The sense of this verse is well expressed by Calvin. “If Abraham was justified by his works, he might boast of his own merits. But he has no ground of boasting before God. Therefore he was not justified by works.”
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse Romans 4:2. For if Abraham were justified by works — The JEW proceeds: - I conclude, therefore, that Abraham was justified by works, or by his obedience to this law of circumcision; and, consequently, he has cause for glorying, καυχημα, to exult in something which he has done to entitle him to these blessings. Now, it is evident that he has this glorying, and consequently that he was justified by works.
APOSTLE. But not before God — These seem to be the apostle's words, and contain the beginning of his answer to the arguments of the Jew, as if he had said: - Allowing that Abraham might glory in being called from heathenish darkness into such marvellous light, and exult in the privileges which God had granted to him; yet this glorying was not before God as a reason why those privileges should be granted; the glorying itself being a consequence of these very privileges.
