[B-Greek] Romans 8:3

Carl Conrad cwconrad2 at mac.com
Thu Sep 3 12:25:29 EDT 2009


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From: Leonard Jayawardena <leonardj at live.com>
Date: September 3, 2009 6:05:01 AM EDT
To: <b-greek at lists.ibiblio.org>
Subject: Romans 8:3


I have been following the recent thread on the above verse with  
interest as the usual rendering of this verse found in Bible  
translations has always seemed awkward to me. I think the alternative  
translation proposed in the discussion on this thread resolves a  
difficulty I have had with the Greek text of Romans for a long time.

The word ADUNATOS occurs in the NT nine times. Leaving out Romans 8:3,  
six times it means "impossible" (e.g., PARA ANQRWPOIS TOUTO ADUNATON  
ESTIN--Mt. 19:26). Twice it means "weak" (Acts 14:8 and Romans 15:1).  
In the usual translation of this verse, "For what the law could not  
do, in that it was weak through the flesh...," ADUNATOS has the  
meaning "impossible." I note that in the proposed alternative  
translation ("In regard to the inability of the law...") ADUNATOS has  
the sense it has in Acts 14:8 and Romans 15:1. Am I right in thinking  
that the usual translation of Romans 8:3 goes with the sense  
"impossible" and the alternative translation (where TO ADUNATON is  
treated as an "accusative of general reference") goes with the sense  
"incapable" or "weak"?

In Galatians 3:21 Paul writes, EI GAR EDOQH NOMOS hO DUNAMENOS  
ZWOPOIHSAI, ONTWS EK NOMOU AN HN hH DIKAIOSUNH. Here the participle  
DUNAMENOS means "capable" or "having the strength," which sense  
corresponds in an opposite way to the sense TO ADUNATON TOU NOMOU  
bears in Romans 8:3 in the alternative translation. Therefore doen't  
Galatians 3:21 lend some support to taking TO ADUNATON as having the  
meaning "weakness" or "inability," both epistles being from the same  
author?

It may be instructive to compare the phrase TA ASQENHMATA TWN ADUNATWN  
in Romans 15:1 with TO GAR ADUNATON TOU NOMOU EN hW HSQENEI DIA THS  
SARKOS in Romans 8:3. We have ASQENHMATA and ADUNATWN in 15:1 and  
ADUNATON and HSQENEI in 8:3. Do not these collocations support the  
same basic sense for ADUNATON as for ADUNATWN?

Leonard Jayawardena



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