Romans 13:4

Bible in Basic English (1941)

For he is the servant of God to you for good. But if you do evil, have fear; for the sword is not in his hand for nothing: he is God's servant, making God's punishment come on the evil-doer.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

Θεοῦ γὰρ διάκονός ἐστίν σοι εἰς τὸ ἀγαθόν. Ἐὰν δὲ τὸ κακὸν ποιῇς, φοβοῦ· οὐ γὰρ εἰκῆ τὴν μάχαιραν φορεῖ: Θεοῦ γὰρ διάκονός ἐστιν, ἔκδικος εἰς ὀργὴν τῷ τὸ κακὸν πράσσοντι.

Transliteration

Of Theou gar diakonos estin to you for the agathon. Ean de the kakon poiēs, phobou; not gar eikē the machairan phorei: of Theou gar diakonos estin, ekdikos for orgēn to the one the kakon prassonti.

Grammar Details

• *Theou*: genitive, masculine, singular - of God
• *gar*: postpositive conjunction - for/because
• *diakonos*: nominative, masculine/feminine, singular - servant/minister
• *estin*: present indicative, 3rd singular - is
• *agathon*: accusative, neuter, singular - good
• *Ean*: conditional conjunction - if
• *de*: postpositive conjunction - but/and/now
• *kakon*: accusative, neuter, singular - evil/bad
• *poiēs*: present active subjunctive, 2nd singular - you do/practice
• *phobou*: present middle/passive imperative, 2nd singular - fear/be afraid
• *eikē*: adverb - in vain/without purpose
• *machairan*: accusative, feminine, singular - sword
• *phorei*: present active indicative, 3rd singular - bears/wears/carries
• *ekdikos*: nominative, masculine, singular - avenger/punisher
• *orgēn*: accusative, feminine, singular - wrath/anger
• *prassonti*: present active participle, dative, masculine, singular - practicing/doing

Word Meanings

• *diakonos*: servant/minister/deacon/agent
• *agathon*: good/beneficial/noble
• *kakon*: evil/bad/wrong/harmful
• *phobou*: fear/be afraid/dread
• *eikē*: in vain/without purpose/without reason
• *machairan*: sword/knife
• *phorei*: bears/carries/wears
• *ekdikos*: avenger/punisher/executor of justice
• *orgēn*: wrath/anger/indignation
• *prassonti*: practicing/doing/performing

Referenced Verses

• 2 Chr 19:6 : 6 And said to the judges, Take care what you do, for you are judging not for man but for the Lord, and he is with you in the decisions you give.
• Rom 12:19 : 19 Do not give punishment for wrongs done to you, dear brothers, but give way to the wrath of God; for it is said in the holy Writings, Punishment is mine, I will give reward, says the Lord.
• 1 Thess 4:6 : 6 And that no man may make attempts to get the better of his brother in business: for the Lord is the judge in all these things, as we said to you before and gave witness.
• Prov 24:23-24 : 23 These are more sayings of the wise: To have respect for a person's position when judging is not good. 24 He who says to the evil-doer, You are upright, will be cursed by peoples and hated by nations.
• Prov 31:8-9 : 8 Let your mouth be open for those who have no voice, in the cause of those who are ready for death. 9 Let your mouth be open, judging rightly, and give right decisions in the cause of the poor and those in need.
• Eccl 8:2-5 : 2 I say to you, Keep the king's law, from respect for the oath of God. 3 Be not quick to go from before him. Be not fixed in an evil design, because he does whatever is pleasing to him. 4 The word of a king has authority; and who may say to him, What is this you are doing? 5 Whoever keeps the law will come to no evil: and a wise man's heart has knowledge of time and of decision.
• Isa 1:17 : 17 Take pleasure in well-doing; let your ways be upright, keep down the cruel, give a right decision for the child who has no father, see to the cause of the widow.
• Jer 5:28 : 28 They have become fat and strong: they have gone far in works of evil: they give no support to the cause of the child without a father, so that they may do well; they do not see that the poor man gets his rights.
• Ezek 22:27 : 27 Her rulers in her are like wolves violently taking their food; putting men to death and causing the destruction of souls, so that they may get their profit.
• Ezek 25:14 : 14 I will take payment from Edom because of my people Israel; and I will take Edom in hand in my wrath and in my passion: and they will have experience of my reward, says the Lord.
• Mic 3:1-4 : 1 And I said, Give ear, now, you heads of Jacob and rulers of the people of Israel: is it not for you to have knowledge of what is right? 2 You who are haters of good and lovers of evil, pulling off their skin from them and their flesh from their bones; 3 Like meat they take the flesh of my people for their food, skinning them and crushing their bones, yes, cutting them up as if for the pot, like flesh inside the cooking-pot. 4 Then they will be crying to the Lord for help, but he will not give them an answer: yes, he will keep his face veiled from them at that time, because their acts have been evil.
• Mic 3:9 : 9 Then give ear to this, you heads of the children of Jacob, you rulers of the children of Israel, hating what is right, twisting what is straight.
• Ps 82:2-4 : 2 How long will you go on judging falsely, having respect for the persons of evil-doers? (Selah.) 3 Give ear to the cause of the poor and the children without fathers; let those who are troubled and in need have their rights. 4 Be the saviour of the poor and those who have nothing: take them out of the hand of the evil-doers.
• Prov 16:14 : 14 The wrath of the king is like those who give news of death, but a wise man will put peace in place of it.
• Prov 20:2 : 2 The wrath of a king is like the loud cry of a lion: he who makes him angry does wrong against himself.
• Prov 20:8 : 8 A king on the seat of judging puts to flight all evil with his eyes.
• Prov 20:26 : 26 A wise king puts evil-doers to flight, and makes their evil-doing come back on them.
• Num 35:19-27 : 19 He whose right it is to give punishment for blood, may himself put to death the taker of life when he comes face to face with him. 20 If in his hate he put a sword through him, or waiting secretly for him sent a spear or stone at him, causing his death; 21 Or in hate gave him blows with his hand, causing death; he who gave the death-blow is to be put to death; he is a taker of life: he whose right it is to give punishment for blood may put to death the taker of life when he comes face to face with him. 22 But if a man has given a wound to another suddenly and not in hate, or without design has sent something against him, 23 Or has given him a blow with a stone, without seeing him, so causing his death, though he had nothing against him and no desire to do him evil: 24 Then let the meeting of the people be judge between the man responsible for the death and him who has the right of punishment for blood, acting by these rules: 25 And let the people keep the man responsible for the death safe from the hands of him who has the right of punishment for blood, and send him back to his safe town where he had gone in flight: there let him be till the death of the high priest who was marked with the holy oil. 26 But if ever he goes outside the walls of the safe town where he had gone in flight, 27 And the giver of punishment, meeting him outside the walls of the town, puts him to death, he will not be responsible for his blood:
• Josh 20:9 : 9 These were the towns marked out for all the children of Israel and for the man from a strange country living among them, so that anyone causing the death of another in error, might go in flight there, and not be put to death by him who has the right of punishment for blood till he had come before the meeting of the people.
• 1 Kgs 10:9 : 9 May the Lord your God be praised, whose pleasure it was to put you on the seat of the kingdom of Israel; because the Lord's love for Israel is eternal, he has made you king, to be their judge in righteousness.
• Rom 13:6 : 6 For the same reason, make payment of taxes; because the authority is God's servant, to take care of such things at all times.
• Josh 20:5 : 5 And if the one who has the right of punishment comes after him, they are not to give the taker of life up to him; because he was the cause of his neighbour's death without designing it and not in hate.