Romans 5:20

NET Bible® (New English Translation)

Now the law came in so that the transgression may increase, but where sin increased, grace multiplied all the more,

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

Νόμος δὲ παρεισῆλθεν, ἵνα πλεονάσῃ τὸ παράπτωμα. Οὗ δὲ ἐπλεόνασεν ἡ ἁμαρτία, ὑπερεπερίσσευσεν ἡ χάρις:

Transliteration

Nomos de pareisēlthen, in order that might pleonasē the paraptōma. Where de epleonasen the hamartia, hypereperisseusen the charis:

Grammar Details

• *Nomos*: nominative singular masculine - law
• *de*: postpositive conjunction - but/and/now
• *pareisēlthen*: aorist active indicative, 3rd person singular - came in alongside/entered secretly
• *pleonasē*: aorist active subjunctive, 3rd person singular - might abound/increase
• *paraptōma*: nominative singular neuter - trespass/offense
• *epleonasen*: aorist active indicative, 3rd person singular - abounded/increased
• *hamartia*: nominative singular feminine - sin
• *hypereperisseusen*: aorist active indicative, 3rd person singular - superabounded/abounded much more
• *charis*: nominative singular feminine - grace

Word Meanings

• *Nomos*: law/legal system/rule
• *pareisēlthen*: came in alongside/entered secretly/came in besides
• *pleonasē*: might abound/increase/multiply
• *paraptōma*: trespass/offense/transgression/fall
• *epleonasen*: abounded/increased/multiplied
• *hamartia*: sin/wrongdoing/missing the mark
• *hypereperisseusen*: superabounded/abounded much more/overflowed exceedingly
• *charis*: grace/favor/kindness

Referenced Verses

• Ps 25:11 : 11 For the sake of your reputation, O LORD, forgive my sin, because it is great.
• Rom 6:1 : 1 The Believer’s Freedom from Sin’s Domination What shall we say then? Are we to remain in sin so that grace may increase?
• Titus 3:3-7 : 3 For we too were once foolish, disobedient, misled, enslaved to various passions and desires, spending our lives in evil and envy, hateful and hating one another. 4 But“when the kindness of God our Savior and his love for mankind appeared, 5 he saved us not by works of righteousness that we have done but on the basis of his mercy, through the washing of the new birth and the renewing of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us in full measure through Jesus Christ our Savior. 7 And so, since we have been justified by his grace, we become heirs with the confident expectation of eternal life.”
• Gal 3:19-25 : 19 Why then was the law given? It was added because of transgressions, until the arrival of the descendant to whom the promise had been made. It was administered through angels by an intermediary. 20 Now an intermediary is not for one party alone, but God is one. 21 Is the law therefore opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that was able to give life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law. 22 But the scripture imprisoned everything under sin so that the promise could be given– because of the faithfulness of Jesus Christ– to those who believe. 23 Sons of God Are Heirs of Promise Now before faith came we were held in custody under the law, being kept as prisoners until the coming faith would be revealed. 24 Thus the law had become our guardian until Christ, so that we could be declared righteous by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian.
• Rom 6:14 : 14 For sin will have no mastery over you, because you are not under law but under grace.
• John 15:22 : 22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. But they no longer have any excuse for their sin.
• Rom 4:15 : 15 For the law brings wrath, because where there is no law there is no transgression either.
• 2 Chr 33:9-9 : 9 But Manasseh misled the people of Judah and the residents of Jerusalem so that they sinned more than the nations whom the LORD had destroyed ahead of the Israelites. 10 The LORD confronted Manasseh and his people, but they paid no attention. 11 So the LORD brought against them the commanders of the army of the king of Assyria. They seized Manasseh, put hooks in his nose, bound him with bronze chains, and carried him away to Babylon. 12 In his pain Manasseh asked the LORD his God for mercy and truly humbled himself before the God of his ancestors. 13 When he prayed to the LORD, the LORD responded to him and answered favorably his cry for mercy. The LORD brought him back to Jerusalem to his kingdom. Then Manasseh realized that the LORD is the true God.
• Rom 3:19-20 : 19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world may be held accountable to God. 20 For no one is declared righteous before him by the works of the law, for through the law comes the knowledge of sin.
• Rom 7:5-9 : 5 For when we were in the flesh, the sinful desires, aroused by the law, were active in the members of our body to bear fruit for death. 6 But now we have been released from the law, because we have died to what controlled us, so that we may serve in the new life of the Spirit and not under the old written code. 7 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Absolutely not! Certainly, I would not have known sin except through the law. For indeed I would not have known what it means to desire something belonging to someone else if the law had not said,“Do not covet.” 8 But sin, seizing the opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of wrong desires. For apart from the law, sin is dead. 9 And I was once alive apart from the law, but with the coming of the commandment sin became alive 10 and I died. So I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life brought death! 11 For sin, seizing the opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it I died. 12 So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous, and good. 13 Did that which is good, then, become death to me? Absolutely not! But sin, so that it would be shown to be sin, produced death in me through what is good, so that through the commandment sin would become utterly sinful.
• 1 Cor 6:9-9 : 9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived! The sexually immoral, idolaters, adulterers, passive homosexual partners, practicing homosexuals, 10 thieves, the greedy, drunkards, the verbally abusive, and swindlers will not inherit the kingdom of God. 11 Some of you once lived this way. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
• 2 Cor 3:7-9 : 7 The Greater Glory of the Spirit’s Ministry But if the ministry that produced death– carved in letters on stone tablets– came with glory, so that the Israelites could not keep their eyes fixed on the face of Moses because of the glory of his face(a glory which was made ineffective), 8 how much more glorious will the ministry of the Spirit be? 9 For if there was glory in the ministry that produced condemnation, how much more does the ministry that produces righteousness excel in glory!
• Isa 1:18 : 18 Come, let’s consider your options,” says the LORD.“Though your sins have stained you like the color red, you can become white like snow; though they are as easy to see as the color scarlet, you can become white like wool.
• Isa 43:24-25 : 24 You did not buy me aromatic reeds; you did not present to me the fat of your sacrifices. Yet you burdened me with your sins; you made me weary with your evil deeds. 25 I, I am the one who blots out your rebellious deeds for my sake; your sins I do not remember.
• Jer 3:8-9 : 8 She also saw that, because of wayward Israel’s adulterous worship of other gods, I sent her away and gave her divorce papers. But still her unfaithful sister Judah was not afraid, and she too went and gave herself like a prostitute to other gods. 9 Because she took her prostitution so lightly, she defiled the land through her adulterous worship of gods made of wood and stone. 10 In spite of all this, Israel’s sister, unfaithful Judah, has not turned back to me with any sincerity; she has only pretended to do so,” says the LORD. 11 Then the LORD said to me,“Under the circumstances, wayward Israel could even be considered less guilty than unfaithful Judah. 12 The Lord Calls on Israel and Judah to Repent“Go and shout this message to my people in the countries in the north. Tell them,‘Come back to me, wayward Israel,’ says the LORD.‘I will not continue to look on you with displeasure. For I am merciful,’ says the LORD.‘I will not be angry with you forever. 13 However, you must confess that you have done wrong, and that you have rebelled against the LORD your God. You must confess that you have given yourself to foreign gods under every green tree, and have not obeyed my commands,’ says the LORD. 14 “Come back to me, my wayward sons,” says the LORD,“for I am your true master. If you do, I will take one of you from each town and two of you from each family group, and I will bring you back to Zion.
• Ezek 16:52 : 52 So now, bear your disgrace, because you have given your sisters reason to justify their behavior. Because the sins you have committed were more abominable than those of your sisters; they have become more righteous than you. So now, be ashamed and bear the disgrace of making your sisters appear righteous.
• Ezek 16:60-63 : 60 Yet I will remember the covenant I made with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish a lasting covenant with you. 61 Then you will remember your conduct, and be ashamed when you receive your older and younger sisters. I will give them to you as daughters, but not on account of my covenant with you. 62 I will establish my covenant with you, and then you will know that I am the LORD. 63 Then you will remember, be ashamed, and remain silent because of your disgrace when I make atonement for all you have done, declares the Sovereign LORD.’”
• Ezek 36:25-32 : 25 I will sprinkle you with pure water and you will be clean from all your impurities. I will purify you from all your idols. 26 I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit within you. I will remove the heart of stone from your body and give you a heart of flesh. 27 I will put my Spirit within you; I will take the initiative and you will obey my statutes and carefully observe my regulations. 28 Then you will live in the land I gave to your fathers; you will be my people, and I will be your God. 29 I will save you from all your uncleanness. I will call for the grain and multiply it; I will not bring a famine on you. 30 I will multiply the fruit of the trees and the produce of the fields, so that you will never again suffer the disgrace of famine among the nations. 31 Then you will remember your evil behavior and your deeds which were not good; you will loathe yourselves on account of your sins and your abominable deeds. 32 Understand that it is not for your sake I am about to act, declares the Sovereign LORD. Be ashamed and embarrassed by your behavior, O house of Israel.
• Mic 7:18-19 : 18 Who is a God like you? Who forgives sin and pardons the rebellion of those who remain among his people? Who does not stay angry forever, but delights in showing loyal love? 19 Who will once again have mercy on us? Who will conquer our evil deeds? Who will hurl all our sins into the depths of the sea?
• Matt 9:13 : 13 Go and learn what this saying means:‘I want mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
• Luke 7:47 : 47 Therefore I tell you, her sins, which were many, are forgiven, thus she loved much; but the one who is forgiven little loves little.”
• Luke 23:39-43 : 39 One of the criminals who was hanging there railed at him, saying,“Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself and us!” 40 But the other rebuked him, saying,“Don’t you fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? 41 And we rightly so, for we are getting what we deserve for what we did, but this man has done nothing wrong.” 42 Then he said,“Jesus, remember me when you come in your kingdom.” 43 And Jesus said to him,“I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.”
• John 10:10 : 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come so that they may have life, and may have it abundantly.
• Eph 1:6-8 : 6 to the praise of the glory of his grace that he has freely bestowed on us in his dearly loved Son. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our offenses, according to the riches of his grace 8 that he lavished on us in all wisdom and insight.
• Eph 2:1-5 : 1 New Life Individually And although you were dead in your offenses and sins, 2 in which you formerly lived according to this world’s present path, according to the ruler of the domain of the air, the ruler of the spirit that is now energizing the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom all of us also formerly lived out our lives in the cravings of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath even as the rest… 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of his great love with which he loved us, 5 even though we were dead in offenses, made us alive together with Christ– by grace you are saved!–
• 1 Tim 1:13-16 : 13 even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor, and an arrogant man. But I was treated with mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief, 14 and our Lord’s grace was abundant, bringing faith and love in Christ Jesus. 15 This saying is trustworthy and deserves full acceptance:“Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”– and I am the worst of them! 16 But here is why I was treated with mercy: so that in me as the worst, Christ Jesus could demonstrate his utmost patience, as an example for those who are going to believe in him for eternal life.