Romans 5:20

Young's Literal Translation (1862/1898)

And law came in, that the offence might abound, and where the sin did abound, the grace did overabound,

📖 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 Thy name's sake, O Jehovah, Thou hast pardoned mine iniquity, for it `is' great.
• Rom 6:1 : 1 What, then, shall we say? shall we continue in the sin that the grace may abound?
• Titus 3:3-7 : 3 for we were once -- also we -- thoughtless, disobedient, led astray, serving desires and pleasures manifold, in malice and envy living, odious -- hating one another; 4 and when the kindness and the love to men of God our Saviour did appear 5 (not by works that `are' in righteousness that we did but according to His kindness,) He did save us, through a bathing of regeneration, and a renewing of the Holy Spirit, 6 which He poured upon us richly, through Jesus Christ our Saviour, 7 that having been declared righteous by His grace, heirs we may become according to the hope of life age-during.
• Gal 3:19-25 : 19 Why, then, the law? on account of the transgressions it was added, till the seed might come to which the promise hath been made, having been set in order through messengers in the hand of a mediator -- 20 and the mediator is not of one, and God is one -- 21 the law, then, `is' against the promises of God? -- let it not be! for if a law was given that was able to make alive, truly by law there would have been the righteousness, 22 but the Writing did shut up the whole under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ may be given to those believing. 23 And before the coming of the faith, under law we were being kept, shut up to the faith about to be revealed, 24 so that the law became our child-conductor -- to Christ, that by faith we may be declared righteous, 25 and the faith having come, no more under a child-conductor are we,
• Rom 6:14 : 14 for sin over you shall not have lordship, for ye are not under law, but under grace.
• John 15:22 : 22 if I had not come and spoken to them, they were not having sin; but now pretext they have not for their sin.
• Rom 4:15 : 15 for the law doth work wrath; for where law is not, neither `is' transgression.
• 2 Chr 33:9-9 : 9 And Manasseh maketh Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to err, to do evil above the nations that Jehovah destroyed from the presence of the sons of Israel. 10 And Jehovah speaketh unto Manasseh and unto his people, and they have not attended, 11 and Jehovah bringeth in against them the heads of the host that the king of Asshur hath, and they capture Manasseh among the thickets, and bind him with brazen fetters, and cause him to go to Babylon. 12 And when he is in distress he hath appeased the face of Jehovah his God, and is humbled exceedingly before the God of his fathers, 13 and prayeth unto Him, and He is entreated of him, and heareth his supplication, and bringeth him back to Jerusalem, to his kingdom, and Manasseh knoweth that Jehovah -- He `is' God.
• Rom 3:19-20 : 19 And we have known that as many things as the law saith, to those in the law it doth speak, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may come under judgment to God; 20 wherefore by works of law shall no flesh be declared righteous before Him, for through law is a knowledge of sin.
• Rom 7:5-9 : 5 for when we were in the flesh, the passions of the sins, that `are' through the law, were working in our members, to bear fruit to the death; 6 and now we have ceased from the law, that being dead in which we were held, so that we may serve in newness of spirit, and not in oldness of letter. 7 What, then, shall we say? the law `is' sin? let it not be! but the sin I did not know except through law, for also the covetousness I had not known if the law had not said: 8 `Thou shalt not covet;' and the sin having received an opportunity, through the command, did work in me all covetousness -- for apart from law sin is dead. 9 And I was alive apart from law once, and the command having come, the sin revived, and I died; 10 and the command that `is' for life, this was found by me for death; 11 for the sin, having received an opportunity, through the command, did deceive me, and through it did slay `me'; 12 so that the law, indeed, `is' holy, and the command holy, and righteous, and good. 13 That which is good then, to me hath it become death? let it not be! but the sin, that it might appear sin, through the good, working death to me, that the sin might become exceeding sinful through the command,
• 1 Cor 6:9-9 : 9 have ye not known that the unrighteous the reign of God shall not inherit? be not led astray; neither whoremongers, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor sodomites, 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, the reign of God shall inherit. 11 And certain of you were these! but ye were washed, but ye were sanctified, but ye were declared righteous, in the name of the Lord Jesus, and in the Spirit of our God.
• 2 Cor 3:7-9 : 7 and if the ministration of the death, in letters, engraved in stones, came in glory, so that the sons of Israel were not able to look stedfastly to the face of Moses, because of the glory of his face -- which was being made useless, 8 how shall the ministration of the Spirit not be more in glory? 9 for if the ministration of the condemnation `is' glory, much more doth the ministration of the righteousness abound in glory;
• Isa 1:18 : 18 Come, I pray you, and we reason, saith Jehovah, If your sins are as scarlet, as snow they shall be white, If they are red as crimson, as wool they shall be!
• Isa 43:24-25 : 24 Thou hast not bought for Me with money sweet cane, And `with' the fat of thy sacrifices hast not filled Me, Only -- thou hast caused Me to serve with thy sins, Thou hast wearied Me with thine iniquities. 25 I -- I `am' He who is blotting out Thy transgressions for Mine own sake, And thy sins I do not remember.
• Jer 3:8-9 : 8 And I see when (for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery) I have sent her away, and I give the bill of her divorce unto her, that treacherous Judah her sister hath not feared, and goeth and committeth fornication -- she also. 9 And it hath come to pass, from the vileness of her fornication, that the land is defiled, and she committeth fornication with stone and with wood. 10 And even in all this her treacherous sister Judah hath not turned back unto Me with all her heart, but with falsehood, an affirmation of Jehovah.' 11 And Jehovah saith unto me: `Justified herself hath backsliding Israel, More than treacherous Judah. 12 Go, and thou hast proclaimed these words toward the north, and hast said, Turn back, O backsliding Israel, An affirmation of Jehovah! I cause not Mine anger to fall upon you, For I `am' kind, an affirmation of Jehovah, I watch not to the age. 13 Only, know thine iniquity, For against Jehovah thy God thou hast transgressed, And thou dost scatter thy ways to strangers, Under every green tree, And to My voice thou hast not hearkened, An affirmation of Jehovah. 14 Turn back, O backsliding sons, An affirmation of Jehovah. For I have ruled over you, And taken you one of a city, and two of a family, And have brought you to Zion,
• Ezek 16:52 : 52 Thou also -- bear thy shame, That thou hast adjudged to thy sisters, Because of thy sins that thou hast done more abominably than they, They are more righteous than thou, And thou, also, be ashamed and bear thy shame, In thy justifying thy sisters.
• Ezek 16:60-63 : 60 And I -- I have remembered My covenant with thee, In the days of thy youth, And I have established for thee a covenant age-during. 61 And thou hast remembered thy ways, And thou hast been ashamed, In thy receiving thy sisters -- Thine elder with thy younger, And I have given them to thee for daughters, And not by thy covenant. 62 And I -- I have established My covenant with thee, And thou hast known that I `am' Jehovah. 63 So that thou dost remember, And thou hast been ashamed, And there is not to thee any more an opening of the mouth because of thy shame, In My receiving atonement for thee, For all that thou hast done, An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah!'
• Ezek 36:25-32 : 25 And I have sprinkled over you clean water, And ye have been clean; From all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols, I do cleanse you. 26 And I have given to you a new heart, And a new spirit I give in your midst, And I have turned aside the heart of stone out of your flesh, And I have given to you a heart of flesh. 27 And My Spirit I give in your midst, And I have done this, so that in My statutes ye walk, And My judgments ye keep, and have done them. 28 And ye have dwelt in the land that I have given to your fathers, And ye have been to Me for a people, And I -- I am to you for God. 29 And I have saved you from all your uncleannesses, And I have called unto the corn, and multiplied it, And I have put no famine upon you. 30 And I have multiplied the fruit of the tree, And the increase of the field, So that ye receive not any more a reproach of famine among nations. 31 And ye have remembered your ways that `are' evil, And your doings that `are' not good, And have been loathsome in your own faces, For your iniquities, and for your abominations. 32 Not for your sake am I working, An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah, Be it known to you, Be ashamed and confounded, because of your ways, O house of Israel.
• Mic 7:18-19 : 18 Who `is' a God like Thee? taking away iniquity, And passing by the transgression of the remnant of His inheritance, He hath not retained for ever His anger, Because He -- He delighteth `in' kindness. 19 He doth turn back, He pitieth us, He doth subdue our iniquities, And Thou castest into the depths of the sea all their sins.
• Matt 9:13 : 13 but having gone, learn ye what is, Kindness I will, and not sacrifice, for I did not come to call righteous men, but sinners, to reformation.'
• Luke 7:47 : 47 therefore I say to thee, her many sins have been forgiven, because she did love much; but to whom little is forgiven, little he doth love.'
• Luke 23:39-43 : 39 And one of the evil-doers who were hanged, was speaking evil of him, saying, `If thou be the Christ, save thyself and us.' 40 And the other answering, was rebuking him, saying, `Dost thou not even fear God, that thou art in the same judgment? 41 and we indeed righteously, for things worthy of what we did we receive back, but this one did nothing out of place;' 42 and he said to Jesus, `Remember me, lord, when thou mayest come in thy reign;' 43 and Jesus said to him, `Verily I say to thee, To-day with me thou shalt be in the paradise.'
• John 10:10 : 10 `The thief doth not come, except that he may steal, and kill, and destroy; I came that they may have life, and may have `it' abundantly.
• Eph 1:6-8 : 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, in which He did make us accepted in the beloved, 7 in whom we have the redemption through his blood, the remission of the trespasses, according to the riches of His grace, 8 in which He did abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence,
• Eph 2:1-5 : 1 Also you -- being dead in the trespasses and the sins, 2 in which once ye did walk according to the age of this world, according to the ruler of the authority of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom also we all did walk once in the desires of our flesh, doing the wishes of the flesh and of the thoughts, and were by nature children of wrath -- as also the others, 4 and God, being rich in kindness, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even being dead in the trespasses, did make us to live together with the Christ, (by grace ye are having been saved,)
• 1 Tim 1:13-16 : 13 who before was speaking evil, and persecuting, and insulting, but I found kindness, because, being ignorant, I did `it' in unbelief, 14 and exceedingly abound did the grace of our Lord, with faith and love that `is' in Christ Jesus: 15 stedfast `is' the word, and of all acceptation worthy, that Christ Jesus came to the world to save sinners -- first of whom I am; 16 but because of this I found kindness, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all long-suffering, for a pattern of those about to believe on him to life age-during: