Romans 13:4

Romans 13:4

2 Therefore whoever resists ^athe authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will¹ bring judgment on themselves.

3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? ^aDo what is good, and you will have praise from the same.

4 For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil.

5 Therefore ^ayou must be subject, not only because of wrath ^bbut also for conscience’ sake.

6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for they are God’s ministers attending continually to this very thing.

7 ^aRender therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor.

Commentaries:

Robertson's Word Pictures (NT)

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A minister of God (qeou diakonov). General sense of diakonov. Of course even Nero was God's minister "to thee (soi ethical dative) for good (eiv to agaqon, for the good)." That is the ideal, the goal.

Beareth (forei). Present active indicative of forew, old frequentative form of ferw, to bear, to wear.

But if thou do (ean de poihv). Condition of third class, ean and present active subjunctive of poiew, "if thou continue to do."

Sword (maxairan). Symbol of authority as to-day policemen carry clubs or pistols. "The Emperor Trajan presented to a provincial governor on starting for his province, a dagger, with the words, 'For me. If I deserve it, in me'" (Vincent).

An avenger (ekdikov). Old adjective from ek and dikh (right), "outside of penalty," unjust, then in later Greek "exacting penalty from one," in N.T. only here and I Thessalonians 4:6.

**Other Robertson's Word Pictures (NT) entries containing Romans 13:4:**

Romans 12:19
Romans 13:3
Romans 13:6
1 Peter 2:13

<< Romans 13:3

Romans 13:5 >>

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