What Does Romans 5:15 Mean in the King James?
But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.
The analysis reads the King James wording.
King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.
THE KEY
The gift is favor made tangible, and it overflows to the same many whom the one trespass leaves dead.
THE MEANING
The one trespass reaches many with death, but God’s favor and its gift overflow to many through Jesus. Jesus (Ἰησοῦς, Iēsoûs; Hebrew יֵשׁוּעַ, Yēshuaʿ, deliverance from constriction into spaciousness) names the movement carried by this gift.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
One person’s failure is stronger than any gift that can reach the people affected by it.
THE ROOT
χάρισμα
chárisma
GROWS FROM
χάρις (cháris, favor), in the χαρι- (chari-, favor) word family
Favor, goodwill, or a gracious disposition; χάρισμα names a gift that proceeds from favor.
The verse’s free gift and gift by grace belong to the same Greek word family: favor is not separate from the gift but takes concrete form in it. The gift is given from favor, not as payment earned by the many.
ALSO GROWS
Favor: Favor, goodwill, or gracious disposition.
χάρις
The phrase gift by grace uses this same word family, revealing the favor inside the gift.
Freely grant: To grant freely or bestow as a favor.
χαρίζομαι
This related verb carries favor into an act of giving, linking the gift’s source with its action.
παράπτωμα
paráptōma
GROWS FROM
πίπτω (píptō, fall), joined with παρά (pará, beside or aside)
A fall to one side: a misstep or trespass.
The word pictures a fall away from the path, and the verse shows its consequence spreading from one to many. English offence can sound like a private slight; the Greek word carries the image of a misstep with far-reaching effects.
ALSO GROWS
Fall: To fall.
πίπτω
This is the base image in the word for offence: a fall.
Fall away: To fall away or lapse.
παραπίπτω
This related form makes the sense of straying or falling aside more visible.
περισσεύω
perisseúō
GROWS FROM
περισσ-
periss-
To abound, overflow, or be more than enough.
“hath abounded” in this verse is perisseúō. The comparative much more and the overflow verb reinforce each other: the gift is not pictured as a one-for-one correction but as surplus reaching many. English separates abounded from the abundance word family that appears again in the next verse.
ALSO GROWS
perissós: More than ordinary; extra or exceeding.
περισσός
This adjective carries the sense of what goes beyond the measure.
Abundance: Abundance or surplus.
περισσεία
This related noun appears in the next verse’s abundance of grace, extending the overflow image.
THE PATTERN
What begins in a single act or source can reach many, while God’s provision multiplies toward life and good.
But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:THE THREAD
For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)This next verse repeats the one-man contrast and states what the overflowing gift does for its receivers: those who receive abundance reign in life. It also uses περισσεία (perisseía, abundance), the noun from the overflow family expressed by περισσεύω (perisseúō, abound) in this verse.
Read the SDV Bible.
Every verse has a Deep Dive in the app.
The iPhone Bible app with the Selah Decoded Version.
Does something in this reading look wrong? Tell us