What Does Romans 9:14 Mean in the King James?
What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid.
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 word translated “unrighteousness” shares its Greek root with “alignment,” so the question is whether any misalignment belongs to God.
THE MEANING
This verse gives voice to the reader’s hard question: can there be injustice with God? Its answer is emphatic: no misalignment belongs to God. The question remains visible, but the charge is rejected.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
When God’s action is hard to reconcile with my sense of fairness, that difficulty itself proves God is unjust.
THE ROOT
ἀδικία
adikia
GROWS FROM
δίκ- (dik-), from δίκη (dikē)
Right, justice, what is just.
“unrighteousness” in this verse is adikia. The word ἀδικία (adikia, injustice) places negation around the Greek justice-word: it names what is not right. Its δίκ- word family also gives δικαιοσύνη (dikaiosynē, alignment), making the verse’s question whether misalignment can belong to God.
ALSO GROWS
dikaiosynē: Justice, alignment.
δικαιοσύνη
This related word makes the shared root visible: the question concerns whether God is out of alignment.
dikaios: Just, right.
δίκαιος
It names one characterized by what is right, reinforcing that the verse concerns the nature of justice.
THE PATTERN
Scripture names the possibility of injustice in God’s judgment directly, then affirms that God does not pervert what is right.
He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.Yea, surely God will not do wickedly, neither will the Almighty pervert judgment.But if our unrighteousness commend the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unrighteous who taketh vengeance? (I speak as a man)THE THREAD
But if our unrighteousness commend the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unrighteous who taketh vengeance? (I speak as a man)Romans 3:5 places ἀδικία (adikia, injustice) beside δικαιοσύνη (dikaiosynē, alignment); both belong to the δίκ- (dik-, right/justice) word family. It opens the same question by setting human misalignment beside God’s alignment.
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