Romans 7 Or are you continuing to be ignorant (are you remaining without experiential knowledge and insight), brothers (= fellow covenant members) – for I am speaking to those having intimate experiential knowledge of Law (= those who understand Torah) – that the Law (or: culture; Torah) continuously performs as lord (owner; master) of the man for as long as he is living?

JMNT⁽ⁱ⁾ ¹ Or are you continuing to be ignorant (are you remaining without experiential knowledge and insight), brothers (= fellow covenant members) – for I am speaking to those having intimate experiential knowledge of Law (= those who understand Torah) – that the Law (or: culture; Torah) continuously performs as lord (owner; master) of the man for as long as he is living? ² For instance, the married woman (the woman under subjection to a husband or to an adult male) has been bound and remains tied up by Law and custom to the living husband (or: has been wrapped up and stands tied to law [= Torah; or: custom] by the living man). Yet if the husband may die, she has been released from employment and stands idle (or: has been brought down to living without labor and rendered inactive; she is discharged and brought down to unproductivity, being idled down) away from the husband’s law (or: from pertaining to the law [= Torah] and custom of the adult man). ³ Consequently (or: Accordingly), then, [with the] continued living of the husband, she will be dealing as an adulteress (or: bear the title “adulteress”) if she should become [attached] to, or [a lover] for, or [involved] with a different man (or: husband); but if the husband may die, she is free (she exists in a state of freedom) from the Law [= Torah], not to be an adulteress, pertaining to her becoming [a wife] for (or: to) a different man (or: husband). ⁴ So that, my brothers (= fellow covenant-believers), you folks also were made dead to the Law (or: were put to death by the Law [=Torah] and with the Law), through the body of the Christ, [proceeding] into the situation to become [the wife] for (or: to; in; with) a different One – in (to; for) the One being roused and raised forth from out of the midst of dead folks – to the end that we may bear fruit by God (or: produce a harvest in, for, to and with God). ⁵ For when we [= Adam/Israel] were existing within the flesh (or: = in the old alienated Adamic existence, with the flesh sacrifices and markers of the Law), the effects, impressions, emotions and impulses from the experiences, passions and suffering of the failures (the sins; the deviations which caused misses of the target) – the things through means of the Law [the Torah] – were continually operating (working within; energizing and effecting) within our members into the condition to produce fruit by Death (in death; to death; for Death). ⁶ But now (at the present time), we [= Israel] are (or: were instantly) rendered inactive (brought down to living without labor, released from employment, made unproductive; discharged) away from the Law (= the Torah; [some MSS add: of Death]), dying within that in which we were constantly being held down (held in possession and detained), so that it is [for] us to be habitually performing as slaves within newness of spirit (a newness pertaining to spirit and has its source in the Breath-effect; freshness and new quality of attitude) and not in oldness (obsoleteness; outdatedness) of Letter (or: not in outwornness of what is written). ⁷ What, then, shall we say (or: declare)? [Is] the Law (or: custom) sin (error; failure to hit the target; deviation from the goal)? Certainly not (May it not come to be)! Instead (or: But rather) I did not (or: do not) at any point experientially and intimately know the Sin, if not through Law ([= Torah]; or: custom). For besides, I had not seen and thus had not known (become conscious of) the full passion (earnest desire; lust; coveting; emotion upon something) if the Law and the custom were not continuously saying (or: except the [Torah] kept on saying), "You will continue not putting strong emotions upon something (or: You shall not repeatedly have a strong impulse or desire; You will not constantly crave or covet [other folks' possessions or their gods])." [Ex. 20:17; Deut. 5:21; comment: the "I" of this passage = Adam (Gen. 3) /Israel (Ex. 32) /Paul (in his pre-Christian experience)] ⁸ Yet the Sin (or: the failure; the error; the mistake; the missing of the target; the deviation from the goal), taking (receiving in the hand and thus, getting) a starting point (a base of operation; an occasion; a means of beginning) through the implanted goal (impartation of the finished product within; inward directive; commandment [to Adam, then to Israel]), works (or: worked) down to effect and produce within me every full passion, strong impulse, over-desire and craving emotion upon things – for apart from Law (or: a custom; or: [Torah]) sin (error; failure; missing the target) [is] dead (or: [was] lifeless). ⁹ Now I was at one time (or: formerly) habitually living apart from Law (or: I was once alive, independent from custom and [Torah]); yet, in connection with the coming of the implanted goal (of the impartation of the finished product within; of the inward commandment and directive), the Sin becomes alive again (or: deviation, failure, error and the missing of the target revived and comes back to life), but I die (or: and I died; yet I die). ¹⁰ Also, the implanted goal (impartation of the finished product within; inward directive; commandment) – the one [meant to lead] into Life – this was found by me (for me; in me; to me) [to be leading] into death. ¹¹ For the Sin (failure; error; the miss when shooting at a target; the deviation from the goal), taking a starting point (receiving an occasion and base of operation) through the implanted goal (impartation of the finished product within; inward directive; commandment [to Adam, then to Israel]), completely makes me unable to walk the Path (made me incapable to walk out [customs of the Law]; thoroughly cheats and deludes me, making me lose my Way; deceives me; [comment: reference to Eve in Gen. 3:13]) and through it kills me off (or: slaughtered me). ¹² And thus (or: Consequently) the Law [= the Torah], indeed, [is] set-apart (holy; sacred; consecrated) and the implanted goal (impartation of the finished product within; inward directive; commandment) [is] set-apart (holy; sacred) and in accord with the Way pointed out (fair; equitable; just; = related to covenant) and good (virtuous). ¹³ Then did the good come to be death for me (in me; to me)? Certainly not (may it not come to be)! But rather, the Sin (failure; error; the miss; the mistake; the deviation) – to the end that sin (failure; error; etc.) may be brought to light and made visible (or: in order that it may be made to appear and be shown as being sin) – is constantly producing (or: working down) death through the good [i.e., the commandment], to the end that the Sin (failure; the miss; error; the deviation), through the implanted goal (impartation of the finished product within; inward directive; commandment), may come to be in accord with a throwing-beyond that is missing the target (or: may happen according to excess which is failing; may become extremely erroneous; should come to be in line with a deviating shooting over the goal; or, substantively: may become an exceeding failure, and excessive sinner or a total outcast). ¹⁴ For you see, we have seen and are aware (or: on the one hand I recognize and know) that the Law (= Torah; or: law; custom; principle) constantly exists being spiritual (is pertaining to spirit; is having the qualities of a Breath-effect; is relating to attitude), yet (or: on the other hand) I [= Israel? or, Adam] myself am (or: exist being) fleshly (composed of flesh; carnal; flesh-oriented; or: = affected by the alienated self), being one having been and now remaining sold under [the power and control of] the Sin (under failure and the miss of the Target [of Torah?]). ¹⁵ For what I am constantly producing (habitually working down to accomplish; [= keeping customs of the Torah]) I do not intimately know (experience in my understanding). You see, that which I continually will (habitually intend and purpose), this I do not habitually practice. But rather, that which I constantly hate, this I continue to do or repeatedly perform! ¹⁶ Now if what I am not continually willing (not habitually intending), this I am habitually doing or producing, I am constantly concurring with (conceding; agreeing with; a prophetic voice with) the Law [= the Torah], that [it is] ideal (fine; excellent; beautiful). ¹⁷ Yet now (= as the case really stands) I myself am no longer habitually producing (continuously working down and effecting) this, but rather the Sin (the failure; the personified error of missing the Target; the deviation [from Torah and its boundary markers]) [which is] continuously housing herself (or: making its home; inhabiting; dwelling; = living) within me. ¹⁸ For I have seen and thus know that good (or: virtue) is not habitually making its home (housing itself; dwelling; = living) within me – that is, within my flesh (= alienated self; or: = life under Torah) – for the [ability or condition] to will (or: intend; purpose) is continually lying near beside me, but the [ability, condition or circumstance] to constantly produce (work down, effect and accomplish) the ideal (the fine; the excellent; the beautiful) [is] not. ¹⁹ For that which I constantly intend (will; purpose) – a good thing (a noble deed; a virtuous act) – I do not normally do (or: I am not consistently doing what I continually will, intend and purpose: [something] good), but rather, that which I continuously do not intend (or: will) – a worthless (ugly; ignoble; base; bad; evil) thing – this I habitually put into practice! ²⁰ Yet if that which I am not willing (intending), this I am constantly doing, I, myself, am no longer producing (working down and effecting) it, but rather, [it is] the Sin (the failure; the error; the missing of the Goal; the deviation [from Torah-keeping]) continuously housing herself (making its home; dwelling) within me [= Adam, or an Israelite, personified]. ²¹ Consequently I keep on finding the principle (or: this law) in me – in the person normally willing (purposing; intending) to habitually do (perform; produce) the ideal (the beautiful; the fine) – that in me (or: with me; for me) the worthless (the ugly; the ignoble; the base; the evil) is constantly lying close by. ²² For habitually I am pleased with (take enjoyment and delight with) the principle and law which is God (or: the principle of God; or: the Law from God), down in (or: in correspondence with; on the level of) the inner human (or: the interior person within; the inside humanity), ²³ yet I constantly see (or: observe) a different principle (or: law), within my members, [which is] by the Law (or: custom; or: [= Torah]) repeatedly taking the field to wage war against my mind (or: warring in opposition to, and in the place of, the law of, and which is, my mind), and repeatedly taking me prisoner and leading me into captivity within the principle (or: in union with the Law) of the Sin (the failure; the error; the miss of the Target; the deviation from [Torah-keeping]) – the one continuously existing (or: now being) within my members. ²⁴ I [am] a wretched (callous-weighted [from hard work], miserable, distressed, enduring-severe-effort-and-hardship) man (or: human)! What will be progressively rescuing me from out of the body of this death (or: from out of this body of the death; out of this body which pertains to death and which has its origin, character and qualities in death)? [comment: Paul continues his rhetoric of personifying Adam's and Israel's predicament] ²⁵ The Grace and joyous favor of God! – through Jesus Christ our Owner (Lord)! [other MSS: The grace of {the} Lord; other MSS: Yet {there is} grace and favor in God (or: by God; with God), through Jesus Christ our Lord (or: Master); other MSS: I habitually give thanks to, and speak of the goodness of grace in, God!] Consequently then, I myself in (or: by; with) the mind, indeed, (or: on the other hand) continuously perform as a slave to and for the principle and law which is God (or: in God’s Law; by and with God’s principle), yet in (or: by) the flesh (= with the self which is oriented to society and the System; or: = customs and cultus of the Torah), to, for and in a principle of failure (with a law of sin or error; or: for a law from missing the Target; or: by Sin’s law).