Romans 4:18 BSB — MannaFest

Romans 4:18

Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.”

BSB

Parallel translations (2) ▾

ASV

Who in hope believed against hope, to the end that he might become a father of many nations, according to that which had been spoken, So shall thy seed be.

KJV

Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations; according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be.

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Commentary

2 voices

Origen of Alexandria

COMMENTARY ON THE EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS (253)

Therefore Abraham "against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations," which were to be as the stars of heaven, not only in multitude but also in brightness; and he, faithfully believing him who promised, "was not," he says, "weakened in faith." What he says, "he was not weakened in faith," seems to me to show that there is a certain weakness in faith. But if there is weakness, there is without doubt also health, as he shows in other places when he says: "Rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith."

The record, by era

The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice

John Gill

1697–1771

Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748)

Who against hope believed in hope,.... Abraham believed the promise of God, that he might become the father of many nations, being assisted by a supernatural aid: "in hope"; of the fulfilment of it by the grace and power of God: "against hope": against all visible, rational grounds of hope; Sarah's womb and his own body being dead, but inasmuch as God had said it, he believed: according to that which is spoken, so shall thy seed be; his faith rested upon the word of God, which showed the nature of it, and that it was of the right kind.

The Nineteenth Century1 voice

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

Who against hope--when no ground for hope appeared. believed in hope--that is, cherished the believing expectation. that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be--that is, Such "as the stars of heaven," Ge 15:5.

Voices on this verse

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Original language & word study

21 tagged words

Original	Transliteration	Meaning	Word study
ὃς	hos	who	G3739 →
παρ᾽	par᾽	against	G3844 →
ἐλπίδα	elpida	hope	G1680 →
ἐπ᾽	ep᾽	in	G1909 →
ἐλπίδι	elpidi	hope	G1680 →
ἐπίστευσεν	episteusen	believed	G4100 →
εἰς	eis	for	G1519 →
τὸ	to	<the>	G3588 →
γενέσθαι	genesthai	to become	G1096 →
αὐτὸν	auton	him	G846 →
πατέρα	patera	[the] father	G3962 →
πολλῶν	pollōn	of many	G4183 →
ἐθνῶν	ethnōn	nations	G1484 →
κατὰ	kata	according to	G2596 →
τὸ	to	that	G3588 →
εἰρημένον·	eirēmenon	spoken;	G2046 →
οὕτως	houtōs	So	G3779 →
ἔσται	estai	will be	G1510 →
τὸ	to	the	G3588 →
σπέρμα	sperma	offspring	G4690 →
σου·	sou	of you;	G4771 →

Rare words are the text's own signal of a deliberate thread: the fewer the occurrences, the more the places it appears belong together.

The walk

The walk8

Where the connections lead

Follow this verse’s cross-references two steps out. Each card is a verse this one points to, and beneath it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several different paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it. Every stop shows its own words, and every stop is a page.

Through
Romans 5:5
And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.
leads to
- 2 Timothy 1:12
  For this reason, even though I suffer as I do, I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have…
  Reached by 2 independent paths from here.
- Galatians 4:6
  And because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!”
- Ephesians 3:16–19
  I ask that out of the riches of His glory He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being,
- Philippians 1:20
  I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have complete boldness so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or…
- 2 Corinthians 1:22
  placed His seal on us, and put His Spirit in our hearts as a pledge of what is to come.
Through
Proverbs 13:12
Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but desire fulfilled is a tree of life.
leads to
- John 16:22
  So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.
- Proverbs 13:19
  Desire fulfilled is sweet to the soul, but turning from evil is detestable to fools.
Through
Romans 8:24
For in this hope we were saved; but hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he can already see?
leads to
- Hebrews 11:1
  Now faith is the assurance of what we hope for and the certainty of what we do not see.

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