Romans 4:7
in Romans 4“Blessed are they whose lawless acts are forgiven, whose sins are covered.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, And whose sins are covered.
KJV
Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.
⋯
This verse in Romans 4
Commentary
13 notes on this verseWhence I think that David too, in the thirty-first psalm, which he entitled "Of the understanding of David," gave this beginning, admonishing by the very superscription that a deeper understanding must be sought in the things he was about to say, namely that "blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven": concerning which we have spoken, as far as we were able, when we dictated on the Psalms in order.
This site's exposition
credits righteousness apart from works
on Romans 4:6-8
David is the second witness, quoted from Psalm 32:1-2. He calls a man blessed whose lawless acts are forgiven, and the Lord will never count his sin. The psalm ties pardon to a righteousness God supplies.
This site's exposition
whose lawless acts are forgiven
Chrysostom notices that the psalm says nothing of faith. He holds that Paul cites it on purpose: if pardon by grace makes a man blessed, the man made righteous is more blessed still.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers3 voices
Obviously they are blessed, whose iniquities are forgiven without labor or work of any kind and whose sins are covered without any work of penitence being required of them, as long as they believe.How can these words apply to a penitent, when we know that …
And concerning the happiness of the man who has partaken of these, David says: "Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin." For, strictly speaking, there cannot any longer be reckoned ought against the martyrs, by whom in the baptism (of blood) life itself is laid down.
And he seems to be bringing a testimony beside his purpose. For it does not say, Blessed are they whose faith is reckoned for righteousness. But he does so on purpose, not through inadvertency, to show the greater superiority. For if he be blessed that by grace received forgiveness, much more is he that is made just, and that exhibits faith. For where blessedness is, there all shame is removed, and there is much glory, since blessedness is a greater degree both of reward and of glory. And for this cause what is the advantage of the other he states as unwritten, "Now to him that worketh is the reward reckoned not of grace;" but what the advantage of the faithful is, he brings Scriptural testimony to prove, saying, As David saith, "Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered." What, he means, is it that you say? Is it that "it is not of debt but of grace that he receives forgiveness?" But see it is this person who is pronounced blessed. For he would not have pronounced him so, unless he saw him in the enjoyment of great glory.
The Medieval Church2 voices
Then when he says, blessed are they, he presents David's words containing the previous judgment and says that those whose sins are forgiven are blessed; consequently, they did not previously have good works, from which they obtained justice or happiness. But sin is divided into …
For if he who receives forgiveness by grace is blessed, then far more blessed is he who has shown faith and been justified by it. Why, he says, do you hesitate over the fact that he receives forgiveness of sins by grace? You see that …
5 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
This happiness - Mentioned by Abraham and David. On the circumcision - Those that are circumcised only. Faith was imputed to Abraham for righteousness - This is fully consistent with our being justified, that is, pardoned and accepted by God upon our believing, for the sake of what Christ hath done and suffered.
Saying, blessed are they,.... These words are cited from Psa 32:1, and contain the proof of the happiness of justified persons.
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
Blessed - Happy are they: they are highly favored; see the note at Mat 5:3. Whose sins are covered - Are concealed; or hidden from the view. On which God will no more look, and which he will no more remember. “By these words,” says Calvin (in loco), “we are taught that justification with Paul is nothing else but pardon of sin.” The word “cover” here has no reference to the atonement, but is expressive of hiding, or concealing that is, of forgiving sin.
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
Saying, Blessed, &c.-- (Ps 32:1, 2). David here sings in express terms only of "transgression forgiven, sin covered, iniquity not imputed"; but as the negative blessing necessarily includes the positive, the passage is strictly in point.
Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven - That is, the man is truly happy whose iniquities αι ανομιαι, whose transgressions of the law are forgiven; for by these he was exposed to the most grievous punishment. Whose sins, αι αμαρτιαι, his innumerable deviations from the strict rule of truth and righteousness, are covered - entirely removed out of sight, and thrown into oblivion. See the meaning of the word sin in the note on Gen 13:13 (note).
The words behind it
10 Greek wordsEvery Greek word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Greek | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| μακάριοι | makarioi | Blessed [are] | G3107 → | 50 times |
| ὧν | hon | they of whom | G3739 → | 1405 times |
| ἀφέθησαν | aphethesan | are forgiven | G863 → | |
| αἱ | hai | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| ἀνομίαι | anomiai | lawless deeds | G458 → | 15 times |
| καὶ | kai | and | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| ὧν | hon | of whom | G3739 → | 1405 times |
| ἐπεκαλύφθησαν | epekaluphthesan | are covered | G1943 → | |
| αἱ | hai | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| ἁμαρτίαι· | hamartiai | sins; | G266 → | 173 times |
μακάριοιBlessed [are]
makarioiG3107 →50 times
ὧνthey of whom
honG3739 →1405 times
ἀφέθησανare forgiven
aphethesanG863 →
αἱthe
haiG3588 →19766 times
ἀνομίαιlawless deeds
anomiaiG458 →15 times
καὶand
kaiG2532 →9120 times
ὧνof whom
honG3739 →1405 times
ἐπεκαλύφθησανare covered
epekaluphthesanG1943 →
αἱthe
haiG3588 →19766 times
ἁμαρτίαι·sins;
hamartiaiG266 →173 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
5 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Psalms 85:2You forgave the iniquity of Your people; You covered all their sin. Selah
it leads to
- Micah 7:18
Who is a God like You, who pardons iniquity and passes over the transgression of the remnant of His inheritance—who does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in loving devotion?
- Psalms 32:1
Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.
- Colossians 2:13
When you were dead in your trespasses and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our trespasses,
- Jeremiah 50:20
In those days and at that time, declares the LORD, a search will be made for Israel’s guilt, but there will be none, and for Judah’s sins, but they will not be found; for…
- Numbers 14:19
Pardon, I pray, the iniquity of this people, in keeping with the greatness of Your loving devotion, just as You have forgiven them ever since they left Egypt.”
- Micah 7:18
Where this verse is studied
By subject
Forgiveness35 verses
On this page
Studies15
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About Romans
This page draws on 12 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Ambrosiaster, COMMENTARY ON PAUL'S EPISTLES; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Chrysostom, Homily on Romans VIII; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Origen of Alexandria, COMMENTARY ON THE EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS; Tertullian, Scorpiace; Theophylact of Ohrid, Commentary on Romans and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Romans.