Romans 4:17

(As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.

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Word by word — the Greek

Word	Greek	Strong’s	Meaning
As	καθὼς kathōs	G2531	just (or inasmuch) as · conjunction
written	γέγραπται gegraptai	G1125	to "grave" · verb — perfect passive indicative, 3rd person singular
made	τέθεικά tetheika	G5087	to place (in the widest application · verb — perfect active indicative, 1st person singular
thee	σέ sé	G4571	thee
father	πατέρα patera	G3962	a "father" (literally or figuratively · noun — accusative singular masculine
many	πολλῶν pollōn	G4183	(singular) much (in any respect) or (plural) many · adjective — genitive plural neuter
nations	ἐθνῶν ethnōn	G1484	a race (as of the same habit) · noun — genitive plural neuter
before	κατέναντι katenanti	G2713	directly opposite · preposition
whom	οὗ hou	G3739	the relatively (sometimes demonstrative) pronoun · relative pronoun — genitive singular masculine
believed	ἐπίστευσεν episteusen	G4100	to have faith (in · verb — aorist active indicative, 3rd person singular
God	θεοῦ, theou	G2316	figuratively · noun — genitive singular masculine, a title
quickeneth	ζῳοποιοῦντος zōopoiountos	G2227	to (re-)vitalize (literally or figuratively) · verb — present active participle, genitive singular masculine
dead	νεκροὺς nekrous	G3498	dead (literally or figuratively · adjective — accusative plural masculine
and	καὶ kai	G2532	and · conjunction
calleth	καλοῦντος kalountos	G2564	to "call" (properly · verb — present active participle, genitive singular masculine
be	ὤν ṓn	G5607	being
not	μὴ mē	G3361	(adverb) not · particle — negative
as	ὡς hōs	G5613	which how · particle
were	ὤν ṓn	G5607	being

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

1 Corinthians 1:28 And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that…
Genesis 17:4-5 As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations.
John 5:21 For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will.
Romans 8:29-30 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethr…
John 6:63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
1 Peter 2:10 Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.
Romans 8:11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mor…
Ephesians 2:1-5 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Romans 4:17-22

Having observed when Abraham was justified by faith, and why, for the honour of Abraham and for example to us who call him father, the apostle here describes and commends the faith of Abraham, where observe, I. Whom he believed: God who quickeneth. It is God himself that faith fastens upon: other foundation can no man lay. Now observe what in God Abraham's faith had an eye t - o that, certainly, which would be most likely to confirm his faith concerning the things promised: - 1. God who quickeneth the dead. It was promised that he should be the father of many nations, when he and his wife were now as good as dead (Heb 11:11, Heb 11:12), and therefore he looks upon God as a God that could bre…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Romans 4:17

As it is written, &c.-- (Gen 17:5). This is quoted to justify his calling Abraham the "father of us all," and is to be viewed as a parenthesis. before--that is, "in the reckoning of." him whom he believed--that is, "Thus Abraham, in the reckoning of Him whom he believed, is the father of us all, in order that all may be assured, that doing as he did, they shall be treated as he was." even God, quickeneth the dead--The nature and greatness of that faith of Abraham which we are to copy is here strikingly described. What he was required to believe being above nature, his faith had to fasten upon God's power to surmount physical incapacity, and call into being what did not then exist. But…

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Adam Clarke on Romans 4:17

As it is written, I have made thee a father - That Abraham's being a father of many nations has relation to the covenant of God made with him, may be seen, Gen 17:4, Gen 17:5 : Behold my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations: neither shall thy name any more be called Abram; but thy name shall be Abraham, for a father of many nations have I made thee, i.e. he was constituted the head of many nations, the Gentile world, by virtue of the covenant, which God made then with him. God, who quickeneth the dead, etc. - God is the most proper object of trust and dependence; for being almighty, eternal, and unchangeable, he can even raise the dead to life, and call those thi…

The Church Fathers

This means that faith is in the inner man, in the sight of God and not in human display, which is what the circumcision of the flesh is.
— Augustine of Hippo, AUGUSTINE ON ROMANS 24

Everything which God did not beget of himself but made through his Word he made not out of things which already existed but out of what did not exist at all, i.e., out of nothing.
— Augustine of Hippo, THE NATURE OF THE GOOD 26

Abraham is the father of all believers, not just of the nation of Israel. "Life to the dead" is given to those who are dead for the purpose of bearing children, which is the context of the present discussion.
— Pelagius, PELAGIUS'S COMMENTARY ON ROMANS

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Adoption · Is of God’s grace — Is of God’s grace
Catholicity · INCUL — INCUL
Creation · The formation of things which had no previous existence — The formation of things which had no previous existence
Faith · 10:20;14:32;26:3;30:15;57:13; — 10:20;14:32;26:3;30:15;57:13;
Gospel · General references — General references
Justification · 23:6; — 23:6;
Quickening · .By the Father — .By the Father
Resurrection · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

Romans 4:17

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Romans 4:17-22

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Romans 4:17

Adam Clarke on Romans 4:17

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Romans 4:17

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Romans 4:17-22

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Romans 4:17

Adam Clarke on Romans 4:17

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

John Gill on Romans 4:17

John Calvin on Romans 4:16-17

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Romans 4:16