Romans 2:26 kjv
Therefore if the uncircumcision keep the righteousness of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision?
Romans 2:26 nkjv
Therefore, if an uncircumcised man keeps the righteous requirements of the law, will not his uncircumcision be counted as circumcision?
Romans 2:26 niv
So then, if those who are not circumcised keep the law's requirements, will they not be regarded as though they were circumcised?
Romans 2:26 esv
So, if a man who is uncircumcised keeps the precepts of the law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision?
Romans 2:26 nlt
And if the Gentiles obey God's law, won't God declare them to be his own people?
Romans 2 26 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Rom 2:11 | For God shows no partiality. | God judges all equally, no favoritism. |
| Rom 2:13 | For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified. | Doing, not hearing, validates righteousness. |
| Rom 2:14-15 | For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things contained in the law, these, having no law, are a law to themselves... | Gentiles can naturally fulfill the moral law. |
| Rom 2:25 | For circumcision indeed is of value if you obey the law, but if you break the law, your circumcision becomes uncircumcision. | Circumcision's value is conditional on obedience. |
| Rom 2:28-29 | For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly... but a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. | True Judaism is spiritual, not merely outward. |
| Rom 3:28 | For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law. | Justification is by faith, not law works. |
| Rom 4:9-10 | Is this blessing then only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? For we say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness. How then was it counted...? | Abraham was justified while uncircumcised. |
| Deut 10:16 | Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no longer stubborn. | Command for inner circumcision. |
| Deut 30:6 | And the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the LORD your God with all your heart... | God's future work of inner transformation. |
| Jer 4:4 | Circumcise yourselves to the LORD; remove the foreskins of your hearts, O men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem... | Call to spiritual heart circumcision. |
| Jer 9:25-26 | “Behold, the days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will punish all who are circumcised merely in the flesh—Egypt, Judah, Edom... For all these nations are uncircumcised... | Outward circumcision alone is insufficient. |
| 1 Sam 15:22 | And Samuel said, “Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice...” | Obedience prized above ritual. |
| Isa 1:11-17 | “What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices?... Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression...” | Emphasis on ethical living over rituals. |
| Mic 6:8 | He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? | Core requirements are ethical and spiritual. |
| Matt 7:21 | “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven." | True discipleship is doing God's will. |
| Matt 23:23 | “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith.” | Neglecting inner truths for outward ritual. |
| Acts 10:34-35 | So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him." | God accepts righteous people from all nations. |
| Acts 15:1 | But some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” | Debate over circumcision for salvation. |
| Gal 5:6 | For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love. | Circumcision is irrelevant to salvation in Christ. |
| Gal 6:15 | For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. | New creation, not physical marks, matters. |
| Col 2:11 | In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ. | Believers have spiritual "circumcision of Christ." |
Romans 2 verses
Romans 2 26 Meaning
Romans 2:26 asserts that God's true evaluation of an individual is based on internal obedience rather than external religious marks. If a Gentile, who is naturally "uncircumcised" (without the covenant sign), adheres to the moral principles or "righteous requirements" of God's Law, then his uncircumcised state will be regarded by God as if he were "circumcised" – in the spiritual sense that matters to God. This highlights that true righteousness is about living in accordance with God's will, not possessing a physical religious identifier.
Romans 2 26 Context
Romans chapter 2 focuses on God's righteous judgment. Paul directly challenges the assumption held by many Jewish people that their possession of the Law and the covenant sign of circumcision guaranteed their standing before God and exempted them from judgment. He meticulously argues that God judges all people, both Jew and Gentile, based on their deeds and the light they have received. The preceding verses (2:17-24) excoriate Jewish people who boast in the Law but then dishonor God by breaking it, demonstrating that mere possession of the Law is not enough. This verse (2:26) then builds on that by presenting a hypothetical contrast: if a Gentile, despite lacking the Law and circumcision, genuinely fulfills the moral demands of the Law, their uncircumcision becomes effectively nullified in God's eyes, and they are treated as if they were circumcised, spiritually speaking. It serves as a bridge to Paul's argument that true identity and acceptance before God are matters of the heart and not external rites (Rom 2:28-29).
Romans 2 26 Word analysis
- So if (Οὖν ἐὰν): Introduces a hypothetical condition, drawing a logical conclusion from the preceding discussion. The Greek ean indicates a third-class condition, meaning a potential or possible scenario.
- a man who is uncircumcised (ἀκροβυστία): Literally "foreskin," representing an "uncircumcised person" or Gentile. In Jewish thought, this term profoundly distinguished the nations from Israel. Here, it refers to one who is externally outside the Abrahamic covenant.
- keeps (τηρῇ): Greek tērē, present active subjunctive from tereo, meaning "to keep, observe, guard, heed." It implies a continuous, habitual obedience, not a one-time act. This is active obedience, fulfilling the law's demands.
- the righteous requirements of the law (τὰ δικαιώματα τοῦ νόμου): Greek ta dikaiōmata tou nomou. Dikaiōmata refers to the just ordinances, moral statutes, or righteous decrees/requirements of the law, distinguishing them from ceremonial aspects. It points to the ethical and moral substance of God's revealed will, that which defines true righteousness. It's the law's internal, just demands.
- will not (οὐχὶ): A rhetorical question implying an affirmative answer. "Surely, will not...?"
- his uncircumcision (ἡ ἀκροβυστία αὐτοῦ): Again, the state of being uncircumcised, his Gentile status or lack of the covenant sign.
- be regarded (λογισθήσεται): Greek logisthēsetai, future passive indicative from logizomai. A key Pauline term, meaning "to reckon, count, impute, consider, credit." It describes God's divine accounting or judgment, where something is attributed or credited. This is how God will view or count their state.
- as circumcision (εἰς περιτομήν): "unto circumcision" or "for circumcision." This means it will be credited as true circumcision, not merely overlooked but actively accounted as valid. The physical uncircumcision becomes, in God's divine reckoning, equivalent to actual circumcision, but the kind that truly matters to God—spiritual circumcision of the heart.
Words-group by words-group analysis:
- "So if a man who is uncircumcised keeps the righteous requirements of the law": This phrase posits a hypothetical but potent scenario. It challenges the conventional understanding that an uncircumcised Gentile is inherently excluded from God's full favor. The emphasis is on active keeping (obedience) of the moral demands of the law, suggesting that the spirit of the law can be adhered to even without explicit written revelation (as explored in Rom 2:14-15).
- "will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision?": This rhetorical question highlights God's impartial judgment and spiritual reckoning. It contrasts external physical state with internal spiritual reality as assessed by God. The physical absence of circumcision (Gentile status) is spiritually overwritten by the presence of obedience, effectively granting the individual the standing of true circumcision in God's eyes. This emphasizes that what truly matters to God is the inward spiritual disposition and actions, not outward rituals or heritage.
Romans 2 26 Bonus section
This verse anticipates and provides a foundation for the greater truth expounded in the New Testament: that true covenant relationship with God is not about physical descent or outward ceremony, but about a transformation of the heart by God's Spirit. The "righteous requirements of the law" being kept by a Gentile do not signify a "works-based" salvation, but rather that some measure of God's moral law is written on all human hearts (Rom 2:15). Thus, anyone, Jew or Gentile, who lives in accordance with this internal revelation demonstrates a genuine alignment with God's will, which God honors and 'counts' as true adherence. It effectively sets the stage for Paul's later revelation that righteousness comes not through the Law or circumcision, but through faith in Christ (Rom 3:21-26). The paradox presented is that the uncircumcised Gentile could be more "Jewish" (in God's eyes) than a circumcised Jew who breaks the Law.
Romans 2 26 Commentary
Romans 2:26 delivers a powerful statement against ethnocentric pride and ritualism. Paul's argument aims to dismantle the false security that many Jewish people derived from their unique identity as the chosen people, marked by circumcision and possessing the Law. The verse teaches that the external mark of circumcision, a physical sign of the covenant, is fundamentally worthless if unaccompanied by genuine obedience to God's moral requirements. Conversely, a Gentile, who by definition lacks this external sign, can achieve a standing of "circumcision" in God's eyes simply by obeying the righteous principles of God's Law. This underscores that God's judgment transcends national or ritualistic distinctions, valuing the spiritual reality of a changed heart and obedient life above any outward sign or heritage. It lays groundwork for the universal scope of the Gospel and salvation by faith, accessible to all, irrespective of their former identity markers.