Romans 4 17

Romans 4:17 kjv

(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.

Romans 4:17 nkjv

(as it is written, "I have made you a father of many nations") in the presence of Him whom he believed?God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did;

Romans 4:17 niv

As it is written: "I have made you a father of many nations." He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed?the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not.

Romans 4:17 esv

as it is written, "I have made you the father of many nations" ? in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.

Romans 4:17 nlt

That is what the Scriptures mean when God told him, "I have made you the father of many nations." This happened because Abraham believed in the God who brings the dead back to life and who creates new things out of nothing.

Romans 4 verses

Romans 4 17 Meaning

Romans 4:17 defines Abraham's faith in light of God's character. It reveals God as the one who gives life to the dead and calls into existence things that do not yet exist, thereby affirming His absolute sovereignty and power to bring about the impossible. Abraham believed God was capable of fulfilling His promise, even when physical realities suggested otherwise.

Romans 4 17 Context

Romans 4 focuses on proving that justification before God is by faith, not by works of the Law, using Abraham as the prime example. Paul addresses both Jewish and Gentile audiences, challenging the prevalent Jewish understanding that righteousness was attained through adherence to the Mosaic Law and physical circumcision. Abraham, the father of the Jewish nation, was justified before the Law was given (Gen 15:6) and before he was circumcised (Gen 17). This demolishes the idea that the Law or ritual practices are the basis for salvation. Verse 17 underscores the quality of Abraham's faith by describing the nature of the God he believed in—a God whose power transcends human limitations and creates from nothing, directly confronting human pride in self-sufficiency or reliance on established forms. This sets the stage for God's calling of the Gentiles (non-existent, spiritually dead in their trespasses) into His covenant family, demonstrating that God's plan was always broader than just one physical lineage.

Romans 4 17 Word analysis

• καθώς γέγραπται (kathōs gegraptai) - "as it is written": Introduces a direct quotation from the Old Testament, specifically Gen 17:5, underscoring the Scriptural foundation and prophetic nature of Abraham's calling and God's promise.
• "πατέρα πολλῶν ἐθνῶν τέθεικά σε" ("I have made you a father of many nations"): This quotation defines Abraham's identity from God's perspective. It highlights the divine declarative power that establishes identity and future reality. It prefigures the spiritual fatherhood over believers from all nations.
• κατέναντι (katenanti) - "in the presence of" / "before": This preposition emphasizes Abraham's faith being directed towards God, directly confronting Him in belief. It signifies the relational aspect of faith, exercised face-to-face, or in full awareness of God.
• οὗ (hou) - "whom": Refers to God, linking the object of Abraham's faith directly to God's divine attributes described next.
• ἐπίστευσεν (episteusen) - "he believed": Aorist tense, highlighting a definitive act of faith, a firm reliance and trust in God's word.
• Θεοῦ (Theou) - "God": The ultimate object of Abraham's belief. The subsequent phrases qualify the specific attributes of this God that Abraham believed in.
• τοῦ ζωοποιοῦντος τοὺς νεκροὺς (tou zoopoioountos tous nekrous) - "who gives life to the dead":
  • ζωοποιοῦντος (zoopoioountos): "making alive," "giving life." This present participle signifies God's continuous or habitual action. It encompasses both literal resurrection (e.g., Jesus) and spiritual regeneration (e.g., Eph 2:1), and specifically refers to God's power to make Sarah's womb and Abraham's body productive again (Rom 4:19). This aspect emphasizes God's ability to reverse what is physically, naturally, or spiritually impossible.
  • τοὺς νεκροὺς (tous nekrous): "the dead." This applies literally (like resurrection) but also symbolically to barrenness and spiritual deadness.
• καὶ καλοῦντος (kai kalountos) - "and calls":
  • καλοῦντος (kalountos): "calling" or "summoning." This participle describes God's divine, effective summons. It’s a powerful verb that implies God brings things into being simply by His declaration, a creative word (as in Gen 1).
• τὰ μὴ ὄντα (ta mē onta) - "things that do not exist" / "non-existent things": This refers to absolute non-existence—things that are not yet real. It implies a situation where there is no pre-existing material or potential.
• ὡς ὄντα (hōs onta) - "as existing" / "as though they were existing": This profound phrase emphasizes God's creative word. He speaks of non-existent things as if they already exist, and in so doing, they are brought into being. It signifies the performative power of God's word—His declaration creates reality rather than merely describing it. This concept is foundational to creatio ex nihilo (creation out of nothing) and applies to the spiritual realm, such as God calling Gentiles (who were "not His people") to be His people.

Romans 4 17 Bonus section

The phrase "calls into existence things that do not exist as existing" has deep roots in the Old Testament concept of God's effective word. Unlike human words, which mostly describe or command, God's word is inherently creative and performative; it brings forth the reality it declares. This means that when God promises something, its fulfillment is not contingent on external factors or pre-existing conditions, but on the power inherent in His very declaration. This challenges a world view bound by what is empirically visible or humanly achievable. Furthermore, the spiritual application is profound: it speaks of God's sovereign act in regenerating those who are spiritually "non-existent" (dead in sin) and drawing them into life in Christ. This underscores the radical nature of salvation as a divine act, not a human achievement.

Romans 4 17 Commentary

Romans 4:17 presents a pivotal theological statement defining the very nature of God, upon which Abraham's faith, and indeed all true faith, rests. It establishes God as the sovereign Creator, who is not limited by human or natural circumstances, but operates outside and above them. The "life to the dead" aspect directly relates to God’s power to bring forth a son from Abraham and Sarah's biologically "dead" bodies, foreshadowing physical resurrection, and extending to spiritual regeneration from spiritual death. The "calling into existence things that do not exist" speaks to creatio ex nihilo—God's ability to create the cosmos from nothing by His word—and powerfully applies to God’s plan of salvation, where Gentiles (who were "not a people" in a covenant sense) are called into being as His people (Rom 9:25-26; 1 Pet 2:10). This verse elevates God as the source of all life and reality, capable of performing wonders that transcend natural order, ensuring that His promises will always come to pass, no matter the impossibility from a human perspective. True faith, like Abraham's, means trusting this very character of God.

• Practical example: When facing overwhelming circumstances where a solution seems impossible, remembering God as "He who calls into existence things that do not exist" provides hope and invites reliance on His divine power rather than human limitations.