Romans 5 14

Romans 5:14 kjv

Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.

Romans 5:14 nkjv

Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come.

Romans 5:14 niv

Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who is a pattern of the one to come.

Romans 5:14 esv

Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come.

Romans 5:14 nlt

Still, everyone died ? from the time of Adam to the time of Moses ? even those who did not disobey an explicit commandment of God, as Adam did. Now Adam is a symbol, a representation of Christ, who was yet to come.

Romans 5 verses

Romans 5 14 Meaning

Romans 5:14 explains that death held sway universally from the time of Adam's sin until the giving of the Law through Moses. This reign of death extended even to individuals who had not personally committed a deliberate, conscious act of disobedience analogous to Adam's specific transgression against a divine command. The verse then introduces the critical theological concept of Adam as a "figure" or "type" of the one who was to come, namely Christ, foreshadowing a similar but opposite, overarching effect of one individual's act on humanity.

Romans 5 14 Context

Romans 5:14 is embedded within Paul's broader theological argument concerning justification by faith, contrasting Adam's singular act of disobedience that brought sin and death to all humanity with Christ's singular act of obedience that brings righteousness and life to all who believe. Chapter 5 begins by detailing the benefits of justification (peace with God, access by faith into grace, hope, endurance in suffering, assurance of God's love). Verses 12-21 then pivot to a profound typological comparison between Adam and Christ, illustrating the federal headship principle. Verse 12 introduces the concept of sin entering the world through one man (Adam) and death through sin, affecting all because all sinned. Verse 13 notes that "sin was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not charged against anyone where there is no law." This sets up verse 14's explanation that despite the absence of a defined law to transgress (like Adam's specific command not to eat the fruit), death still reigned from Adam to Moses. This implies that humanity was already under a reign of death, not solely due to individual conscious transgression of explicit law, but because of a transmitted condition inherited from Adam.

Romans 5 14 Word analysis

• Nevertheless (ἀλλά, alla): This conjunction introduces a strong contrast or exception to the preceding statement. While verse 13 noted that "sin is not charged where there is no law," verse 14 states that nevertheless death did reign. It emphasizes the undeniable reality of death's dominion even in the absence of a formalized Mosaic Law.
• death (θάνατος, thanatos): Not just physical cessation of life, but also spiritual separation from God, a pervasive state. Here, it signifies the comprehensive consequence of sin, a reigning power.
• reigned (ἐβασίλευσεν, ebasileusen): Aorist active indicative of basileuō (to reign as a king). This vividly portrays death as a powerful, sovereign entity or a tyrannical king exerting its dominion. This "reign" underscores death's universal, active, and persistent control over humanity.
• from Adam to Moses (ἀπὸ Ἀδὰμ ἕως Μωϋσέως, apo Adam heōs Mōuseōs): This temporal phrase defines the specific period when death reigned in a way distinct from when the Mosaic Law explicitly defined sin. It covers roughly 2500 years of human history, from the first human sin to the giving of the Torah at Sinai. It highlights that the universality of death was evident before any written covenantal law.
• even over them that had not sinned (καὶ ἐπὶ τοὺς μὴ ἁμαρτήσαντας, kai epi tous mē hamartēsantas): "Even over" emphasizes the extent of death's dominion. "Them that had not sinned" refers to those who did not commit personal, conscious acts of willful disobedience against a direct, revealed command, like Adam. This typically includes infants, young children, or those without the mental capacity for responsible moral choice. It clarifies that death was not solely a consequence of personal transgression.
• after the similitude (ἐπὶ τῷ ὁμοιώματι, epi tō homoiōmati): Homoiōma signifies a "likeness," "resemblance," or "form." It indicates that the sin of Adam involved a specific type of transgression: a conscious, direct defiance of an explicit divine prohibition (Gen 2:17). This phrase means death also ruled over those who did not "resemble" Adam in his specific kind of transgression. This implicitly suggests the concept of inherited sin or a corrupted nature passed down from Adam, leading to a state of condemnation and death, regardless of individual actions resembling Adam's specific sin.
• of Adam's transgression (τῆς παραβάσεως Ἀδάμ, tēs parabaseōs Adam): Parabasis means "stepping across," "violation of a law," or "transgression of a specific command." Adam's act was not merely sin, but a distinct "transgression" of a known divine prohibition.
• who (ὅς, hos): The pronoun "who" refers back to Adam.
• is the figure (ἐστιν τύπος, estin typos): Typos means "type," "model," "pattern," or "imprint." It's a key term in typology, the study of how earlier persons, events, or institutions in biblical history foreshadow later ones, especially Christ and His work. Adam, though distinct in his act and its outcome, serves as a divine pre-figure or pattern.
• of him that was to come (τοῦ μέλλοντος, tou mellontos): This refers directly and unequivocally to Jesus Christ. He is "the one who is about to come," the anticipated redeemer.

Words-group by words-group analysis

• "Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses": This phrase establishes the historical scope and pervasive power of death. It argues that death's dominion was universal from the Fall, extending through generations that lived before the Law of Moses. This reign was a tangible reality, not merely a future threat, and demonstrated God's justice even without a codified legal system for all sins.
• "even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression": This crucial qualification addresses the nature of sin and the mechanism of death's transmission. It indicates that humanity incurred the penalty of death not solely through individual, conscious, and volitional acts of transgression against known law (like Adam's specific command to not eat of the tree), but through a federal connection to Adam. Those who could not perform a homoiōma (like Adam's sin), such as infants, still experienced death, pointing to an inherited fallen nature or condition, also known as original sin or inherited corruption, that is sufficient to incur the consequence of death. This means death is a result of both imputed sin (Adam's act counted against all) and inherited corruption.
• "who is the figure of him that was to come": This clause elevates the discussion to a high theological plane – typology. Adam, through his action that brought sin and death to all, becomes a divinely appointed "type" or foreshadowing of Christ. This "figure" relationship implies a parallelism: just as Adam's one act had a far-reaching, negative, and universal effect on humanity, so too Christ's one act (of righteousness and obedience) will have a far-reaching, positive, and universal effect for all who believe, demonstrating God's sovereign plan of redemption from the very beginning.

Romans 5 14 Bonus section

The concept of "original sin" as debated in theological circles finds a strong basis in this verse. The phrase "even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression" points not to personal, volitional sin for these individuals, but to a state of being in Adam that incurs death. This state is generally understood as either:

1. Imputed Sin: Adam's guilt (his one act of transgression) is directly attributed to all humanity.
2. Inherited Corruption/Depravity: The sinful nature, or the spiritual disease of sin, is passed down from Adam, making all humanity inherently inclined toward sin and incapable of pleasing God.Both interpretations explain why death reigned universally even before the Law and over those not able to make Adam's type of conscious transgression. This verse supports the idea that sin is not merely individual acts but a deep, pervasive human condition inherited from Adam. This understanding also sets the stage for the necessity and sufficiency of Christ's perfect righteousness and sacrificial death to address this universal human predicament. The "typos" relationship is one of contrast as much as parallel, often called "antithetical parallelism," where the pattern is clear but the outcome is opposite. Adam brings condemnation and death; Christ brings justification and life.

Romans 5 14 Commentary

Romans 5:14 serves as a linchpin in Paul's argument about original sin and Christ's redemptive work. It underlines that death is not merely a consequence of individual acts of rebellion but a reigning power, an inherent part of the human condition passed down from Adam. The key insight is that even those who did not commit specific transgressions like Adam's (e.g., infants who die, or individuals living without explicit revelation of God's Law) were still subject to death. This signifies that Adam's sin didn't just introduce a sin, but changed humanity's fundamental nature and legal standing, passing on both guilt and a corrupted nature that results in spiritual and physical death for all.

Adam thus stands as a "type" or "figure" of Christ not in terms of moral equivalence, but in terms of federal representation and universal impact. Both Adam and Christ, as heads of humanity, produced effects that extended to all their respective "descendants" (biologically for Adam, spiritually for Christ). Adam’s transgression resulted in condemnation and death for all, while Christ’s righteous act leads to justification and life for all who are "in Christ" by faith. This highlights the grand reversal: where Adam caused death, Christ provides life, demonstrating God's greater power to save than sin's power to condemn.