Romans 7 1

Romans 7:1 kjv

Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them that know the law,) how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth?

Romans 7:1 nkjv

Or do you not know, brethren (for I speak to those who know the law), that the law has dominion over a man as long as he lives?

Romans 7:1 niv

Do you not know, brothers and sisters?for I am speaking to those who know the law?that the law has authority over someone only as long as that person lives?

Romans 7:1 esv

Or do you not know, brothers ? for I am speaking to those who know the law ? that the law is binding on a person only as long as he lives?

Romans 7:1 nlt

Now, dear brothers and sisters ? you who are familiar with the law ? don't you know that the law applies only while a person is living?

Romans 7 verses

Romans 7 1 Meaning

Romans 7:1 introduces a fundamental legal principle concerning the authority of the law: it governs a person only for the duration of their life. Paul presents this truth as a self-evident fact, particularly to those familiar with the Law (referring to the Mosaic Law), in preparation for his elaborate analogy of a woman freed from the law of marriage by her husband's death (Rom 7:2-3). This verse sets the stage for understanding how believers, by virtue of their spiritual death to sin and identification with Christ's death, are likewise freed from the Law's condemning power, enabling them to "belong to another" (Christ) and bear spiritual fruit.

Romans 7 1 Context

Romans 7:1 acts as a crucial transitional verse, linking the discussion of death to sin in chapter 6 to the intricate explanation of death to the Law's condemning power. Paul has just argued that believers have "died to sin" (Rom 6:2), were "buried with Christ through baptism into death" (Rom 6:4), and are "freed from sin" (Rom 6:7). The logical next question for some, especially Jewish believers, would be: what then is the status of the Law? Does death to sin also mean death to the Law?

Paul anticipates this by first stating a general, commonly understood legal principle that sets the stage for his powerful marriage analogy in Rom 7:2-3. The chapter as a whole explores the struggle within the believer concerning the Law, illustrating its holy nature yet its inability to bring life or righteousness. Instead, the Law serves to reveal sin. Chapters 6, 7, and 8 form a connected unit: Rom 6 speaks of freedom from sin's dominion through identification with Christ's death; Rom 7 details freedom from the Law's condemnation through a similar "death"; and Rom 8 proclaims freedom to live in the Spirit, fulfilling the righteous requirement of the Law. Historically, Paul is writing to a mixed congregation of Jewish and Gentile Christians in Rome, many of whom would have wrestled with the role of the Mosaic Law in their new faith in Christ.

Romans 7 1 Word analysis

• Or (ἤ - ē): This conjunction introduces a rhetorical question, indicating a continuation or an alternative perspective related to the previous discussion. It connects back to the theme of the believer's new status discussed in Romans 6.
• do you not know (ἀγνοεῖτε - agnoei'te): This is a direct, rhetorical question. Paul uses it not because he believes his audience is entirely ignorant, but to emphasize a point that they should already understand, or perhaps to correct a partial understanding. It compels the audience to affirm the premise before he builds on it.
• brethren (ἀδελφοί - adelphoi): A common, affectionate Pauline address, signifying a close spiritual family relationship among fellow believers. It establishes a tone of shared faith and understanding before introducing a potentially complex theological point.
• for I speak to those who know the law (γὰρ λέγω τοῖς γινώσκουσιν νόμον - gar legō tois ginōskousin nomon):
  • for (γὰρ - gar): A causal conjunction, providing the reason or ground for the preceding rhetorical question.
  • I speak (λέγω - legō): Clear and direct communication.
  • to those who know (τοῖς γινώσκουσιν - tois ginōskousin): Signifies familiarity, a deep and experiential knowledge, not just intellectual awareness. Paul specifically addresses an audience who possesses this understanding, suggesting either Jewish Christians or Gentile believers who were well-versed in the Mosaic Law. This qualification ensures the listeners can grasp the legal analogy that follows.
  • the law (νόμον - nomon): Primarily refers to the Mosaic Law, the covenant law given to Israel. This term is crucial throughout Romans, often sparking debate about its precise scope (moral law, ceremonial law, legal system). Here, it serves as a representative example of any binding legal code.
• that the law has jurisdiction over a person (ὅτι ὁ νόμος κυριεύει τοῦ ἀνθρώπου - hoti ho nomos kyrieuei tou anthrōpou):
  • that (ὅτι - hoti): Introduces the content of what "those who know the law" understand.
  • the law (ὁ νόμος - ho nomos): Reiterates the Mosaic Law as the subject.
  • has jurisdiction over (κυριεύει - kyrieuei): From kyrios (lord/master). This strong verb means "to be master of," "to rule," "to have dominion over," "to have legal authority." It vividly portrays the binding, authoritative power the law exerts. It's a legal and moral power that demands obedience and pronounces judgment.
  • a person (τοῦ ἀνθρώπου - tou anthrōpou): A generic term for any human being, not gender-specific. The principle applies universally.
• as long as he lives (ἐφ' ὅσον χρόνον ζῇ - eph' hosos chronon zēi):
  • as long as (ἐφ' ὅσον χρόνον - eph' hosos chronon): Indicates duration, the full extent of time.
  • he lives (ζῇ - zēi): The verb "to live," meaning to be alive, to exist in a biological or active state. This phrase specifies the precise limitation of the law's authority: it ceases upon death. This is the cornerstone of Paul's subsequent analogy, establishing that death terminates a legal bond.

Word-Group Analysis:

• "Or do you not know, brethren": A common Pauline rhetorical opener that establishes common ground and familiarity with the subject, simultaneously drawing the audience in and challenging their perhaps unexamined assumptions.
• "for I speak to those who know the law": This crucial parenthetical phrase precisely identifies Paul's intended primary audience for this specific argument segment, ensuring that the legal premises he uses are understood and accepted from the outset.
• "the law has jurisdiction over a person as long as he lives": This sentence encapsulates a universally understood legal axiom: death liberates from legal obligations. This principle forms the theological springboard for Paul's analogy of a believer's death to the Law and subsequent new life in Christ. The authority of "lordship" (from kyrieuei) of the law is definitively finite, contingent upon life itself.

Romans 7 1 Bonus section

A common misconception avoided by understanding Rom 7:1 in its full context is that "death to the Law" implies lawlessness or the abolishment of God's moral standards. On the contrary, Paul vehemently defends the Law's goodness and holiness (Rom 7:12). The freedom is from the condemning power and system of earning righteousness through the Law, not from its divine moral guidance. Believers are now empowered by the Holy Spirit to fulfill the righteous requirements of the Law (Rom 8:4), not by slavish obedience, but by loving God and neighbor (Gal 5:14; Rom 13:8-10). The death Paul refers to in connection with the Law is a legal and spiritual death—a new status achieved in union with Christ's crucifixion and resurrection—which opens the door to a Spirit-empowered obedience that transcends legalistic compliance.

Romans 7 1 Commentary

Romans 7:1 is the analytical fulcrum upon which Paul constructs his argument regarding the believer's new relationship to the Law. He begins with a premise so fundamental and universally recognized—especially among those familiar with legal systems, Jewish or otherwise—that he presents it as a rhetorical question requiring an affirmative answer. The law's jurisdiction, its power to bind and to pronounce judgment, is strictly tied to the life of the individual under its authority. Upon death, that jurisdiction ceases.

This seemingly straightforward legal fact is profoundly significant in Paul's theological framework. He is preparing to explain that just as physical death severs legal bonds (as with a marriage in Rom 7:2-3), a believer's spiritual death—their identification with Christ's death—likewise severs their previous legal relationship with the Law. The Mosaic Law was a valid and good expression of God's will (Rom 7:12), but it was designed to condemn sin and expose humanity's inability to achieve righteousness by its works. For believers, through Christ, this relationship of condemnation is dissolved. They are no longer "under the law" as a means of salvation or condemnation, but now live "under grace" (Rom 6:14), led by the Spirit (Rom 8:4). This verse ensures that the theological conclusion (freedom from the Law for the believer) is firmly grounded in a clear and acknowledged legal principle.