Romans 7 24

Romans 7:24 kjv

O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?

Romans 7:24 nkjv

O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?

Romans 7:24 niv

What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?

Romans 7:24 esv

Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?

Romans 7:24 nlt

Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?

Romans 7 verses

Romans 7 24 Meaning

Romans 7:24 expresses a profound, deeply felt cry of distress and desperation. It laments the individual's inner conflict and perceived helplessness in the face of persistent sin, articulating a fervent desire for deliverance from the fallen nature or mortal body that remains susceptible to sin's power, ultimately leading to spiritual death. This is not a cry of utter despair but an urgent longing for rescue.

Romans 7 24 Context

Romans 7:24 is the climactic exclamation of personal anguish following a detailed exposition of the Law's function and the pervasive power of sin within humanity. Paul has argued that the Law, while holy and good, could not deliver from sin but instead exposed it and even amplified it by defining trespasses (Rom 7:7-13). He then describes the internal conflict: he wills to do good but does evil, recognizing that sin, not he himself, dwells within him (Rom 7:14-23). This leads to a wrestling match between his desire to obey God's law and the inescapable grip of "the law of sin which is in my members." This culminates in the desperate cry of verse 24, a question that prepares the reader for the answer found immediately in Romans 7:25a and further elaborated in Chapter 8: deliverance is through Jesus Christ by the Spirit. Historically, this struggle echoes the human experience in a fallen world, where the pursuit of righteousness without divine intervention proved futile, whether under the Mosaic Law or ancient philosophical efforts at moral perfection.

Romans 7 24 Word analysis

• O wretched (ταλαίπωρος - talaipōros): This Greek word signifies deep misery, distress, and a state of being utterly worn out by toil or hardship. It denotes profound unhappiness resulting from a burdensome condition or predicament. It implies a sense of futility and affliction rather than simple sadness, often tied to a failed effort or constant struggle.

• man (ἄνθρωπος - anthrōpos): This term typically refers to a human being, a person. In this context, it functions in a twofold manner: primarily, it underscores Paul's personal experience, yet it also implicitly represents the universal human condition. Paul places himself as an exemplar of every person grappling with the powerful effects of sin.

• that I am! (ἐγὼ - egō): The strong personal pronoun "I" emphasizes Paul's intense, personal identification with this state of wretchedness. It is not an abstract lament but a visceral expression of his own experience.

• Who will deliver (τίς με ῥύσεται - tis me rhysetai): "Who" (tis) highlights a desperate search for an external agent or power capable of rescue. "Deliver" (rhýsetai) is a strong verb meaning to snatch, rescue, pull out, or save from danger or an oppressive force. It conveys an urgent need for intervention from a powerful deliverer.

• me (με - me): Again, emphasizing the personal plight, the individual entrapped and yearning for release.

• from this body (ἐκ τοῦ σώματος - ek tou sōmatos): "From" (ek) indicates the source from which deliverance is sought. "Body" (sōma) here is often understood as more than just the physical form. In Pauline thought, it can refer to the whole human person as enslaved to sin (the "body of sin" Rom 6:6) or the mortal, corruptible physical existence that remains susceptible to sin and mortality until glorification. It's the vessel through which sin operates.

• of death (τοῦ θανάτου - tou thanatou): "Death" refers not merely to physical cessation but, more profoundly, to spiritual death—separation from God, the wages of sin, and the power that sin holds over life. The "body of death" implies a body dominated by and leading to death, a condition of being subjected to sin's lethal power and consequences.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• "O wretched man that I am!": This is an exclamatory cry of anguish, not of despair, but of profound awareness of the struggle against indwelling sin. It conveys self-reproach, frustration, and the burden of living under the "tyranny" of sin within. This intense, personal exclamation invites empathy and mirrors a universal spiritual dilemma.
• "Who will deliver me?": This is a direct plea for a rescuer. It implies an acknowledgement of utter powerlessness on the part of the "wretched man" to achieve freedom by his own strength or by adhering to the Law. It sets up the urgent need for divine intervention.
• "from this body of death?": This phrase graphically defines the object of deliverance. It pictures the entire human being—with its fleshly desires, its fallen nature, its susceptibility to temptation—as a heavy, cumbersome "body" that is characterized by and leading to spiritual "death." It's an overwhelming, inescapable reality from which only an outside power can rescue. The phrase may allude to ancient Roman practices of tying a corpse to a living person as a form of torture, symbolizing a suffocating and decaying burden.

Romans 7 24 Bonus section

The precise identity of the "I" in Romans 7 (and especially in verse 24) has been a subject of significant theological debate. Some interpret Paul as describing his pre-conversion Jewish experience under the Law, highlighting its inability to provide salvation. Others argue it represents a regenerate believer's ongoing struggle against the remaining effects of sin and the flesh even after conversion. A third view sees it as Paul adopting a rhetorical device to portray the universal human predicament. Modern scholarship largely leans towards the "post-conversion" view or a representation of the struggle characteristic of all humanity (including believers), as it aligns better with the continuous theme of the believer's ongoing conflict between the Spirit and the flesh described elsewhere by Paul (e.g., Gal 5:17). Regardless of the specific interpretation, the verse underscores a critical truth: salvation and deliverance from the power of sin cannot be achieved by human will or effort but necessitates a divine rescue. The intensity of this lament prepares the reader to grasp the profound nature of Christ's work in providing complete deliverance.

Romans 7 24 Commentary

Romans 7:24 stands as one of the most poignant expressions of the Christian's lifelong struggle against indwelling sin. Paul, or the individual he represents, is not merely frustrated by occasional lapses but is burdened by an omnipresent force ("sin which dwells in me") that consistently thwarts good intentions. The exclamation is born from the deepest levels of self-awareness and spiritual agony, revealing that human effort, even with the guidance of the divine Law, is insufficient for true liberation from sin's power. It encapsulates the realization that despite understanding and desiring righteousness, the 'flesh' continues to wage war against the spirit, producing an acute sense of misery and captivity. This verse is pivotal as it perfectly articulates the dilemma, paving the way for the triumphant resolution offered in the very next verse and chapter: rescue from this predicament is found not within the self or through human endeavor, but solely through Jesus Christ and the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit, who frees from the law of sin and death (Rom 8:2). It is a lament that anticipates the deliverer.