God & Savior

Romans 15:4

For everything that was written in the past was written for our instruction, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures, we might have hope.
Romans 15:4
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Study notes

What was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

Explanation

Paul has just quoted Psalm 69:9 about Christ (15:3). He explains why the Old Testament matters for Christians: it was written for their instruction and gives them encouragement and hope.

Original language
  • προεγράφη (proegraphē): to write/designate
    Greek · Verb, 2nd aorist, passive, indicative, 3rd person singular · Strong's G4270 · text: NA28 (as recorded in TAGNT)

    Was written beforehand.

    Source: STEP Bible (Tyndale House, Cambridge), TAGNT: Translators Amalgamated Greek New Testament, STEPBible-Data commit ed476a8, Romans 15:4, word 3

  • διδασκαλίαν (didaskalian): teaching
    Greek · Noun, accusative, singular, feminine · Strong's G1319 · text: NA28 (as recorded in TAGNT)

    Instruction, teaching.

    Source: STEP Bible (Tyndale House, Cambridge), TAGNT: Translators Amalgamated Greek New Testament, STEPBible-Data commit ed476a8, Romans 15:4, word 7

  • ὑπομονῆς (hupomonēs): perseverance
    Greek · Noun, genitive, singular, feminine · Strong's G5281 · text: NA28 (as recorded in TAGNT)

    Endurance.

    Source: STEP Bible (Tyndale House, Cambridge), TAGNT: Translators Amalgamated Greek New Testament, STEPBible-Data commit ed476a8, Romans 15:4, word 12

  • παρακλήσεως (paraklēseōs): encouragement
    Greek · Noun, genitive, singular, feminine · Strong's G3874 · text: NA28 (as recorded in TAGNT)

    Encouragement, comfort.

    Source: STEP Bible (Tyndale House, Cambridge), TAGNT: Translators Amalgamated Greek New Testament, STEPBible-Data commit ed476a8, Romans 15:4, word 16

  • γραφῶν (graphōn): a writing
    Greek · Noun, genitive, plural, feminine · Strong's G1124 · text: NA28 (as recorded in TAGNT)

    Scriptures.

    Source: STEP Bible (Tyndale House, Cambridge), TAGNT: Translators Amalgamated Greek New Testament, STEPBible-Data commit ed476a8, Romans 15:4, word 18

  • ἐλπίδα (elpida): hope
    Greek · Noun, accusative, singular, feminine · Strong's G1680 · text: NA28 (as recorded in TAGNT)

    Hope.

    Source: STEP Bible (Tyndale House, Cambridge), TAGNT: Translators Amalgamated Greek New Testament, STEPBible-Data commit ed476a8, Romans 15:4, word 20

Cross-references
Sources

Original language and places

Reference data from open datasets, shown as published by their sources. Word-by-word English is a literal guide, not a translation.

Original language (Greek)

ὅσα γὰρ προεγράφη εἰς τὴν ἡμετέραν διδασκαλίαν ἐγράφη, ἵνα διὰ τῆς ὑπομονῆς καὶ διὰ τῆς παρακλήσεως τῶν γραφῶν τὴν ἐλπίδα ἔχωμεν.

  1. ὅσαhosa“As much as”
    Correlative pronoun, nominative, plural, neuter · from ὅσος · “just as/how much” · Strong's G3745
  2. γὰρgar“for”
    Conjunction · from γάρ · “for” · Strong's G1063
  3. προεγράφηproegraphē“was written in the past”
    Verb, 2nd aorist, passive, indicative, 3rd person singular · from προγράφω · “to write/designate” · Strong's G4270
  4. εἰςeis“for”
    Preposition · “toward” · Strong's G1519
  5. τὴνtēn“<the>”
    Article, accusative, singular, feminine · from ὁ · “the/this/who” · Strong's G3588
  6. ἡμετέρανhēmeteran“our own”
    Possessive pronoun, 1st person · from ἡμέτερος · “our” · Strong's G1473
  7. διδασκαλίανdidaskalian“instruction”
    Noun, accusative, singular, feminine · from διδασκαλία · “teaching” · Strong's G1319
  8. ἐγράφη,egraphē“was written,”
    Verb, 2nd aorist, passive, indicative, 3rd person singular · from γράφω · “to write” · Strong's G1125
  9. ἵναina“so that”
    Conjunction · “in order that/to” · Strong's G2443
  10. διὰdia“through”
    Preposition · from διά · “through/because of” · Strong's G1223
  11. τῆςtēs“<the>”
    Article, genitive, singular, feminine · from ὁ · “the/this/who” · Strong's G3588
  12. ὑπομονῆςhupomonēs“endurance”
    Noun, genitive, singular, feminine · from ὑπομονή · “perseverance” · Strong's G5281
  13. καὶkai“and”
    Conjunction · from καί · “and” · Strong's G2532
  14. διὰdia“through”
    Preposition · from διά · “through/because of” · Strong's G1223
  15. τῆςtēs“the”
    Article, genitive, singular, feminine · from ὁ · “the/this/who” · Strong's G3588
  16. παρακλήσεωςparaklēseōs“encouragement”
    Noun, genitive, singular, feminine · from παράκλησις · “encouragement” · Strong's G3874
  17. τῶνtōn“of the”
    Article, genitive, plural, feminine · from ὁ · “the/this/who” · Strong's G3588
  18. γραφῶνgraphōn“Scriptures”
    Noun, genitive, plural, feminine · from γραφή · “a writing” · Strong's G1124
  19. τὴνtēn“<the>”
    Article, accusative, singular, feminine · from ὁ · “the/this/who” · Strong's G3588
  20. ἐλπίδαelpida“hope”
    Noun, accusative, singular, feminine · from ἐλπίς · “hope” · Strong's G1680
  21. ἔχωμεν.echōmen“we may have.”
    Verb, present, active, subjunctive, 1st person plural · from ἔχω · “to have/be” · Strong's G2192
  • Prepared by the God & Savior team. Not yet reviewed by an editor.
  • Greek words: STEP Bible (STEPBible.org), based on work at Tyndale House, Cambridge. CC BY 4.0. Source (version ed476a8)