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There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil, first for the Jew, then for the Greek;
Romans 2:9 · Berean Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB oppression and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
  • KJV Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile;
  • NKJV tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek;
  • NASB There will be tribulation and distress for every soul of mankind who does evil, for the Jew first and also for the Greek,
  • NLT There will be trouble and calamity for everyone who keeps on doing what is evil—for the Jew first and also for the Gentile.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

Tribulation and distress will come on everyone who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek. Judgment is impartial and falls on all, with no ethnic exemption.

Overview

Paul applies the coming judgment universally: distress and anguish for every evildoer. 'To the Jew first' reflects the principle of greater privilege bringing greater accountability, while 'also the Greek' shows Gentiles are equally liable. This dismantles any notion that covenant identity alone exempts one from judgment, advancing Paul's case that all need the gospel.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 30

  • 1 Pet 4:17For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who disobey the gospel of God?
  • Rom 1:16I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, then to the Greek.
  • Ezek 18:4Behold, every soul belongs to Me; both father and son are Mine. The soul who sins is the one who will die.
  • Luke 24:47and in His name repentance and forgiveness of sins will be proclaimed to all nations, beginning in Jerusalem.
  • Eph 2:11–17Therefore remember that formerly you who are Gentiles in the flesh and called uncircumcised by the so-called circumcision (that done in the body by human hands)—
  • Rom 15:8–9For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the circumcised on behalf of God’s truth, to confirm the promises made to the patriarchs,
  • Acts 18:5–6And when Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself fully to the word, testifying to the Jews that Jesus is the Christ.
  • 2 Th 1:6After all, it is only right for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you,
  • Rom 2:10but glory, honor, and peace for everyone who does good, first for the Jew, then for the Greek.
  • Acts 13:46–47Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: “It was necessary to speak the word of God to you first. But since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles.
  • Acts 3:26When God raised up His Servant, He sent Him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways.”
  • Rom 3:29–30Is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too,
  • Rom 9:24including us, whom He has called not only from the Jews, but also from the Gentiles?
  • Luke 12:47–48That servant who knows his master’s will but does not get ready or follow his instructions will be beaten with many blows.
  • Col 3:11Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, or free, but Christ is all and is in all.
  • Acts 13:26Brothers, children of Abraham, and you Gentiles who fear God, it is to us that this message of salvation has been sent.
  • Luke 2:30–32For my eyes have seen Your salvation,
  • Acts 28:17After three days, he called together the leaders of the Jews. When they had gathered, he said to them, “Brothers, although I have done nothing against our people or the customs of our fathers, I was taken prisoner in Jerusalem and handed over to the Romans.
  • Matt 16:26What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?
  • Acts 11:18When they heard this, their objections were put to rest, and they glorified God, saying, “So then, God has granted even the Gentiles repentance unto life.”
  • Gal 2:15–16We who are Jews by birth and not Gentile “sinners”
  • Gal 3:28There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
  • Matt 11:20–24Then Jesus began to denounce the cities in which most of His miracles had been performed, because they did not repent.
  • Acts 20:21testifying to Jews and Greeks alike about repentance to God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.
  • Rom 10:12For there is no difference between Jew and Greek: The same Lord is Lord of all, and gives richly to all who call on Him,
  • Prov 1:27–28when your dread comes like a storm, and your destruction like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish overwhelm you.
  • Acts 28:28Be advised, therefore, that God’s salvation has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen!”
  • Acts 26:20First to those in Damascus and Jerusalem, then to everyone in the region of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, I declared that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds worthy of their repentance.
  • Rom 4:9–12Is this blessing only on the circumcised, or also on the uncircumcised? We have been saying that Abraham’s faith was credited to him as righteousness.
  • Amos 3:2“Only you have I known from all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.”

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (2)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Romans videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Romans 2:9YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on RomansMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

Paul unfolds the gospel in full: Christ our righteousness received by faith, the second Adam in whom many are made righteous, in whose death and resurrection we are buried and raised.

How Romans 2:9 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.