Now the words “it was credited to him” were written not only for Abraham,
Parallel translations
- WEB Now it was not written that it was accounted to him for his sake alone,
- KJV Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him;
- NKJV Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him,
- NASB Now not for his sake only was it written that it was credited to him,
- NLT And when God counted him as righteous, it wasn’t just for Abraham’s benefit. It was recorded
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
The crediting of righteousness to Abraham was not recorded for his sake alone. Scripture intends a wider application.
Overview
Paul makes a hermeneutical point: Genesis 15:6 was written not merely as a fact about Abraham but as instruction for others. The pattern of his justification is meant to teach how all are made right with God. This bridges Abraham's experience to the experience of every believer described in the following verse.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- 1 Cor 10:11Now these things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come.
- Rom 15:4For 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.
- 1 Cor 10:6These things took place as examples to keep us from craving evil things as they did.
- 2 Tim 3:16–17All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for instruction, for conviction, for correction, and for training in righteousness,
- 1 Cor 9:9–10For it is written in the Law of Moses: “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.” Is it about oxen that God is concerned?
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 4:23 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.