Now it was not written that it was accounted to him for his sake alone,
Parallel translations
- KJV Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him;
- BSB Now the words “it was credited to him” were written not only for Abraham,
- 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 all these things happened to them by way of example, and they were written for our admonition, on whom the ends of the ages have come.
- Rom 15:4For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that through perseverance and through encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.
- 1 Cor 10:6Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.
- 2 Tim 3:16–17Every Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness,
- 1 Cor 9:9–10For it is written in the law of Moses, “You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain.” Is it for the oxen that God cares,
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
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 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.