Some more translation headaches in Romans

Abstract

Following on a previous article, three more problematic lexical items which occur repeatedly in Romans are discussed: summarturewv , ta; eq[ nh/eq[ nh and logizv omai. Typical of the old, etymological approach, translators are often inclined to attach too much weight to the preposition sunv in summarturewv . In Romans 8:16, for instance, it would be more appropriate to translate summarturewv in the sense of ‘affirm’: ‘[t]he Spirit of God affirms to our spirit that we are God’s children’. Despite all objections, rendering ta; eq[ nh as ‘Gentiles/Gentile nations’ still remains the best option. In certain contexts in Romans, it would be advisable to translate logizv omai as ‘I realise/am convinced’. Thereafter some ad hoc problems in Romans 12:6–8; 14:4 and 15:17 are discussed.