Romans 4:8
What does Romans 4:8 mean?
A plain-English look at Romans 4:8 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.
What Romans 4:8 means
Blessed is the person to whom the Lord will not reckon sin. Here the accounting language comes to the forefront again. God refuses to put sin on the believer’s ledger. This is the negative side of imputation: not only does He credit righteousness, He also declines to charge sin. The result is true happiness and peace with God. David’s words show that salvation involves more than inner feelings; it is God’s objective decision about our moral account. Such non-imputation cannot be earned; it flows from grace. This reinforces Paul’s claim that the blessed state rests on God’s action apart from human works.
Parallel translations
WEB
World English Bible · 2000Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not reckon sin.
KJV
King James Version · 1611Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.
ASV
American Standard Version · 1901Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not reckon sin.
BBE
Bible in Basic English · 1949Happy is the man against whom no sin is recorded by the Lord.
YLT
Young's Literal Translation · 1862happy the man to whom the Lord may not reckon sin.'
DRA
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752Blessed is the man to whom the Lord hath not imputed sin.
DBY
Darby Bible · 1890blessed [the] man to whom [the] Lord shall not at all reckon sin.
Context
With David’s threefold description of mercy—forgiveness, covering, and non-imputation—Paul completes his Old Testament corroboration of justification apart from works. The question now becomes who shares in this blessing. Verses 9–12 will address whether circumcision confines this grace to Jews or whether uncircumcised Gentiles are included. Paul will appeal to the timing of Abraham’s reckoning as righteous to show that faith, not circumcision, is the decisive marker.
Cross references
Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.
- Isaiah 53:10
Yet it pleased Jehovah to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of Jehovah shall prosper in his hand.
- Psalms 32:2
Blessed is the man unto whom Jehovah imputeth not iniquity, And in whose spirit there is no guile.
- 1 Peter 3:18
Because Christ also suffered for sins once, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God; being put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit;
- 1 Peter 2:24
who his own self bare our sins in his body upon the tree, that we, having died unto sins, might live unto righteousness; by whose stripes ye were healed.
- 2 Corinthians 5:19
to wit, that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, not reckoning unto them their trespasses, and having committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
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