But unto them ... — The scholar will observe that in the original Greek the construction is changed. At the end of Romans 2:7 is an accusative “(he will render) eternal life;” here we have the nominative, “(there shall be) tribulation and anguish.”
That are contentious. — An error in the Authorised version through a wrong derivation of the word. Strictly, To those who act in the spirit of a hireling; hence, according to the secondary meaning of the word, “to those who act in a spirit of factiousness and self-seeking.” It is, however, quite possible that the mistaken derivation may have been current in St. Paul’s time, as it was, no doubt, somewhat later, from Origen downwards. St. Paul, it is true, distinguishes between the proper word for “contention” and that used here (e.g., in 2 Corinthians 12:20; Galatians 5:20), but this would not exclude, it would rather seem to imply, not indeed a formal derivation, but some association of ideas. The shade of meaning will, perhaps, be expressed if we translate by some such word as “factiousness.” So in Philippians 1:16 (properly Philippians 1:17, the order of the clauses being reversed), “the one (the other) preach Christ of factiousness.”
Indignation and wrath. — The Greek equivalents for these two words are distinguished as the settled angry feeling from the passionate outbreak of anger.
The truth. — Here used in a moral sense, as almost equivalent to “rectitude,” “that which is right.” There is a tendency towards this meaning in Romans 1:18, “Who hold down the truth in unrighteousness,” though there “the truth” appears to mean rather “natural religion” in general. The ethical sense comes out clearly in John 3:21, “he that doeth truth,” opposed to “he that doeth evil.” These phrases, “obey the truth,” “obey unrighteousness,” in a plainer style, would be simply “do good,” “do evil.” It may be noted that St. Paul is fond of these quasi-personifications.