Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
Whom God hath set forth ('God set forth') [to be] a propitiation, х hilasteerion (G2435) = kaporet (H3727)]. In the only other place where this word occurs in the New Testament (Hebrews 9:5) it refers to the 'propitiatory' or "mercy-seat" in the Holy of holies of the Jewish tabernacle; and the Septuagint use the word in this sense. Hence, several of the fathers, and after them Luther, Calvin, Olshausen, Philippi, etc., translate here, 'Whom God hath set forth for a propitiatory' or 'mercy-seat.' But probably the Septuagint missed the strict sense of the Hebrew word which they so render; and as Christ is nowhere else so represented, the true sense of the term appears to be given by our own translators (following the Vulgate and Beza) - 'a propitiation,' or 'propitiatory sacrifice.' (In this sense Fritzsche, Meyer, DeWette, Alford, and Hodge concur.)
Through faith in his blood, х dia (G1223) pisteoos (G4102) en (G1722) too (G3588) autou (G846) haimati (G129)]. Some of the best interpreters, observing that 'faith upon' is the usual phrase in Greek, not "faith in" Christ, would place a comma after "faith," and understand the words as if written thus, 'to be a propitiation, in His blood, through faith.' But the same apostle writes, "Ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus" (Galatians 3:26); and again, "Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus (Ephesians 1:15) - where this identical phrase is used. Why, then, should he not have written here, 'faith in His blood?' (Fritzsche defends this sense at length; and Olshausen strenuously contends for it.) Besides, the order of the two clauses-if we make two of them-is just the reverse of what we should expect in that case; whereas if, with our version, and most others, we take them as one, all is natural.
To declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God.
This is rather an unhappy rendering of the original words х eis (G1519) endeixin (G1732) tees (G3588) dikaiosunees (G1343) autou (G846) dia (G1223) teen (G3588) paresin (G3929) toon (G3588) progegonotoon (G4266) hamarteematoon (G265) en (G1722) tee (G3588) anochee (G463) tou (G3588) Theou (G2316).] Properly, the words mean, 'for the manifestation of his righteousness, on account of the passing by of the sins that went before, in the forbearance of God.' 'The sins' which are here referred to are not those of the believer before he embraces Christ, but those committed under the ancient economy, before Christ came to "put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself." Hence, the apostle, instead of using the common word which signifies "remission" х afesis (G859)], studiously uses a very different word, nowhere else employed, signifying 'pretermission' or 'passing by;' and hence also this 'passing by' is ascribed to "the forbearance of God," who is viewed as not so much remitting as bearing with them until an adequate atonement for them should be made. In thus not imputing them, God was righteous; but He was not seen to be so: there was no "man ifestation of His righteousness" in doing so under the ancient economy. But now that God can "set forth" Christ as a "propitiation through faith in His blood," the righteousness of His procedure, in passing by the sins of believers before, and in now forgiving them, is "manifested," declared, brought fully out to the view of the whole world.