Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
Wherefore, х dia (G1223) touto (G5124)] - that is, 'Things being so;' so as they have been shown to be in the whole previous argument of this Epistle. To suppose (as most interpreters do) that the reference is merely to what immediately precedes, is not at all natural; for (as Fritzsche says) the immediate statements are quite incidental, whereas what follows is primary, fundamental, all-comprehensive-a grand summation of the whole state of our case, viewed as ruined on the one hand in Adam, and on the other as recovered in Christ.
As by one man (Adam) sin entered into the world, х eis (G1519) ton (G3588) kosmon (G2889) eiseelthen (G1525). There is nothing emphatic in the repetition of the eis (G1519) here; for verbs compounded with eis (G1519), whenever followed by a noun, invariably repeat the preposition before the noun. In the New Testament this same word is used with a noun following it about 130 times, and never without the eis (G1519) repeated]. By the word "sin" here many good interpreters understand 'the principle of sin,' or, in other words, 'human depravity;' others, 'the commission of sin,' or what is termed 'actual sin.' And certainly the word "entered" might seem to suggest something active. But what follows shows, we think, conclusively that in neither of these senses of the term does the apostle here use it. For when he adds,
And death by sin, it seems quite plain that he intends that sin which was the procuring cause of the death of all mankind; which certainly is neither the sinful principle inherited from Adam nor yet the actual sin of each individual. What, then, can this be but the first sin-otherwise called "the transgression," "the trespass," "the disobedience," throughout this section. But how could an act past and done be said to "enter into the world?" Not as an act, but as a state of guilt or criminality, attaching to the Whole human family-as what follows more fully expresses. (So in substance Bengel, Hodge, Philippi, Wordsworth.)
And so death passed upon, [ dieelthen (G1330 ), or, 'went through'] all men - pervaded or came to attach to the whole race. [The words ho (G3588) thanatos (G2288) are omitted before dieelthen (G1330) by D E F G.; one cursive, some copies of the Old Latin, and one manuscript of the Vulgate; and several times by Augustine. On this certainly inferior evidence Tischendorf excludes it from his text. But the following authorities appear to us decisive in favour of retaining them: 'Aleph (') A B C K L, many cursives, the Vulgate (except God. Fuld.) - 'mors pertransiit'-and other versions, also most of the fathers, including Augustine himself. Lachmann and Tregelles retain it.]
For that - not 'in whom,' as several of the fathers-after the Old Latin and the Vulgate-with Beza and others understood the words х ef' (G1909) hoo (G3739) = in quo] rather unnaturally, but as Calvin and all the best interpreters who take the words as our version does 'inasmuch as'
All have sinned, х heemarton (G264)] - 'all sinned;' that is, in that one first sin.
The reader will do well to pause here, and after reading the whole verse afresh, to consider how inadequately-we do not say the poor Pelagian explanation comes up to the language of it, namely, that Adam's bad example has infected all his posterity; but even that more respectable and far better supported interpretation of it, that the corrupt nature inherited from Adam drags all his posterity into sin. Let it be repeated, that the apostle is speaking only of that sin of which death is the righteous penalty; and consequently, when he adds, that "so death passed upon all men, for that all sinned," he can only mean, 'for that all are held to have themselves sinned in that first sin.' But how is this to be understood? Not certainly in the sense of some inexplicable oneness of personality (physical or otherwise) in Adam and all his race; for no one's sin can in any intelligible sense be the personal sin of any but himself.
All must be resolved into a divine arrangement, by which Adam was constituted in such sense the head and representative of his race that his sin and fall were held as theirs, and visited penally accordingly. Should the justice of this be questioned, it may be enough to reply that men do, in point of fact, suffer death and many other evils on account of Adam's sin-so, at least, all who believe in a Fall at all will admit-and this involves as much difficulty as the imputation of the guilt which procured it. But should the justice of both be disputed, the only consistent refuge will be found in a denial of all moral government of the world. The only satisfactory key to the manifold sufferings, moral impotence, and death of all mankind, will be found in a moral connection between Adam and his race. And when we find a corresponding arrangement for the recovery of men through a Second Adam-though we shall never be able to solve the mystery of such moral relations-the one will be found to throw such a steady and beautiful light upon the other, that we shall be forced, as we "look into these things," to exclaim, "O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out!" (See Hodge's masterly statement on the words "all sinned.") One little word in this verse has given rise to so much troublesome discussion and diversity of interpretation-the word "as" х hoosper (G5618)] with which the verse starts ("Wherefore, as by one man," etc.) - that it will be necessary to advert to the different views taken of it before we can fix satisfactorily its precise import here. Is this then, meant to denote the first member of a comparison (what grammarians call a protasis)? If so, where is the second member (the apodosis, as grammarians say)?
(1) Some (as DeWette, and after him Conybeare) see none, and so regard this as no member of any comparison. Accordingly they translate the clause thus: 'Wherefore [it is] like as by one man,' etc. (so de Wette); or thus: 'This therefore is like the case when,' etc. (so Conybeare, who refers to the Greek of Matthew 25:14 for a parallel case). But it is fatal to this interpretation, that it makes the sin and death of mankind in Adam to be the apostle's principal topic in this section; whereas it is here introduced only to illustrate by contrast what we owe to Christ.
(2) Others, admitting that the "as" of this verse is the first member of a comparison, find the second in the sequel of this same verse; while some find it in the word "so" х houtoos (G3779)]; translating "even so" instead of "and so." But this makes bad Greek [because kai (G2532) houtoos (G3779) is not = houtoo (G3779) kai (G2532)]. Others (as Erasmus and Beza) find it in the word "and" ("and death by sin"), translating 'so death by sin.' But besides that this makes a very weak comparison, it compares the wrong parties-namely, Adam and his posterity-whereas it is Adam and Christ whom this section throughout compares and contrasts.
(3) Tholuck thinks that the apostle has announced a comparison with the word "as" in Romans 5:12, and has virtually completed it in the sequel; but that having started off, before doing so, to develop his first statement, he forgot the precise form in which he began it, and so completes it in substance rather than in form. This, however, is rather loosing the knot than cutting it. Yet Calvin's view comes to much the same thing in more guarded language. He finds the second member of the comparison in Romans 5:15; but as it certainly is not there in logical form, he thinks that the apostle, engaged with something far higher than verbal accuracy, fills up what he had at Romans 5:12 left incomplete, without regard to the precise form of the opening sentence.
(4) Others still, and these the majority of interpreters, find the second member of the comparison-begun in Romans 5:12 - no nearer than Romans 5:18-19, each of which begins with a resumption of the first member of the comparison, nearly as in Romans 5:12, and ends with a full and formal completion of it: "Therefore, as х hoos (G5613)] by the offence of one, etc., even so х houtoo (G3779) kai (G2532)] by the righteousness of one," etc. - "For as х hoosper (G5618)] by one man's disobedience, etc., so х houtoo (G3779) kai (G2532)] by the obedience of one," etc.
To us there appears to be no real difference between any of the views which recognize in Romans 5:12 only the first member of a comparison between Adam and Christ. All admit that the second member of the comparison, regarding Christ, is what the apostle's mind was full of; that all that the says in the development and illustration of the first, regarding Adam, is only introduced with the view of enhancing the second: and that this second, so far from being held in suspense or entirely postponed until the 18th verse, crops out in one form or other from the 15th verse-where, having mentioned Adam, the apostle adds, "who is the figure of Him that was to come" - onwards from verse to verse until, at Romans 5:18-19, it only culminates in a redoubled statement, which, for clearness and comprehensiveness, leaves nothing to be desired. If, then, it be granted on the one hand that the formal summation of the whole statement is reserved to the end, it surely need not be denied, on the other, that the apostle is less careful about the verbal balance of the two members of the comparison than about a distinct and vigorous expression of his meaning in regard to the two great Heads of the human family.
Having thus disposed of the points which have been raised on this opening verse, the remaining ones need not detain us so long.
Second: The reign of death from Adam to Moses proves the imputationof sin during all that period; and consequently the existence of a law, other than that of Moses, of which sin is the breach (Romans 5:13-14)