Chiasm Romans 4:1-5:1
by GAT, written 2020 updated 2/2/2026
What then will we declare
1 Abraham our father to have found according-to flesh?
2 For if Abraham out from works was justified,
3 he has an exultation,
2~ but-except not before God.
1 For what [does] the Scripture say?
2 But Abraham "believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness."
1 But to the one-working
2 the wages not accounted
3a in-relation-to grace,
2 but instead against the debt-owed.
1 But to one not working
2 but believing upon the one justifying
3b the irreverent
2 is accounted his faith for righteousness.
1 Just-as-much also
David lays-forth
1 the blessedness of the man to whom God accounts righteousness separately from works:
2 "Blessed-ones of whom are sent-away the lawless-acts
3 and of whom are covered-over the sins."
2 "Blessed [is a] man to whom not-at-all YHWH might-account sin."
1 The blessedness then [is] this upon the circumcision, or also upon the fore-covered?
2 For we say that "was accounted to Abraham the faith for righteousness."
1 Now when was it accounted, being in circumcision or fore-covered?
2 Not in circumcision, but instead with a fore-cover.
3 And a sign he grasped of circumcision,
2 a seal of the righteousness of faith, that with the fore-cover.
1 For this: himself to be a father of all those believing with-occasion of a fore-cover.
2 For this: the righteousness to be accounted also to them;
1 and a father of circumcision to those not out from circumcision only,
2 but also to those marching in the tracks
3 of the 'with the fore-cover' faith of our father Abraham.
4a For not through a law [was] the promise to Abraham
4b or to his seed
3 that: to be heir himself of the world,
2 but instead through a righteousness of faith.
3 for if those out from a law [are] heirs
4b is-emptied the faith
4a and is-rendered-idle the promise.
3 For the Law works-against wrath.
2 For where not is Law not-also is transgression;
1 on account of this:
2 out-from faith
3ab so-that according to grace;
4ab> for this: the promise to be firm to all the seed.
3 Not to one out-from the Law only,
2 but-further also to one out-from faith [of] Abraham;
1 who is a father of all of us.
Just as it is written that,
1 "A father of many nations I did place you,"
2~ directly-in-front of whom he believed,
3 of God, one making-alive those dead, {sacrifice Isaac}
4a and naming those {descendants} not being as being; {birth of Isaac, naming Gen 17:19}
4b Who beside a hope {birth to Isaac}
3 upon a hope {sacrifice Isaac}
2 he believed,
1 for this: himself to become a father of many nations
2 according to that having-been-declared,
3 "in this way will be your seed."
4b And not having-been-strengthless in the faith,
5 not he thought-against his own body already having-been-deadened,
6 > a hundred-years [old] nearly beginning-to-be, {birth to Isaac}
5 and the deadness of the womb of Sarah,
4a but for the promise of God
3 not he judged-through in unbelief;
2 but instead was empowered by the faith,
3 having-given recognition to God.
4ab> And having been fully convinced that which He promised
3 He is also able to do.
2 Wherefore "also it was accounted to him for righteousness."
1 It was not written but for himself only
2 that "it was accounted to him,"
3 but-further also for us to whom it impends to be accounted;
4 to those believing
5 upon the one-having-raised Jesus our Master out from dead-ones,
6 > who was given-over on-account-of our transgressions {death of Firstborn}
5 and was raised for our justification.
4 Now having been justified
3 out from faith
2~ we have peace before God
1 through our Master Jesus Christ.