Rom8v28 God assists

Romans 8:28 KJV And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
Rom 8:28 ERV We know that in everything God works for the good of those who love him. These are the people God chose, because that was his plan.
Romans 8:28 jvb And [it is well known (Thayer)] that [in everything producing good God assists (See below. More explanation and possible changes later, Lord willing.)] them that love God, [those] who are the called according to his purpose.

_ It seemed best to add a fair amount of interpretation in the translation above instead of being overly literal. Most of the additions and changes to traditional translation make implied meanings obvious in English. Brackets designate unfamiliar or novel choices in translation and interpretation. Comments below (and, Lord willing, later posts on the verse) attempt to explain rather than prove choices, particularly those bracketed.

_ In 1951 my Sunday School teacher, Dr. Herbert S. Mekeel, firmly taught us college kids that “God”, not “things” is the proper subject of the sentence in this verse. Dr. Mekeel was the leading evangelical pastor in the Albany-Troy-Schenectady, New York, area, so his opinion has some weight. I have remembered this and have found nothing to refute it, save tradition, but it is only recently that I have studied the verse in depth. The various non-traditional changes that I have made in my translation above reflect this study. Lord willing, I will discussing these changes in later posts. This post copies NET Bible Notes for the verse and links to much valuable background information on the verse, its context, the grammar and meaning in the original language, its amplification in other passages, and, most importantly, its usefulness in the walk of the believer.

_ The history of Dr. Mekeel's church and his pastorate are interesting. Scroll down for his 42 year pastorate in the 255 year history of his church: http://j.mp/0Mekeel1stPres or http://www.preschurchschdy.org/index.php/about/our-history

_ The NET Bible note on the verse presents the exegetical rationale for the non-traditional translations that make “God” rather than “things” the subject of the sentence, as both the Easy-to-Read Version (ERV) and I have given above: -

__ Rom 8:28 And we know that all things work together 32 [now 33, I think] for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose,
__ [Note] 32 [33 in later copy linked below] tc ὁ θεός (ho theos, "God") is found after the verb συνεργεῖ (sunergei, "work") in v. Rom 8:28 by î46 A B 81 sa; the shorter reading is found in ‌א‎‏‎ C D F G Ψ 33 1739 1881 Û latt sy bo. Although the inclusion is supported by a significant early papyrus, the alliance of significant Alexandrian and Western witnesses favors the shorter reading. As well, the longer reading is evidently motivated by a need for clarification. Since ὁ θεός is textually suspect, it is better to read the text without it. This leaves two good translational options: either "he works all things together for good" or "all things work together for good." In the first instance the subject is embedded in the verb and "God" is clearly implied (as in v. Rom 8:29). In the second instance, πάντα (panta) becomes the subject of an intransitive verb. In either case, "What is expressed is a truly biblical confidence in the sovereignty of God" (C. E. B. Cranfield, Romans [ICC], 1:427).

_ See the above NET Bible text and note as updated and in context at http://j.mp/0Rom8NET or https://lumina.bible.org/bible/Romans+8 (Scroll down to paragraph beginning with (verse) “26” in the text panel and scroll down to note “33” in the NET Notes panel.)

_ The excellent and comprehensive exegetical commentary on this verse from the 52 volume Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges may be found in a free and very valuable E-Sword installation ( http://www.e-sword.net/downloads.html or http://j.mp/0GetE-Sword ) and also directly to the chapter at: http://j.mp/0Rom8Cambridge or http://biblehub.com/commentaries/cambridge/romans/8.htm (scroll down to “Romans 8:28”).

_ An excellent general exposition of Romans 8.28 may be found at: https://bible.org/seriespage/17-solace-suffering-sovereignty-god-romans-828 or http://j.mp/0Rom8_28Solace
_ Our understanding of the verse may be greatly improved by a bible.org article: http://j.mp/Ro8_28Cbig or https://bible.org/article/do-all-things-really-work-together-good-romans-828-its-context
_ An outstanding article on how to improve our walk with our Lord may be found at: http://j.mp/0FocusedWalk or https://bible.org/article/faith-under-fire

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