Romans 2:27

Amplified Bible

Then he who is physically uncircumcised but keeps [the spirit of] the Law will judge you who, even though you have the written code and circumcision, break the Law.

Parallel Translations

Easy-to-Read Version
You have the written law and circumcision, but you break the law. So those who are not circumcised in their bodies, but still obey the law, will show that you are guilty.

Revised Standard Version
Then those who are physically uncircumcised but keep the law will condemn you who have the written code and circumcision but break the law.

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
And shall not vncircumcision which is by nature (yf it kepe the lawe) iudge the which beynge vnder the letter and circumcision dost transgresse the lawe?

Hebrew Names Version
Won't the uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfills the law, judge you, who with the letter and circumcision are a transgressor of the law?

International Standard Version
The man who is uncircumcised physically but who keeps the law will condemn you who break the law, even though you have the written lawwhat is written">[fn] and circumcision.Matthew 12:41-42;">[xr]

New American Standard Bible
And he who is physically uncircumcised, if he keeps the Law, will he not judge you who though having the letter of the Law and circumcision are a violator of the Law?

New Century Version
You Jews have the written law and circumcision, but you break the law. So those who are not circumcised in their bodies, but still obey the law, will show that you are guilty.

Update Bible Version
and shall not the uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfills the law, judge you, who with the letter and circumcision are a transgressor of the law?

Webster's Bible Translation
And shall not uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfilleth the law, judge thee, who by the letter and circumcision dost transgress the law?

English Standard Version
Then he who is physically uncircumcised but keeps the law will condemn you who have the written code and circumcision but break the law.

World English Bible
Won't the uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfills the law, judge you, who with the letter and circumcision are a transgressor of the law?

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
Yea, the uncircumcision that is by nature, fulfilling the law, shall judge thee, who by the letter and circumcision transgressest the law.

Weymouth's New Testament
although he is a Gentile by birth, if he scrupulously obeys the Law, shall he not sit in judgement upon you who, possessing, as you do, a written Law and circumcision, are yet a Law-breaker?

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And the prepucie of kynde that fulfillith the lawe, schal deme thee, that bi lettre and circumcisioun art trespassour ayens the lawe.

English Revised Version
and shall not the uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfill the law, judge thee, who with the letter and circumcision art a transgressor of the law?

Berean Standard Bible
The one who is physically uncircumcised yet keeps the law will condemn you who, even though you have the written code and circumcision, are a lawbreaker.

Contemporary English Version
So everyone who obeys the Law, but has never been circumcised, will condemn you. Even though you are circumcised and have the Law, you still don't obey its teachings.

American Standard Version
and shall not the uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfil the law, judge thee, who with the letter and circumcision art a transgressor of the law?

Bible in Basic English
And they, by their keeping of the law without circumcision, will be judges of you, by whom the law is broken though you have the letter of the law and circumcision.

Complete Jewish Bible
Indeed, the man who is physically uncircumcised but obeys the Torah will stand as a judgment on you who have had a b'rit-milah and have Torah written out but violate it!

Darby Translation
and uncircumcision by nature, fulfilling the law, judge thee, who, with letter and circumcision, [art] a law-transgressor?

Etheridge Translation
And the uncircumcision, who by nature accomplishes the law will judge thee, who with the scripture and with circumcision, transgressest against the law.

Murdock Translation
And the uncircumcision, which from its nature fulfilleth the law, will judge thee; who, with the scripture, and with circumcision, transgressest against the law.

King James Version (1611)
And shall not vncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfill the Law, iudge thee, who by the letter, and Circumcision, doest transgresse the Law?

New Living Translation
In fact, uncircumcised Gentiles who keep God's law will condemn you Jews who are circumcised and possess God's law but don't obey it.

New Life Bible
You Jews have the Law but do not obey it. You have gone through the religious act also. At the same time those who are not Jews obey the Law even if they have not gone through the religious act of becoming a Jew. In this way, these people show you are guilty.

New Revised Standard
Then those who are physically uncircumcised but keep the law will condemn you that have the written code and circumcision but break the law.

Geneva Bible (1587)
And shall not vncircumcision which is by nature (if it keepe the Lawe) condemne thee which by the letter and circumcision art a transgressour of the Lawe?

George Lamsa Translation
And the uncircumcision which fulfills the law naturally, will condemn you, who, while in possession of the scripture and circumcision, transgress the law.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And the uncircumcision by nature, completing the law, shall judge, thee, who, notwithstanding letter and circumcision, art a transgressor of law!

Douay-Rheims Bible
And shall not that which by nature is uncircumcision, if it fulfil the law, judge thee, who by the letter and circumcision art a transgressor of the law?

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And shall not vncircumcision which is by nature, if it kepe the law, iudge thee, which beyng vnder the letter & circumcision, doest transgresse the lawe?

Good News Translation
And so you Jews will be condemned by the Gentiles because you break the Law, even though you have it written down and are circumcised; but they obey the Law, even though they are not physically circumcised.

Christian Standard Bible®
A man who is physically uncircumcised, but who keeps the law, will judge you who are a lawbreaker in spite of having the letter of the law and circumcision.

King James Version
And shall not uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfil the law, judge thee, who by the letter and circumcision dost transgress the law?

Lexham English Bible
And the uncircumcised person by nature who carries out the law will judge you who, though provided with the precise written code and circumcision are a transgressor of the law.

Literal Translation
And will not the uncircumcision by nature by completing the Law judge you, the one who through letter and circumcision becomes transgressor of Law?

Young's Literal Translation
and the uncircumcision, by nature, fulfilling the law, shall judge thee who, through letter and circumcision, [art] a transgressor of law.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And so it that of nature is vncircumcision, and fulfilleth the lawe shal iudge the, which vnder the letter and circumcision trasgressest the lawe.

Mace New Testament (1729)
and shall not a Gentile, tho' he is not actually circumcised, if he fulfil the law, condemn thee, who, tho' literally circumcised, dost yet transgress the law?

New English Translation
The physically uncircumcised man, by keeping the law, will judge you to be the transgressor of the law, even though you have the letter and circumcision!

New King James Version
And will not the physically uncircumcised, if he fulfills the law, judge you who, even with your written code and circumcision, are a transgressor of the law?

Simplified Cowboy Version
You Jews are being put to shame by the outsiders. You have the Code written down and your pickle clipped, but they are the ones doing what the Code says even though they are not circumcised. You've got to walk the walk, not just talk the talk.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
And he who is physically uncircumcised, if he keeps the Law, will he not judge you who though having the letter of the Law and circumcision are a transgressor of the Law?

Legacy Standard Bible
And he who is physically uncircumcised, if he fulfills the Law, will he not judge you who, through the letter of the Law and circumcision, are a transgressor of the Law?

Contextual Overview

¹⁷But if you bear the name "Jew" and rely on the Law [for your salvation] and boast in [your special relationship to] God, ¹⁸and [if you claim to] know His will and approve the things that are essential or have a sense of what is excellent, based on your instruction from the Law, ¹⁹and [if you] are confident that you are a [qualified] guide to the blind [those untaught in theology], a light to those who are in darkness, ²⁰and [that you are] a corrector of the foolish, a teacher of the [spiritually] childish, having in the Law the embodiment of knowledge and of the truth— ²¹well then, you who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal [in ways that are discrete, but just as sinful]? ²²You who say that one must not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who detest idols, do you rob [pagan] temples [of valuable idols and offerings]? ²³You who boast in the Law, do you [repeatedly] dishonor God by breaking the Law? ²⁴For, "THE NAME OF GOD IS BLASPHEMED AMONG THE GENTILES BECAUSE OF YOU," just as it is written [in Scripture]. ²⁵Circumcision [the sign of the covenant of Abraham] is indeed of value if you practice the Law; but if you habitually break the Law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision [it is meaningless in God's sight]. ²⁶So if the uncircumcised man keeps the requirements of the Law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded [by God] as circumcision?

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

if it fulfil: Romans 8:4, Romans 13:10, Matthew 3:15, Matthew 5:17-20, Acts 13:22, Galatians 5:14

judge: Ezekiel 16:48-52, Matthew 12:41, Matthew 12:42, Hebrews 11:3

by the: Romans 2:20, Romans 2:29, Romans 7:6-8, 2 Corinthians 3:6

Reciprocal: Ezekiel 16:52 - which hast Luke 10:14 - General Luke 11:31 - rise Acts 28:2 - showed Romans 2:1 - whosoever Romans 2:14 - do by

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And shall not uncircumcision which is by nature,.... That is, the Gentiles, who are by nature uncircumcised; for as circumcision was by the command of God, and performed by the art of men, uncircumcision is by nature, and what men naturally have. Now

if it, such persons,

fulfil the law in Christ, they will

judge thee, the circumcision: and condemn, as Noah condemned the old world, Hebrews 11:7, and the men of Nineveh and the queen of the south will condemn the men of that generation, in which Christ lived,

Matthew 12:41.

Who by the letter and circumcision transgress the law; that is, either by the law, which is "the letter", and "by circumcision", or "by circumcision which is in the letter", Romans 2:29, sin being increased by the prohibitions of the moral law, and the rituals of the ceremonial law, and the more so by a dependence upon an obedience to either of them, or both, for justification.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Which is by nature - Which is the natural state of man; his condition before he is admitted to any of the unique rites of the Jewish religion.

If it fulfil the law - If they who are uncircumcised keep the Law.

Judge thee - Condemn thee as guilty. As we say, the conduct of such a man condemns us. He acts so much more consistently and uprightly than we do, that we see our guilt. For a similar mode of expression, see Matthew 12:41-42.

Who by the letter ... - The translation here is certainly not happily expressed. It is difficult to ascertain its meaning. The evident meaning of the original is, “Shall not a pagan man who has none of your external privileges, if he keeps the law, condemn you who are Jews; who, although you have the letter and circumcision, are nevertheless transgressors of the law? ‘

The letter - The word “letter” properly means the mark or character from which syllables and words are formed. It is also used in the sense of writing of any kind Luke 16:6-7; Acts 28:21; Galatians 6:11, particularly the writings of Moses, denoting, by way of eminence, the letter, or the writing; Rom 7:6; 2 Timothy 3:15.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 27. And shall not uncircumcision, which is by nature — And shall not the Gentile, who is εκ φυσεως, according to the custom of his country - who is, by birth, not obliged to be circumcised.

If it fulfil the law — If such a person act according to the spirit and design of the law; judge κρινει condemn thee, who, whilst thou dost enjoy the letter, the written law, and bearest in thy body the proof of the circumcision which it requires, dost transgress that law?