SEV Biblia, Chapter 1:18
Porque manifiesta es la ira de Dios del cielo contra toda impiedad e injusticia de los hombres, que detienen la verdad con injusticia;
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Romans 1:18
Verse 18. For the wrath of God is revealed] The apostle has now finished his preface, and comes to the grand subject of the epistle; namely, to show the absolute need of the Gospel of Christ, because of the universal corruption of mankind; which was so great as to incense the justice of God, and call aloud for the punishment of the world. 1. He shows that all the heathen nations were utterly corrupt, and deserved this threatened punishment. And this is the subject of the first chapter, from verse 18 to the end. He shows that the Jews, notwithstanding the greatness of their privileges, were no better than the Gentiles; and therefore the wrath of God was revealed against them also. This subject he treats in chap. ii. 1-29 and chap. iii. 1-19. 3. He returns, as it were, on both, chap. iii. 20-31, and proves that, as the Jews and Gentiles were equally corrupt, they could not be saved by the deeds of any law; that they stood equally in need of that salvation which God had provided; that both were equally entitled to that salvation, for God was the God of the Gentiles as well as of the Jews.
By orgh qeou, the wrath of God, we are not to understand any uneasy passion in the Divine Being; but the displeasure of his righteousness, which is expressed by the punishments inflicted on the ungodly, those who retain not God in their knowledge; and the unrighteous, those whose lives are profligate.
As, in the Gospel, the righteousness of God is revealed for the salvation of the ungodly, so is the wrath of God revealed against the workers of iniquity. Those who refuse to be saved in the way revealed by his mercy must be consumed in the way revealed by his justice.
Ungodliness] asebeian,, from a, negative, and sebw or sebomai, I worship, probably intended here to express atheism, polytheism, and idolatry of every kind.
Unrighteousness] adikian from a, negative, and dikh, justice; every thing contrary to strict morality; all viciousness and profligacy of conduct.
Who hold the truth in unrighteousness] In what sense could it be said that the heathen held the truth in unrighteousness, when they really had not that truth? Some think this refers to the conduct of their best philosophers, such as Socrates, Plato, Seneca, &c., who knew much more of the Divine nature than they thought safe or prudent to discover; and who acted in many things contrary to the light which they enjoyed. Others think this to be spoken of the Gentiles in general, who either did know, or might have known, much of God from the works of creation, as the apostle intimates in the following verses. But Rosenmuller and some others contend that the word katecein here does not signify to hold, but to hinder; and that the place should be translated, who through maliciousness hinder the truth; i.e. prevent it from taking hold of their hearts, and from governing their conduct. This is certainly a very usual acceptation of the verb katecein, which Hesychius interprets kratein, kwluein, sunecein, to retain, hinder, &c.; these men hindering, by their vicious conduct, the truth of God from being propagated in the earth.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 18. For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven , etc..] The apostle having hinted at the doctrine of justification by faith in the righteousness of Christ; and which he designed more largely to insist upon in this epistle, and to prove that there can be no justification of a sinner in the sight of God by the deeds of the law, in order to set this matter in a clear light, from hence, to the end of the chapter, and in the following ones, represents the sad estate and condition of the Gentiles with the law of nature, and of the Jews with the law of Moses; by which it most clearly appears, that neither of them could be justified by their obedience to the respective laws under which they were, but that they both stood in need of the righteousness of God. By the wrath of God is meant the displicency and indignation of God at sin and sinners; his punitive justice, and awful vengeance; the judgments which he executes in this world; and that everlasting displeasure of his, and wrath to come in another world, which all through sin are deserving of, some are appointed to, God's elect are delivered from, through Christ's sustaining it, in their room and stead, and which comes and abides on all impenitent and unbelieving persons. This is said to be revealed, where? not in the Gospel, in which the righteousness of God is revealed; unless the Gospel be taken for the books of the four Evangelists, or for the Gospel dispensation, or for that part of the ministry of a Gospel preacher, which represents the wrath of God as the desert of sin, the dreadfulness of it, and the way to escape it; for the Gospel, strictly taken, is grace, good news, glad tidings, and not wrath and damnation; though indeed in Christ's sufferings for the sins of his people, which the Gospel gives us an account of, there is a great display of the wrath of God, and of his indignation against sin: but this wrath of God is revealed in the law, it is known by the light of nature, and to be perceived in the law of Moses, and may be observed in the Scriptures, where are many instances and examples of divine wrath and displeasure; as in the total destruction of the old world by a world wide flood, the burning of Sodom and Gomorrah, turning Lot's wife into a pillar of salt, the plagues of Egypt, and the several instances mentioned in this chapter. This wrath is said to be God's wrath from heaven, by the awful blackness which covers the heavens, the storms and tempests raised in them, and by pouring down water or fire in a surprising manner, on the inhabitants of the world; or from heaven, that is, openly, manifestly, in the sight of all; or from God who is in heaven, and not from second causes; and more especially it will be revealed from heaven, when Christ shall descend from thence at the day of judgment: the subject matter or object of it, against , or upon which it is revealed, are, all ungodliness, and unrighteousness of men ; that is, all ungodly and unrighteous men; or all men who are guilty of ungodliness, the breach of the first table of the law, which respects the worship of God, and of unrighteousness, the breach of the second table of the law, which regards our neighbours' good: and these persons are further described as such, who hold the truth in unrighteousness : meaning either such who know the Gospel, which is the truth, and do not profess it openly, but hold and imprison it in their minds, which is a great piece of unrighteousness; or if they do profess it, do not live up to it in their lives: or rather the Gentile philosophers are designed, who are spoken of in the following verse; (see Gill on Romans 1:22); who had some knowledge of the truth of the divine Being, and his perfections, and of the difference between moral good and evil; but did not like to retain it themselves, nor communicate all they knew to others, nor did they live according to that knowledge which they had.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 18-25 - The apostle begins to show that all mankind need the salvation of the gospel, because none could obtain the favour of God, or escape his wrath by their own works. For no man can plead that he has fulfille all his obligations to God and to his neighbour; nor can any truly say that he has fully acted up to the light afforded him. The sinfulness of man is described as ungodliness against the laws of the first table and unrighteousness against those of the second. The cause of tha sinfulness is holding the truth in unrighteousness. All, more or less do what they know to be wrong, and omit what they know to be right, s that the plea of ignorance cannot be allowed from any. Our Creator' invisible power and Godhead are so clearly shown in the works he ha made, that even idolaters and wicked Gentiles are left without excuse They foolishly followed idolatry; and rational creatures changed the worship of the glorious Creator, for that of brutes, reptiles, an senseless images. They wandered from God, till all traces of tru religion must have been lost, had not the revelation of the gospe prevented it. For whatever may be pretended, as to the sufficiency of man's reason to discover Divine truth and moral obligation, or to govern the practice aright, facts cannot be denied. And these plainl show that men have dishonoured God by the most absurd idolatries an superstitions; and have degraded themselves by the vilest affection and most abominable deeds.
Greek Textus Receptus
αποκαλυπτεται 601 5743 V-PPI-3S γαρ 1063 CONJ οργη 3709 N-NSF θεου 2316 N-GSM απ 575 PREP ουρανου 3772 N-GSM επι 1909 PREP πασαν 3956 A-ASF ασεβειαν 763 N-ASF και 2532 CONJ αδικιαν 93 N-ASF ανθρωπων 444 N-GPM των 3588 T-GPM την 3588 T-ASF αληθειαν 225 N-ASF εν 1722 PREP αδικια 93 N-DSF κατεχοντων 2722 5723 V-PAP-GPM
Vincent's NT Word Studies
18. For. All men require this mode of justification, for all men are sinners, and therefore exposed to God's wrath.The wrath of God (orgh Qeou). Not punishment, but the personal emotion. See on John iii. 36.
Ungodliness and unrighteousness (asebeian kai adikian).
Irreligiousness and immorality. See on godliness, 2 Pet. i. 3; also 2 Peter ii. 13.
Hold (katecontwn). Not possess: compare ver. 21. Rev., correctly, hold down; i.e., hinder or i. Compare 2 Thessalonina ii. 6, 7; Luke iv. 42.
The truth. Divine truth generally, as apparent in all God's self-revelations.
Robertson's NT Word Studies
1:18 {For the wrath of God is revealed} (apokaluptetai gar orge qeou). Note in Romans Paul's use of gar, now argumentative, now explanatory, now both as here. There is a parallel and antecedent revelation (see verse #17) of God's wrath corresponding to the revelation of God's righteousness, this an unwritten revelation, but plainly made known. orge is from orga", to teem, to swell. It is the temper of God towards Sin, not rage, but the wrath of reason and law (Shedd). The revelation of God's righteousness in the gospel was necessary because of the failure of men to attain it without it, for God's wrath justly rested upon all both Gentiles (#1:18-32) and Jews (#2:1-3:20). {Ungodliness} (asebeian). Irreligion, want of reverence toward God, old word (cf. #2Ti 2:16). {Unrighteousness} (adikian). Lack (a privative and dike) of right conduct toward men, injustice (#Ro 9:14; Lu 18:6). this follows naturally from irreverence. The basis of ethical conduct rests on the nature of God and our attitude toward him, otherwise the law of the jungle (cf. Nietzsche, "might makes right"). {Hold down the truth} (tn altheian katechont"n). Truth (aleqeia, aleqes, from a privative and leqw or lanqanw, to conceal) is out in the open, but wicked men, so to speak, put it in a box and sit on the lid and "hold it down in unrighteousness." Their evil deeds conceal the open truth of God from men. Cf. #2Th 2:6f. for this use of katecw, to hinder.
