Posted by Romans on Saturday, 30 May 2015
Romans 3:1-2
(1) What advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit is there of circumcision?
(2) Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of God.
A characteristic mark of Paul’s style, particularly in this letter to the Romans, is to ask and answer an obvious question his discussion has raised in his readers’ minds. The natural response to the preceding material (2:17-29) is, What advantage (perrison, “overplus”), then, is there in being a Jew? Expressed in other words the question is, What value (ōpheleia, “advantage”) is there in circumcision? The first question pertains to Paul’s words in 2:17-24, and the second question to his words in 2:25-29. Paul’s response is immediate and direct: Much in every way! He was not saying that being a Jew or being circumcised had no gains.
By the phrase First of all Paul suggested that he was going to list a number of items, though actually he stated only one. He did this same thing elsewhere (1:8; 1 Cor. 11:18). In this case the item he stated is the most important and in a sense includes any others that could have been mentioned. The Jews have been entrusted (the Gr. past tense could be rendered “were entrusted”) with the very words (logia, pl. of logos, “word” or “statement”) of God. This can refer to the entire Old Testament but here it probably means just the promises and commands of God. Yet, though in that privileged position, the Jews were unable to live up to God’s standards.
