Two paths described from Scripture
He contrasts law-based language with faith-based language, using Moses to show what kind of effort faith does not require.
Roman Empire
Emperor Nero (54-68 AD)
Rome was the dominant imperial power when Romans was written.
Thesis
He contrasts law-based language with faith-based language, using Moses to show what kind of effort faith does not require.
Plain Meaning
Unit 1 (v. 5): Moses on doing and living
Paul introduces Moses as writing about being “in the right” in relation to the law. He quotes a line that links “doing” the commands with “living” by them. The point of the citation, as Paul uses it here, is that this path is framed in terms of enacted obedience.
Unit 2 (v. 6): Another voice warns against “ascending”
Paul contrasts the first citation with “the righteousness from faith,” pictured as something that “speaks” differently. It tells a person not to speak inwardly in a way that asks, “Who will go up to heaven?” Paul immediately explains the meaning of that imagined climb: it would be like trying to bring Christ down, as though Christ were inaccessible and needed to be fetched.
Unit 3 (v. 7): Another warning against “descending”
Paul adds a second inward question: “Who will go down into the abyss?” He again supplies an explanation: this would be like trying to bring Christ up from among the dead. The paired questions create a picture of extreme human effort—upward or downward journeys—treated as unnecessary because Christ’s coming and rising are not tasks the hearer must accomplish.
Verse by Verse Meaning
Moses on doing and living Paul introduces Moses as writing about being “in the right” in relation to the law. He quotes a line that links “doing” the commands with “living” by them. The point of the citation, as Paul uses it here, is that this path is framed in terms of enacted obedience.
Another voice warns against “ascending” Paul contrasts the first citation with “the righteousness from faith,” pictured as something that “speaks” differently. It tells a person not to speak inwardly in a way that asks, “Who will go up to heaven?” Paul immediately explains the meaning of that imagined climb: it would be like trying to bring Christ down, as though Christ were inaccessible and needed to be fetched.
Another warning against “descending” Paul adds a second inward question: “Who will go down into the abyss?” He again supplies an explanation: this would be like trying to bring Christ up from among the dead. The paired questions create a picture of extreme human effort—upward or downward journeys—treated as unnecessary because Christ’s coming and rising are not tasks the hearer must accomplish.
Lexicon
Context
Literary Context
These verses sit inside Paul’s larger explanation in Romans 9–11 of how Israel’s Scriptures and story relate to the present situation of many Israelites not embracing Paul’s message. Just before this, he describes people pursuing being “in the right” in a misguided way, as if it were achieved by performance rather than by trust. Immediately after, he continues the same contrast by quoting Scripture about the nearness of the “word,” leading into his call to confess and believe (10:8–13). Here, Paul advances his argument by placing two Scripture quotations side by side and then paraphrasing one of them with comments about Christ.
Historical Context
Romans was written around the late 50s AD to communities of believers in Rome made up of both Jewish and non-Jewish members. Debates about how Israel’s law and customs should shape the shared life of mixed groups were not abstract; they affected identity, community boundaries, and daily practice. Paul writes as someone trained in Israel’s Scriptures, using quotations and allusions his audience would recognize, while also explaining them for a broader readership. The political setting is the early reign of Nero, when local associations and minority groups navigated social pressures, public reputation, and the expectations of Roman civic life.
Theological Significance
Shared ground
Paul sets two Scripture-shaped ways of talking about righteousness side by side (explicit in the text). One is “of the law,” expressed in a quotation tied to doing what is commanded and living by it (v.5). The other is “from faith,” pictured as a voice that speaks differently (v.6).
In the “faith” path, Paul forbids inner questions that imagine someone must travel to heaven or down into the depths to secure Christ’s presence or work (vv.6–7). Paul supplies his own paraphrases: “ascending” would amount to bringing Christ down; “descending into the abyss” would amount to bringing Christ up from among the dead (explicit explanations in vv.6–7). The contrast emphasizes that Christ’s coming and rising are not presented as achievements the hearer must perform.
Where interpretation differs (only where needed)
1) What “will live by them” means (v.5). Some read “live” mainly as life within Israel’s covenant life—living under God’s revealed way with its promised blessings in the land. Others think Paul is using the line more absolutely: if righteousness is pursued by law-doing, then only complete doing would lead to the “life” in view, which sharpens the contrast with faith.
2) What the “abyss” evokes (v.7). Some hear “abyss” as a general picture of the realm of the dead (matching Paul’s gloss “from the dead”). Others think it also carries deep-waters/underworld imagery from Scripture and Jewish thought, functioning as a vivid “lowest possible place” paired with heaven as the “highest possible place.”
Why the disagreement exists
Paul is quoting and re-using Scripture in a compressed way. The wording about “living” comes from a broader Torah setting, while Paul uses it here inside his argument about mistaken vs. right pursuit of being “in the right.” Also, “abyss” is a flexible image in ancient texts, and Paul’s own clarification (“from the dead”) guides interpretation but does not remove every nuance.
What this passage clearly contributes
The passage supplies a concrete contrast in how “righteousness” is spoken of: one mode is framed in terms of commanded doing and its promised life (v.5), and the other mode refuses to treat Christ as distant or unavailable (vv.6–7). Paul’s own parenthetical explanations tie the “up” and “down” journeys to Christ’s incarnation and resurrection, presenting them as realities already accomplished rather than tasks to be accomplished by the person asking the questions. The logic prepares for the next verses about the nearness of the “word” Romans 10:8.
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