Romans 5:18

Here, after a long parenthesis, the apostle returns to what he had begun to say in Romans 5:12; and now he makes the comparison full in both members, which there, by reason of intervening matter, was left imperfect, as I before hinted. Judgment; guilt, which exposeth to judgment. Came upon all men; all the posterity, or natural seed, of the first Adam. The free gift; that which all along he calls the free gift, seems to be the benefit believers have by Christ's obedience. Came upon all men; not all universally, but all sorts of men indifferently, Gentiles as well as Jews; or all that are his spiritual seed. Or all men here is put for many men; see elsewhere, Luke 6:26 Acts 22:15. Many is sometimes put for all, as Daniel 12:2, and again all for many; and indeed these two words, all and many, seem to be used reciprocally by this context in particular, Romans 5:15,19.