Romans 5:7

Romans 5:7. For. This death of Christ for the ungodly shows the greatness of God's love (comp. Romans 5:8), since among men it is true that scarcely for a righteous man, still less for the ‘ungodly,' will one die.

For peradventure; not, ‘yet.' The Apostle adds another confirmatory clause, which admits the possibility of some one dying for the good man. The exact sense is open to discussion. Explanations; (1.) that there is no distinction between ‘righteous' and ‘good,' so far as the Apostle's argument is concerned, the second clause bringing out the thought of the first in another form, more with reference to the possibility of such rare cases. (2.) That ‘the good man' means one who is a benefactor, or who has a noble, admirable, kind character, not merely a just one. This is the usual view, though the presence of the article is variously explained. ‘A righteous man,' fulfilling all just demands, calls forth respect and admiration; but ‘the good man' himself prompted by love, evokes our love, and for him s ome one would oven dare to die. (3.) The phrase is taken as neuter by some: ‘that which is good,' but this is very flat, and quite unlikely in a discussion where persons are so constantly in mind.