Ten Things to Know About Romans - Part 4 of 4

By Joe McKeever

Editor’s Note: In this series, Joe encourages and challenges pastors to take on the message of Romans in their churches by laying the groundwork for study, application, and appreciation of this most intense of Paul’s epistles.

8) There are Treasures to be Found and Enjoyed in the Study of Greek words in Romans.

My two favorite Greek words in Romans both come from chapter 8. “In the same way, the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words” (8:26).

Take the little word “helps” in that verse. It’s only five letters in the English, but the Greek term Paul used is a compound word, meaning that it is several words or prefixes or suffixes, pushed up together to make a newer, fuller, and longer word. The word translated in the Greek is sunantilambano¨mai—seventeen letters!