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Romans 4 General Notes
Structure and formatting
Some translations set poetry farther to the right than the rest of the text to show that it is poetry. The ULB does this with the poetry in verses 7-8 of this chapter, which is from the Old Testament.
Special concepts in this chapter
The purpose of the law of Moses
Paul builds upon material from chapter 3. He explains how Abraham, the father of Israel, was justified. Even Abraham could not be justified by what he did. Obeying the law of Moses does not make a person right with God. Obeying God's commands is a way a person shows they believe in God. People have always been justified only by faith. (See: rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/justice and rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/lawofmoses and rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/faith)
Circumcision
Circumcision was important to the Israelites. It identified a male as a descendant of Abraham. It was also a sign of the covenant between Abraham and Yahweh. However, no person was justified only by being circumcised. (See: rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/circumcise and rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/covenant)
Important figures of speech in this chapter
Rhetorical Questions
Paul uses rhetorical questions in this chapter. It appears the intent of these rhetorical questions is to make the readers see their sin so they will trust in Jesus. (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-rquestion and rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/guilt and rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/sin)