Introduction

That translation involves interpretation is a truism that perhaps needs some better explanation when it comes to the Bible. Some will ardently affirm that they “take the Bible just as it reads” without taking note of the meaning in the original languages. Others make great assertions regarding the “right” translation to be used. Questions then arise as to how best to translate certain verses, especially because every translation has some degree of bias. Presuppositions in the minds of the translators also affect the way in which Bible passages are interpreted, particularly if it deals with a “major doctrine.”

This is particularly true in the translation of Romans, and especially Romans 3:25 and 26. Since it is almost exclusively believed to be a “key text” for the Penal Substitutionary theory of the Atonement, nearly every major translation gives this kind of rendering. However when the actual Greek is examined, such a presupposition is far from obvious.