5
right covenant standing before God
Paul states a relationship between the law and Christ
in order to explain the lack of knowledge that resulted in Israel's seeking to establish
their own righteousness rather than submitting to the righteousness of God. Our
understanding of this relationship between the law and Christ hinges on the meaning of
the word
WHYOR .
The meaning of
WHOR in Romans 10:4
Three main interpretations of
WHOR in Rom. 10:4 are common: (1)
"termination;"
(2) "goal/fulfillment;"
and (3) a combination of "termination" and
"fulfillment."
Paul seems to use the word elsewhere with a primarily teleological (i.e.,
"goal/fulfillment") connotation (e.g., Rom 6:21-22; 1 Cor. 10:11; 1 Tim. 1:5); however,
WHOR is clearly used to mean "termination" elsewhere in the NT (e.g, Lk. 1:33; Mk. 3:26;
Heb. 7:3). Aside from these NT uses, we find the use of
WHOR in the LXX particularly
instructive for determining the meaning of the word in Romans 10:4 in light of Paul's
view of redemptive history.
The word
WHOR is used frequently in the LXX in expressions of time (e.g., 2
Kings 15:17; Judges 11:39; 2 Chron. 18:2). There are temporal uses of the word that
clearly signify termination (e.g., Dan. 7:26); however,
WHOR is most often used in the
6
Some see termination of the law as a means of righteousness, e.g., Richard N. Longenecker,
Paul: Apostle of Liberty (New York: Harper and Row, 1964), 144f; or as misunderstood, e.g., Peter
Stulmacher, Paul's Letter to the Romans (Louisville, KY: Westminster/John Knox Press, 1994) 155-6;
James Dunn, Romans, WBC. 2 Vols. (Dallas, TX: Word Books, 1988) 590; or as it represents the old order,
e.g., F.F. Bruce The Epistle of Paul to the Romans (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1963) 203.
7
E.g., Rhyne, "Meaning of Romans 10:4," 492; Badenas, Christ the End of the Law, 21;
Cranfield, Romans, 519; Thielman, Paul and the Law, 206-7.
8
E.g., Moo, Romans, 641; Barrett, Romans, 197; M.A. Seifrid, "Paul's Approach to the Old
Testament in Romans 10:6-8," Trinity Journal 6 (1985): 8-10.