Romans 7:8

But sin, seizing its opportunity through the commandment, produced in me every kind of covetous desire. For apart from the law, sin is dead.

Berean Standard Bible

Follow its threads on the canvas →

Study note

Setting — Paul addresses believers in Rome while clarifying the relationship between the Mosaic law and human transgression. He speaks at the moment of explaining how the commandment functions not as a source of life but as a catalyst for sin's activity.

The words — ἀφορμὴν (aphormēn) translates to "occasion" or "opportunity," and λαβοῦσα (labousa) means "having taken." The text states that sin seized this opportunity through the commandment to generate every form of covetous desire.

The thread — The mechanism repeats in Romans 7:11, where sin deceives and kills through the same commandment. It aligns with 1 Corinthians 15:56 on sin's power and Romans 4:15 on how law creates the condition for transgression.

Why it lands — The passage requires a reader to acknowledge that external prohibition alone cannot restrain human desire but instead exposes its full scope. It demands a clear-eyed conclusion that the law reveals sin's deadening effect rather than overcoming it.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Greek words

ἀφορμὴνaphormēnAn occasion δὲdehowever λαβοῦσαlabousahaving taken ἡhē<the>ἁμαρτίαhamartiasin διὰdiathrough τῆςtēsthe ἐντολῆςentolēscommandment κατειργάσατοkateirgasatoit produced ἐνenin ἐμοὶemoime myself πᾶσανpasanall ἐπιθυμίαν·epithumiancovetousness;χωρὶςchōrisapart from γὰρgarfor νόμουnomou[the] Law ἁμαρτίαhamartiasin νεκρά·nekra[is] dead;

King James Version

But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead.

Cross-references

Romans 7:11 For sin, seizing its opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through the commandment put me to death.
1 Corinthians 15:56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.
Romans 4:15 because the law brings wrath. And where there is no law, there is no transgression.
James 1:14 But each one is tempted when by his own evil desires he is lured away and enticed.
Romans 7:13 Did that which is good, then, become death to me? Certainly not! But in order that sin might be exposed as sin, it produced death in me through what was good, so that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful.
John 15:22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now, however, they have no excuse for their sin.
Romans 5:20 The law came in so that the trespass would increase; but where sin increased, grace increased all the more,
John 15:24 If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have seen and hated both Me and My Father.
Romans 7:17 In that case, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.