The rendering of this verse in the Good News Translation is much longer than in the Greek text, because it is necessary to make explicit certain elements which the original readers understood clearly, but which would be easily missed by present-day readers. The question which Paul raises in this verse indicates an important transition in his argument, because according to certain Jewish rabbis the blessings described in Psalm 32 applied only to the people of Israel. Paul must now show that the happiness referred to in the psalm applies not only to the Jewish people but to the Gentiles as well. The Good News Translation explains this happiness by the words that David spoke of in order to make clear the fact that Paul has reference to the quotation from the psalm made in the previous verse.

In translation it is often necessary either to transform rhetorical questions into statements or to make explicit the expected answer, as the Good News Translation here does: No. It belongs also to those who are not circumcised.

We have quoted the scripture is literally “for we are saying.” In this context the particle “for” is evidently used for the sake of furthering Paul’s argument and of tying it to what he has previously said. In order to make his argument even stronger, Paul returns again to the passage in Genesis 15.6.

The initial rhetorical question and response may, of course, be rendered as an emphatic negative—for example, “This happiness that David spoke of does not belong merely to the circumcised” or “It is not merely those who are circumcised who experience this happiness that David spoke of.” In some languages belongs … to may be more effectively rendered as “applies to” or “includes.”

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on Paul’s Letter to the Romans. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1973. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .