It may be helpful to consider these three verses together, since they have a common translational problem. The Greek text does not mention the source of wrath and anger (8), suffering and pain (9), and glory, honor, and peace (10). But Paul makes it clear that in each case God is the source, and for that reason the Good News Translation supplies God will pour (8), there will be (9), and God will give (10). In the Greek text the series of nouns appears without verbs to relate them to particular agents, but for the English reader it is necessary to supply some sort of verb. Most English translations accomplish this by providing an impersonal verb (for example “… will come” or “there will be…”), but Paul is clearly speaking of that which is brought about by God himself.

In verse 8 wrath and anger are essentially synonyms, both describing the attitude of God towards those on whom his judgment falls. In many languages it is impossible to speak of “pouring out wrath and anger.” One can, however, say “God will judge them in anger” or “God will be angry with them and judge them.” By combining both “anger” and “judging,” it is possible to reproduce something of the significance of the Greek terms translated wrath and anger. It is also possible to translate “God will punish” as an appropriate rendering of “pouring out wrath and anger.”

Similarly, it is difficult to introduce terms such as suffering and pain without indicating who is the agent. Therefore, one may transform this expression into “God will cause them to suffer and to have pain.”

For all men is literally “upon every soul of man,” a Semitic way of speaking of all mankind.

The contrast between first applied to Jews and also applied to Gentiles should not be interpreted in a chronological sense—that is, that the Jews will suffer first and the Gentiles afterwards, or that the Jews were the first to do evil and the Gentiles afterwards. The emphasis here is simply one of priority in God’s revelation of dealing with mankind, but this is difficult to indicate without distorting the actual meaning. For this reason, in some translations the contrast is made by a kind of collective expression “this includes both the Jews and the Gentiles.” The order of “Jews” and “Gentiles” is only an indication of the underlying historical sequence.

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 .