An expression such as by no means! may be rendered in some languages as “this cannot be” or “this is not true.” However, if questions in verse 5 have been changed to statements, it may be more appropriate to translate: “one simply cannot argue this way” or “these arguments are completely false.”

In this verse Paul raises a question (literally “how then could God judge the world?”), but the reference that he has in mind is unclear. Some take the question to mean “if God does not punish people, how can he judge the world?” while others take it as a reference to God’s justice, if God is not just, how can he judge the world? (so New English Bible “if God were unjust, how could he judge the world?”). The reference in this verse is to the final judgment, and by the use of the world Paul means “all mankind.”

It may also be necessary to change the final question in verse 6 to a statement—for example, “if God is not just, then he certainly cannot judge the world.”

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 .