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How ἱστῶμεν Works in Romans 3:31
A focused form insight on Verb First Person Plural Present Active Indicative in Romans 3:31.
Romans 3:31 - BSB
Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Certainly not! Instead, we uphold the law.
The Question
How does ἱστῶμεν function in Romans 3:31?
Short Answer
ἱστῶμεν is a Verb First Person Plural Present Active Indicative in Romans 3:31. The form sharpens the verse's contrast and makes the response positive, not merely defensive: the point is not only that law is not abolished, but that it is upheld.
What the Form Is Doing
ἱστῶμεν appears in Romans 3:31 as a Verb First Person Plural Present Active Indicative. It functions as the main verbal claim in the concluding contrast, expressing a collective present assertion: we establish law.
The present active indicative fits the verse's direct contrast after μὴ γένοιτο. It supports a present claim about the effect of faith, namely that it does not abolish law but upholds it.
Why It Matters for Interpretation
The form sharpens the verse's contrast and makes the response positive, not merely defensive: the point is not only that law is not abolished, but that it is upheld.
The verb carries Paul's answer that faith establishes law rather than abolishing it.
Translation Effect
The first-person plural present directly supports English wording such as "we establish."
The form guide should support the public Bible reading, not replace it with a private rendering.
What It Does Not Prove
Do not infer from the present indicative alone that every detail of the law is unchanged, or that the verb settles debates about the precise scope of law in the whole canon.
Grammatical form should serve context, not override it.
Verb tense, voice, and mood inform the claim, but they do not settle every theological question by themselves.
Evidence from the Form Guide
The witness reads ἱστῶμεν in Romans 3:31 within the clause ἀλλὰ νόμον ἱστῶμεν.
For readers, the form helps the sentence sound like a firm public claim: faith does not tear down the law, it stands it up or establishes it in the argument being made.
What It Does Not Prove
- Do not infer from the present indicative alone that every detail of the law is unchanged, or that the verb settles debates about the precise scope of law in the whole canon.
- Grammatical form should serve context, not override it.
- Verb tense, voice, and mood inform the claim, but they do not settle every theological question by themselves.
- Do not make grammatical gender or person-number into a doctrinal claim beyond the verse's argument.