ISB ~ Romans 1 v17

righteousness of God:A towering theme of the Book of Romans. It has two related meanings. (1) It denotes the covenant faithfulness of Yahweh revealed through the history and Scriptures of Israel. God shows himself righteous when he keeps his promises and fulfills his covenant commitments to bless the righteous and rain curses upon the wicked (Neh 9:8; Ps 50:6; 143:11; Dan 9:14; Zech 8:8). (2) It also denotes an inward grace that establishes the faithful in a right covenant relationship with God (5:17; Phil 3:9). These two meanings work together in Romans, especially in 3:21-26.

See word study:Justified at 2:13.

through faith for faith:From start to finish, the Christian life advances by faith. The expression that Paul uses here suggests he envisions a steady increase in faith (the same prepositions are used in the same sequence in the Greek versions of Ps 84:7 and Jer 9:3).

He who through faith:A citation from Hab 2:4.

• Habakkuk receives a word of hope in the midst of a message of judgment. Although Yahweh was sending Babylonian hordes to punish Israel for its sins, he promised to spare the just man who keeps faith. Received in faith, Paul’s gospel offers the same hope of deliverance in the face of the coming judgment (2:5-11).