Is the law sin? Sin seized its opportunity through the commandment (Romans 7:7–13)

Says "Is the law sin? Certainly not!" (7:7, BSB). The law made sin known: "I would not have been aware of coveting if the law had not said, “Do not covet.”" (7:7, BSB). Οὐκ ἐπιθυμήσεις (ouk epithymēseis, "you shall not covet") quotes the tenth commandment (Exod 20:17; Deut 5:21) in its LXX form, without its objects (note.language.Rom.7.7.exod-20-17-deut-5-21; xref.Rom.7.7.Exod.20.17.heb; xref.Rom.7.7.Deut.5.21.heb; lex.G1939; lex.G1785).

Says Then "sin, seizing its opportunity through the commandment, produced in me every kind of covetous desire" (7:8, BSB), and "deceived me and through the commandment put me to death" (7:11, BSB) (lex.G874; lex.G2716; note.language.Rom.7.7-Rom.7.13.epithymia-exepatesen).

Uncertain What "Once I was alive apart from the law" (7:9, BSB) refers to: a time before the speaker knew the commandment, Adam before the command, or Israel before Sinai. This commentary takes no lean, since each reading goes with a view of who the "I" is (note.exegetical.Rom.7.7-Rom.7.25.identity-of-the-i).

Uncertain Whether "the very commandment that was meant to bring life" (7:10, BSB) echoes Lev 18:5, where one who keeps the statutes will live by them (Paul quotes it at 10:5 and Gal 3:12), or reflects the promise of life in the law generally (Deut 30:15–16). This commentary takes no lean (xref.Rom.7.10.Lev.18.5.heb).

Uncertain Whether ἐξηπάτησέν με (exēpatēsen me, "deceived me," 7:11) echoes Gen 3:13, where the woman says the serpent deceived her (LXX ἠπάτησέν με, ēpatēsen me, "deceived me"). This commentary follows the Hebrew and Greek notes' lean that it does: Paul uses the same compound verb of the serpent and Eve in 2 Cor 11:3, and 7:8–11 joins a commandment, desire, deception, and death. The alternative is that the verb simply names sin's deceit, as in 16:18 and 1 Cor 3:18, since 7:11 names no serpent. The echo does not decide who the "I" is (xref.Rom.7.11.Gen.3.13.heb; lex.G1818; note.language.Rom.5.12-Rom.5.14.gen-2-3-adam).

Says "So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous, and good" (7:12, BSB). Sin "produced death in me through what was good, so that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful" (7:13, BSB).

Implies The problem is sin using the commandment, not the law itself (7:7, 12–13). The grounds are gathered in note.exegetical.Rom.7.7-Rom.7.25.law-holy-sin-deceives.