Romans 1:2 (KJV)

Passage

(Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,)

Nearby Context

Romans 1:1 Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,

Romans 1:2 (Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,)

Romans 1:3 Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh;

Romans 1:4 And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "promised", "afore", "prophets", "holy", and "scriptures". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "promised" and "afore", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 1's "Paul a servant of Jesus Christ called..." into verse 3's "Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord...", so "promised" and "afore" belong inside that flow. In Romans context, the local focus is righteousness by faith, union with Christ, life in the Spirit, and God's covenant faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "promised" and "afore" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.