Albert Barnes Commentary Romans 2:9

"tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that worketh evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Greek;" — Romans 2:9 (ASV)

Tribulation. This word commonly denotes affliction, or the situation of being pressed down by a burden, such as trials, calamities, and so on; and therefore to be pressed down by punishment or pain inflicted for sins. As applied to future punishment, it denotes the pressure of the calamities that will come upon the soul as the just reward of sin.

And anguish. stenocwria. This noun is used in only three other places in the New Testament: Romans 8:35; 2 Corinthians 6:4; 12:10.

The verb is used in 2 Corinthians 4:8; 6:12. It means, literally, narrowness of place or want of room; subsequently, it describes the anxiety and distress of mind a person experiences when pressed on every side by afflictions, trials, and want, or by punishment, without knowing where to turn for relief. Schleusner. It is thus expressive of the punishment of the wicked. It means that they will be compressed with the manifestations of God's displeasure, so that they are in deep distress and do not know where to find relief. These words, affliction and anguish, are often connected (Romans 8:35).

Upon every soul of man. Upon all people. In Hebrew, the word soul often denotes the man himself. However, the apostle, by using this word here, perhaps meant to signify that the punishment would not be bodily but would afflict the soul. It would be a spiritual punishment, a punishment of the mind. (Ambrose. See Tholuck.)

Of the Jew first. Having stated the general principle of the Divine administration, he now comes to make the application. There could be no objection to the principle. And the apostle now shows that it was applicable to the Jew as well as the Greek, and to the Jew pre-eminently. It was applicable first, or in an eminent degree, to the Jew, because:

1. He had been peculiarly favoured with light and knowledge on all these subjects.
2. These principles were fully stated in his own law and were in strict accordance with all the teaching of the prophets (see Barnes on Romans 2:6). Compare also Psalm 7:11; 9:17; 139:19; Proverbs 14:32.

Of the Gentile. That is, of all who were not Jews. He states in Romans 2:12-16 the principles on which God will inflict punishment on them. It is clear that this refers to the future punishment of the wicked, for the following reasons:

1. It stands in contrast with the eternal life of those who seek for glory (Romans 2:7). If this description of the effect of sin refers to this life, then the effects spoken of in relation to the righteous refer to this life also. But in no place in the Scriptures is it said that people experience all the blessings of eternal life in this world; and the very supposition is absurd.
2. It is not true that there is a just and complete retribution to every man, according to his deeds, in this life. Many of the wicked are prospered in life, and there are no bands in their death, but their strength is firm (Psalms 73:4). Many of the righteous pine in poverty, want, and affliction, and die in the flames of persecution. Nothing is clearer than that there is not, in this life, a full and equitable distribution of rewards and punishments; and as the proposition of the apostle here is that God WILL render to every man ACCORDING to his deeds (Romans 2:6), it follows that this must be accomplished in another world.
3. The Scriptures uniformly affirm that for the very things specified here, God will consign people to eternal death. For example, 2 Thessalonians 1:8 states, In flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that OBEY NOT the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, who shall be punished with everlasting destruction, etc. (see also 1 Peter 4:17). We may remark, also, that there could be no more alarming description of future suffering than is specified in this passage. It is indignation; it is wrath; it is tribulation; it is anguish which the sinner is to endure forever. Truly, people exposed to this awful doom should be alarmed and should give diligence to escape from the woe that is to come!