Charles Ellicott Commentary Romans 7:8

"but sin, finding occasion, wrought in me through the commandment all manner of coveting: for apart from the law sin [is] dead." — Romans 7:8 (ASV)

Taking occasion.—The word in the G_reek originally implies a military metaphor: taking as a “base of operations,” i.e., an advanced post occupied as the starting point and rendezvous for further advances. Sin is unable to act upon a person without the cooperation of law, without being able to hold up law before that person, and so show itself in its true colours.

The words “by the commandment” may either go with “taking occasion” or with “wrought in me.” The sense would, in either case, be very much the same, “taking advantage of the commandment,” or “wrought in me by the help of the commandment.” The first is the construction usually adopted, as in the Authorized Version, but there seem to be strong reasons for preferring the second. The phrase “wrought in me coveting by the commandment” would thus be parallel to working death in me by that which is good, below.

Concupiscence.—Rather, coveting; the same word which had been used above. Sin and the Commandment together—Sin, the evil principle in people, acting as the primary cause, and the Commandment as the secondary cause—led their unfortunate victim into all kinds of violations of the Law.

This occurs in two ways:

1. The perverseness of human nature is such that the mere prohibition of an act suggests the desire to do what is prohibited.
2. The act, when done, is invested with the character of sin, which it did not previously possess.

It thus becomes a distinct breach of law, where previously there had been no law to break. This is what the Apostle means by saying that without the Law sin was dead. Until there was a written prohibition, Sin (the evil principle) was powerless to produce sinful actions.