"No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us."
— Romans 8:37 (NIV)
Romans 8:37 is Paul's answer to a list of the worst things that can happen to a believer, and the answer rests on being loved, not on being strong. This page gives the verse, what the key Greek words mean, where it sits in Romans 8, and a plain reading. For more on the theme, see Bible verses about overcoming and Bible verses about God's love.
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The verse
The King James reads: "Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us."
"We are more than conquerors" is one Greek verb, hypernikaō (G5245), to win beyond winning, and this is the only place it appears in the New Testament. "Through" is dia (G1223), and "loved" is agapaō (G25), the same love word used for God's love throughout the chapter.
Where it sits in Romans 8
Paul has just asked, "If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31). Then he asks, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?" (Romans 8:35). He quotes Psalm 44:22, "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered" (Romans 8:36).
Verse 37 is the "No." The next two verses finish the thought: nothing in all creation "will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:38-39).
What the verse is saying
"In all these things" means inside the trouble, not after it or around it. Paul does not promise that hardship, hunger, or danger will stay away. He says they cannot cut a believer off from Christ's love, and that is the victory.
The power is in the last phrase. The win comes "through him who loved us." The past tense points back to the cross, the love that was already shown, so the confidence rests on what Christ has done rather than on how a hard week is going.
Questions people ask
What does Romans 8:37 say?
In the NIV it says, "No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us." The KJV says, "Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us."
What does "more than conquerors" mean?
It translates one Greek word, hypernikaō, which means to win overwhelmingly. Paul uses it for believers who face trouble, persecution, and danger and still cannot be separated from Christ's love.
What are "all these things" in Romans 8:37?
The list in Romans 8:35: trouble, hardship, persecution, famine, nakedness, danger, and sword. Verse 36 adds facing death all day long, quoting Psalm 44:22.
Who is "him who loved us" in Romans 8:37?
Christ. Verse 35 asks who can separate us from "the love of Christ," and verse 39 names "the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
What verses go with Romans 8:37?
Romans 8:31 (if God is for us), Romans 8:38-39 (nothing can separate us from God's love), Romans 8:28 (all things work for good), and John 16:33 (I have overcome the world) are close companions.
