<p>7:9&nbsp;<i>And I once was alive apart from the law</i>- Paul presumably refers to his earliest childhood or babyhood, when he wasn&rsquo;t accountable to the Law. 7:9,10 appear to be alluding to God giving the Law to Israel. See on 7:8. In this case, Paul is speaking of himself in solidarity with Israel; for it could never be really said that a Jewish child was once without the Law. Indeed, first century Judaism emphasized this point- that Jewish children are under the Law (3). Throughout Romans 1-8, Paul is provocatively seeking to answer potential Jewish objections and strengthen the case of Christ&rsquo;s Gospel against them. We have pointed out many examples of how he alludes to and deconstructs contemporary Jewish writings and opinions, sometimes at the cost of writing in a way which is apparently obtuse and difficult for Gentile readers to understand. And yet he now openly identifies himself with his beloved people. This, surely, is our pattern in seeking to persuade others- to identify with them, rather than merely lecture them. It almost seems that in the same way as Adam is set up as everyman, so Paul wishes himself personally to seen as every Jew. The way he elsewhere describes himself as a &ldquo;Hebrew of the Hebrews&rdquo; with impeccable Jewishness would confirm this (Phil. 3:5). See on Rom. 7:11.</p><p><i>But when the commandment came</i>- A reference to Paul&rsquo;s Bar-Mitzvah, or his attaining the age of responsibility to God.</p><p><i>Sin revived</i>- The only other time the word is used in Romans is in Rom. 14:9, where we read of the Lord&rsquo;s resurrection as Him &lsquo;reviving&rsquo;. Clearly the personified &lsquo;sin&rsquo; here is being set up as the very antithesis to the Lord Jesus.</p><p><i>And I died</i>- A reference to being in the dock before God, tried and condemned as a sinner. So certain is that sentence of ultimate death that it was as if Paul had died. This interpretation is, I suggest, in keeping with the previous metaphors in Romans with regard to death. So instead of tending to life and blessing, and curbing sin, the Law instead accented sin and led to the condemnation of death.</p>