Romans 2:9

Tribulation. Gr. thlipsis, denoting the pressure of a crushing burden, as of trials and calamities, and in this case, of punishment for sins.

Anguish. Gr. stenochdria, literally, “narrowness of place.” The idea is one of constraint. In the LXX translation of Deut. 28:53, 57, the word describes the confinement of a siege. Here it describes the anxiety and distress that a man experiences when he is pressed in on every side by afflictions and trials, or by punishment, and does not know where to turn for relief. Contrast the frequent OT description of a state of joy as a bringing into a large place (2 Sam. 22:20; Ps. 118:5).

Upon every soul of man. That is, upon every human being. This verse has been used to support the idea that the soul and not the body is to suffer the penalty. However, the word for “soul” (psuche) frequently denotes the whole person (see Rom. 13:1; cf. on Ps. 16:10; Matt. 10:28).

Jew first. As the Jew is first in privilege and opportunity, so he is first in responsibility and guilt (see on Rom. 1:16; cf. Luke 12:47, 48).