---
title: Romans 14:11
url: https://jw-apologetics.app/verses/romans-14-11/
markdown: https://jw-apologetics.app/verses/romans-14-11.md
type: verse
perspective: Protestant (historic Nicene) response to Jehovah's Witness teaching
reference: Romans 14:11
testament: NT
section: Letters
index: https://jw-apologetics.app/llms.txt
---

# Romans 14:11

## Text (Berean Standard Bible)

> It is written:  “As surely as I live, says the Lord, every knee will bow before Me; every tongue will confess to God.”

## NWT Wording of the Key Phrase

- NWT (1984 edition): "'As I live,' says Jehovah, 'to me every knee will bend down, and every tongue will make open acknowledgment to God.'"
- NWT (2013 revision): "'As surely as I am alive,' says Jehovah, 'to me every knee will bend, and every tongue will make open acknowledgment to God.'"

## JW Usage

The NWT renders this verse with "Jehovah" — "'As surely as I live,' says Jehovah, 'to me every knee will bend, and every tongue will make open acknowledgment to God.'" Jehovah's Witnesses use this verse in the context of Romans 14:10-12, where Paul says every believer will give an account to God. They read it as reinforcing that final judgment belongs to Jehovah alone. In the broader judgment-according-to-works framework, JWs cite this passage to argue that each person must account for their own works before Jehovah — supporting the view that works are the basis, not merely the evidence, of the final verdict.

## Protestant Usage

Romans 14:11 quotes Isaiah 45:23, where YHWH declares "to me every knee will bow, every tongue will swear allegiance." Paul applies this in the context of believers standing before God's judgment seat (v.10). The Reformed reading recognises that Paul is writing to Christians who are already justified (Romans 5:1) and for whom there is "no condemnation" (Romans 8:1). The accounting of Romans 14:10-12 is an evaluation of how believers have lived — especially how they have treated one another (the whole point of Romans 14:1-9) — not a reopening of the verdict on their acceptance with God. The critical NWT comparison is with Philippians 2:10-11, which quotes the same Isaiah 45:23 passage. At Romans 14:11, where the context does not explicitly identify Christ as the one receiving the knee-bowing, the NWT inserts "Jehovah." At Philippians 2:10-11, where the context names Jesus, the NWT retains "Lord." Same OT source, different treatment — revealing that the NWT's insertion pattern is driven by theology, not textual evidence.

## NWT Issue

The NWT inserts "Jehovah" at Romans 14:11 (quoting Isaiah 45:23) because the immediate context does not explicitly identify Christ as the recipient of universal knee-bowing. Yet at Philippians 2:10-11, which quotes the same Isaiah 45:23 passage, the NWT retains "Lord" because the context explicitly names Jesus. By the NWT's own stated rule — insert "Jehovah" where the NT quotes an OT YHWH passage — both should receive the same treatment. The inconsistency demonstrates that the insertion follows theological motivation: "Jehovah" appears where it separates Jesus from YHWH, and "Lord" is retained where inserting "Jehovah" would identify Jesus as YHWH.

## Arguments Using This Verse

- [The 237 Additions — Zero Manuscript Evidence](https://jw-apologetics.app/arguments/tetragrammaton-insertion.md) — Not one Greek NT manuscript contains Jehovah's name — so why does the NWT insert it 237 times? [NWT Translation]
- [Judgment According to Works](https://jw-apologetics.app/arguments/judgment-according-to-works.md) — Matthew 25, 2 Corinthians 5:10, Revelation 20 — evidence or basis? [Salvation]