Decoder Terminal
SOLD UNDER SIN
ASSET COMPROMISED — HOSTILE OWNERSHIP TRANSFERRED
CONDITIONSpecs
tense
Perfect passive — completed action with ongoing results
greek phrase
pepramenos hypo tēn hamartian — sold under sin
slave market imagery
Sold as property, under new ownership
Intelligence Brief
The Greek 'pepramenos hypo tēn hamartian' means 'having been sold under sin' — slave market language. Paul is not describing his pre-conversion state (he uses present tense throughout vv.14-25) but the ongoing experience of the believer who still battles indwelling sin. The imagery is of a prisoner of war sold into slavery, now under a foreign master's authority. This is the 'already/not yet' tension: believers are legally free (Romans 6) but experientially still fighting. Historical context: slavery was ubiquitous in the Roman world. Everyone understood what it meant to be 'sold' — total loss of autonomy. The scarlet thread: Christ is the redeemer who purchases slaves out of sin's market. The price is his blood (1 Peter 1:18-19).
Scripture References