Universal Sinfulness and the Law's Condemnation
Romans 3:9-20
Rom.3.9 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- Τι: PRON,nom,sg,neut
- ουν: CONJ
- προεχομεθα: VERB,pres,mid,ind,1,pl
- ου: PART,neg
- παντως: ADV
- προητιασαμεθα: VERB,aor,mid,ind,1,pl
- γαρ: PART
- Ιουδαιους: NOUN,acc,pl,m
- τε: CONJ
- και: CONJ
- Ελληνας: NOUN,acc,pl,m
- παντας: ADJ,acc,pl,m
- υφ᾽αμαρτιαν: PREP+NOUN,acc,sg,f
- ειναι: VERB,pres,act,inf
Parallels
- Psalm 14:1-3 (cf. Psalm 53:1-3) (quotation): Paul draws on these psalmic lines about the corruption of humanity as the scriptural basis for the claim that no one is righteous — the source for his universal indictment of sin.
- Romans 3:10-12 (quotation): Immediate continuation of 3:9; Paul quotes Scripture ('None is righteous...') to develop the thesis that both Jews and Greeks are under sin.
- Romans 3:23 (verbal): Restates the universalizing assertion of 3:9 in concise formulaic language: 'for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.' Same theological point about human culpability.
- Galatians 3:22 (thematic): Paul explains that Scripture 'imprisoned everything under sin' so that the promise might come by faith — a theological summary of the universal condemnation of Jews and Gentiles implicit in Rom 3:9.
Alternative generated candidates
- What then? Are we any better? Not at all—for we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin.
- What then? Are we Jews any better off? By no means. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin.
Rom.3.10 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- καθως: CONJ
- γεγραπται: VERB,perf,pass,ind,3,sg
- οτι: CONJ
- Ουκ: PART,neg
- εστιν: VERB,pres,act,ind,3,sg
- δικαιος: ADJ,nom,sg,m
- ουδε: CONJ,neg
- εις: PREP
Parallels
- Psalm 14:1-3 (quotation): Paul’s phrase “There is none righteous, no, not one” is drawn directly from this Psalm (LXX/Ps. 13:1–3 in some numberings); the same wording and theme of universal human depravity appear.
- Psalm 53:1-3 (quotation): Psalm 53 is a near duplicate of Psalm 14 and preserves the same declaration that ‘there is none righteous,’ serving as an alternative/parallel OT source for Paul’s citation.
- Ecclesiastes 7:20 (thematic): ‘For there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins’ expresses the same theological point of universal sinfulness and human inability to be wholly righteous.
- Isaiah 64:6 (thematic): Speaks of human ‘righteous deeds’ as filthy rags before God, thematically reinforcing Paul’s claim that no one is truly righteous apart from God’s intervention.
Alternative generated candidates
- As it is written: 'There is no one righteous, not even one;'
- As it is written: None is righteous; no, not one.
Rom.3.11 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ουκ: PART,neg
- εστιν: VERB,pres,act,ind,3,sg
- ο: ART,nom,sg,m
- συνιων: VERB,pres,act,part,nom,sg,m
- ουκ: PART,neg
- εστιν: VERB,pres,act,ind,3,sg
- ο: ART,nom,sg,m
- εκζητων: VERB,pres,act,part,nom,sg,m
- τον: ART,acc,sg,m
- θεον·: NOUN,acc,sg,m
Parallels
- Psalm 14:2 (quotation): Paul echoes the Psalm's language ('to see if there be any that understand, and seek God'); Romans 3:11 closely follows Psalm 14:2's observation that none seek after God.
- Psalm 53:2 (quotation): A near-duplicate of Psalm 14:2 (Psalm 53 repeats the same idea); Romans 3:11 draws on this same Old Testament witness that no one understands or seeks God.
- Acts 17:27 (thematic): Paul elsewhere affirms that God desires people to seek him ('that they should seek God, and perhaps feel after him and find him'); Acts frames seeking God as God's intent, which contrasts with the human failure noted in Rom 3:11.
- 1 Corinthians 2:14 (thematic): Describes the 'natural' person who does not accept or understand spiritual things—theologically parallels Romans 3:11's claim that people do not understand or seek God due to spiritual incapacity.
Alternative generated candidates
- 'There is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks for God;'
- No one understands; no one seeks for God.
Rom.3.12 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- παντες: ADJ,nom,pl,m
- εξεκλιναν: VERB,aor,act,ind,3,pl
- αμα: ADV
- ηχρεωθησαν·ουκ: VERB,aor,pass,ind,3,pl
- εστιν: VERB,pres,act,ind,3,sg
- ποιων: VERB,pres,act,part,nom,sg,m
- χρηστοτητα: NOUN,acc,sg,f
- ουκ: PART,neg
- εστιν: VERB,pres,act,ind,3,sg
- εως: CONJ
- ενος: NUM,gen,sg,m
Parallels
- Psalm 14:3 (quotation): Paul is drawing directly on the Psalms’ language (LXX) about universal depravity: “They have all turned aside; there is none that does good.”
- Psalm 53:3 (quotation): A parallel Psalm that repeats the same indictment of humanity’s corruption; Romans echoes this identical tradition of Scripture.
- Rom.3:10 (verbal): Immediate Pauline parallel within the same argument: the formula “None is righteous… no, not one” recurs and frames the quotation in 3:12.
- Rom.3:23 (thematic): Summarizes the same theological point: universal sinfulness—“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”—echoing the claim that none do good.
- Isaiah 53:6 (allusion): The prophetic image “all we like sheep have gone astray” conveys the same idea of humanity’s turning aside and collective waywardness that Paul cites in 3:12.
Alternative generated candidates
- 'All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.'
- All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.
Rom.3.13 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ταφος: NOUN,nom,sg,m
- ανεωγμενος: VERB,perf,pass,ptc,nom,sg,m
- ο: ART,nom,sg,m
- λαρυγξ: NOUN,nom,sg,m
- αυτων: PRON,gen,pl,m
- ταις: ART,dat,pl,f
- γλωσσαις: NOUN,dat,pl,f
- αυτων: PRON,gen,pl,m
- εδολιουσαν: VERB,pres,act,ptc,acc,sg,f
- ιος: NOUN,nom,sg,m
- ασπιδων: NOUN,gen,pl,f
- υπο: PREP
- τα: ART,acc,pl,n
- χειλη: NOUN,acc,pl,n
- αυτων: PRON,gen,pl,m
Parallels
- Psalm 5:9 (quotation): Direct verbal parallel in the LXX/MT: 'Their throat is an open grave' / 'they flatter with their tongue'—Paul quotes this language about deceitful speech.
- Psalm 140:3 (quotation): Direct quotation: 'They make their tongues sharp as a serpent; under their lips is the viper's poison' — parallels 'poison of asps under their lips' in Rom 3:13.
- Psalm 10:7 (verbal): Close verbal/theme parallel: 'His mouth is full of cursing and deceit... under his tongue are mischief and iniquity'—similar imagery of deceit and venomous speech.
- Isaiah 59:7–8 (allusion): Thematic parallel: Isaiah depicts violent, deceitful conduct and corrupt speech that brings ruin—echoes Paul's compilation of OT texts portraying sinful, treacherous speech.
Alternative generated candidates
- 'Their throat is an open grave; with their tongues they keep deceiving; the venom of asps is under their lips;'
- Their throat is an open grave; with their tongues they have practiced deceit; the venom of asps is under their lips.
Rom.3.14 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ων: PRON,gen,pl,m
- το: ART,acc,sg,n
- στομα: NOUN,nom,sg,n
- αρας: VERB,part,aor,act,nom,m,sg
- και: CONJ
- πικριας: NOUN,gen,sg,f
- γεμει·: VERB,pres,act,ind,3,sg
Parallels
- Psalm 10:7 (quotation): Direct OT source mirrored by Paul: the language about a mouth full of cursing/bitterness corresponds to the Psalm's denunciation of the wicked's speech.
- Psalm 5:9 (quotation): Paul draws on Psalm 5:9's imagery of deceitful tongues and an 'open grave' throat in the cluster of OT citations surrounding 3:14 (cf. Rom. 3:13–14).
- Psalm 140:3 (verbal): Similar imagery of malicious, poisonous speech ('their tongue is like a serpent's')—Paul blends motifs from this psalm into his catalogue of corrupt speech.
- James 3:6–8 (thematic): New Testament parallel on the destructive, unruly tongue (full of poison/bitter speech), echoing Paul's critique of human speech as corrupt and harmful.
Alternative generated candidates
- 'Their mouth is full of cursing and bitterness;'
- Their mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.
Rom.3.15 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- οξεις: ADJ,nom,pl,m
- οι: ART,nom,pl,m
- ποδες: NOUN,nom,pl,m
- αυτων: PRON,gen,pl,m
- εκχεαι: VERB,pres,act,ind,3,pl
- αιμα: NOUN,nom,sg,neut
Parallels
- Isaiah 59:7 (LXX/MT) (quotation): Direct source of Romans 3:15; Paul echoes Isaiah's wording about feet being swift to shed blood (οξεῖς οἱ πόδες αὐτῶν ἐκχέουσιν αἷμα).
- Isaiah 59:8 (structural): Continues the same Isaiah passage Paul quotes in Romans 3:15–17 (destruction/misery in their ways; they know not the way of peace), forming the immediate OT context for v.15.
- Psalm 5:9 (LXX Psalm 5/MT Psalm 5) (allusion): Part of the same series of Old Testament citations in Romans 3:13–18 describing human wickedness (e.g., 'their throat is an open sepulchre'), reinforcing the collective portrayal that includes v.15.
- Psalm 10:7 (LXX/MT) (thematic): Another Psalm Paul draws on nearby in Romans 3 (v.14) about violent and deceitful behavior; thematically parallels the image of people eager to shed blood in v.15.
Alternative generated candidates
- 'Their feet are swift to shed blood;'
- Their feet are swift to shed blood;
Rom.3.16 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- συντριμμα: NOUN,nom,sg,n
- και: CONJ
- ταλαιπωρια: NOUN,nom,sg,f
- εν: PREP
- ταις: ART,dat,pl,f
- οδοις: NOUN,dat,pl,f
- αυτων: PRON,gen,pl,m
Parallels
- Isaiah 59:7 (quotation): Romans 3:16 closely echoes the LXX of Isaiah 59:7 — 'wasting/ruin and misery are in their ways' — and Paul is directly drawing this language into his indictment of human sinfulness.
- Isaiah 59:8 (quotation): Isaiah 59:8 continues the thought ('and the way of peace they have not known'), which Paul follows immediately in Rom. 3:17; together 59:7–8 form the OT source behind Rom. 3:15–17.
- Romans 3:15–17 (structural): Rom. 3:16 is part of Paul’s composite citation (Rom. 3:10–18) combining OT texts; 3:15–17 contextually contains the same cluster (feet swift to shed blood; ruin and misery in their ways; no knowledge of the way of peace).
- Psalm 140:3 (LXX)/Psalm 140:3 (MT) (verbal): Nearby lines in Paul’s citation (Rom. 3:13–14) draw on Psalm 140:3’s imagery of malicious speech and venomous tongues; this Psalm is part of the same mosaic of OT texts Paul uses to portray the destructive course and effects of wickedness (linked thematically to 'misery in their ways').
Alternative generated candidates
- 'Destruction and misery are in their ways;'
- destruction and misery are in their ways,
Rom.3.17 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- και: CONJ
- οδον: NOUN,acc,sg,f
- ειρηνης: NOUN,gen,sg,f
- ουκ: PART,neg
- εγνωσαν: VERB,aor,act,ind,3,pl
Parallels
- Isaiah 59:8 (quotation): Paul is directly quoting Isaiah's description of the godless: 'and the way of peace they have not known' (source of Rom 3:17).
- Isaiah 59:7 (verbal): Neighboring verse in Isaiah's passage (their feet swift to shed blood); Romans 3:15–17 draws as a unit on Isaiah 59:7–8 to portray the absence of peace in the wicked' conduct.
- Luke 1:79 (verbal): The Lucan canticle speaks positively of guiding 'our feet into the way of peace,' using the same idiom Paul cites negatively—provides a verbal and theological counterpoint.
- Isaiah 57:20–21 (thematic): Isaiah elsewhere insists 'there is no peace' for the wicked, thematically echoing Paul’s claim that the ungodly 'have not known the way of peace.'
- Ephesians 2:14 (thematic): Paulic theology elsewhere presents Christ as the source of peace (contrastive theology): where Rom 3:17 says the ungodly know no way of peace, Eph 2:14 affirms Christ brings peace and reconciliation.
Alternative generated candidates
- 'And the way of peace they have not known;'
- and the way of peace they have not known.
Rom.3.18 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ουκ: PART,neg
- εστιν: VERB,pres,act,ind,3,sg
- φοβος: NOUN,nom,sg,m
- θεου: NOUN,gen,sg,m
- απεναντι: PREP
- των: ART,gen,pl,m
- οφθαλμων: NOUN,gen,pl,m
- αυτων: PRON,gen,pl,m
Parallels
- Psalm 36:1 (quotation): Romans 3:18 directly quotes Psalm 36:1 (MT/English numbering): 'Transgression speaks to the wicked... there is no fear of God before his eyes.'
- Psalm 36:2 (verbal): The immediate context of Psalm 36 continues the depiction of the wicked's inner contempt and self‑deception—background for Paul's citation.
- Proverbs 1:29 (thematic): Proverbs states that those who 'hated knowledge' and 'did not choose the fear of the LORD' share the same moral posture of rejecting fear of God described in Romans 3:18.
- Psalm 14:1 (thematic): 'The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”'—a related portrait of those who lack reverence for God, thematically parallel to 'no fear of God before their eyes.'
Alternative generated candidates
- 'There is no fear of God before their eyes.'
- There is no fear of God before their eyes.
Rom.3.19 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- Οιδαμεν: VERB,perf,act,ind,1,pl
- δε: CONJ
- οτι: CONJ
- οσα: PRON,acc,pl,n
- ο: ART,nom,sg,m
- νομος: NOUN,nom,sg,m
- λεγει: VERB,pres,act,ind,3,sg
- τοις: ART,dat,pl,n
- εν: PREP
- τω: ART,dat,sg,m
- νομω: NOUN,dat,sg,m
- λαλει: VERB,pres,act,ind,3,sg
- ινα: CONJ
- παν: ADJ,nom,sg,n
- στομα: NOUN,nom,sg,n
- φραγη: VERB,aor,pass,subj,3,sg
- και: CONJ
- υποδικος: ADJ,nom,sg,m
- γενηται: VERB,fut,mid,ind,3,sg
- πας: ADJ,nom,sg,m
- ο: ART,nom,sg,m
- κοσμος: NOUN,nom,sg,m
- τω: ART,dat,sg,m
- θεω·: NOUN,dat,sg,m
Parallels
- Rom.3.20 (structural): Immediate continuation of the same argument: the law 'testifies' so that no one is justified by works of law — explains how the law silences every mouth and makes people accountable by revealing sin.
- Rom.2.1-16 (thematic): Earlier in Romans Paul argues that all people are without excuse and will be judged by God’s standards; both passages stress universal accountability before God.
- Gal.3.10 (verbal): Speaks of being 'under the law' and its condemning force (curse) for those who rely on works of the law — echoes Paul’s point that the law convicts and holds people accountable.
- James 2:10-11 (thematic): Affirms that breaking one part of the law makes a person guilty of all, supporting Paul’s claim that the law serves to render everyone accountable before God.
- Isa.64:6 (allusion): Portrays human 'righteous deeds' as insufficient/polluted before God, reinforcing Paul’s contention that the law exposes universal culpability and silences human boasting.
Alternative generated candidates
- Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God.
- Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God.
Rom.3.20 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- διοτι: CONJ
- εξ: PREP
- εργων: NOUN,gen,pl,n
- νομου: NOUN,gen,sg,m
- ου: PART,neg
- δικαιωθησεται: VERB,fut,pass,ind,3,sg
- πασα: ADJ,nom,sg,f
- σαρξ: NOUN,nom,sg,f
- ενωπιον: PREP
- αυτου: PRON,gen,sg,m
- δια: PREP
- γαρ: PART
- νομου: NOUN,gen,sg,m
- επιγνωσις: NOUN,nom,sg,f
- αμαρτιας: NOUN,acc,pl,f
Parallels
- Galatians 2:16 (thematic): Paul argues similarly that no one is justified by the works of the law but by faith in Christ, echoing Rom 3:20's claim that law‑works cannot justify.
- Romans 7:7 (verbal): Explicitly states the same point in different words: Paul says he would not have known sin except through the law (knowledge of sin through the law), paralleling Rom 3:20's phrase about the law producing knowledge of sin.
- Galatians 3:11 (quoting Habakkuk 2:4) (quotation): Affirms that 'no one is justified by the law' and cites Habakkuk's 'the righteous shall live by faith,' supporting Rom 3:20's thesis that justification is not achieved by law‑works.
- Romans 4:2–5 (thematic): Uses Abraham's example to contrast righteousness by works with righteousness by faith, developing the same argument that justification is not the product of law‑works.
- James 2:24 (thematic): Offers a counter‑perspective ('a person is justified by works and not by faith alone') that engages the same subject—justification by faith versus works—useful for contrasting and clarifying Paul's claim in Rom 3:20.
Alternative generated candidates
- For by works of the law no human being will be declared righteous before him; for through the law comes the knowledge of sin.
- For by works of the law no human being will be justified before him; for through the law comes the knowledge of sin.
What then? Are we any better? By no means. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin.
As it is written: "None is righteous—no, not one;
none understands; none seeks for God;
all have gone astray; together they have become useless; there is none who does good, not even one."
Their throat is an open grave; with their tongues they deceive; the venom of asps is under their lips;
their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness;
their feet are swift to shed blood;
destruction and misery are in their ways;
and the way of peace they have not known.
There is no fear of God before their eyes. Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God.
For by works of the law no one will be justified before God; for through the law comes knowledge of sin.