Romans 3:10–3:12

Romans 3:10-18 10. As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: 10. Sicut scriptum, Quod non est justus quisquam, ne unus quidem; 11. There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. 11. Non est intelligens, non est qui requirat Deum; 12. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. 12. Omnes declinarunt, simul facti sunt inutiles; non est qui exerceat benignitatem, ne ad unum quidem: 13. Their throat is an open sepulchre: with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: 13. Sepulchrum apertum guttur eorum; linguis dolose egerunt: venenum aspidum sub labiis eorum: 14. Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: 14. Quorum os execratione et amarulentia plenum: 15. Their feet are swift to shed blood: 15. Veloces pedes eorum ad effundendum sanguinem; 16. Destruction and misery are in their ways: 16. Contritio et calamitas in viis eorum; 17. And the way of peace have they not known: 17. Et viam pacis non noverunt: 18. There is no fear of God before their eyes. 18. Non est timor Dei pr? oculis eorum. [97] 10. As it is written, etc. He has hitherto used proofs or arguments to convince men of their iniquity; he now begins to reason from authority; and it is to Christians the strongest kind of proof, when authority is derived from the only true God. And hence let ecclesiastical teachers learn what their office is; for since Paul asserts here no truth but what he confirms by the sure testimony of Scripture, much less ought such a thing to be attempted by those, who have no other commission but to preach the gospel, which they have received through Paul and others. There is none righteous, etc. The Apostle, who gives the meaning rather than the entire words, seems, in the first place, before he comes to particulars, to state generally the substance of what the Prophet declares to be in man, and that is -- that none is righteous; [98] he afterwards particularly enumerates the effects or fruits of this unrighteousness. 11. The first effect is, that there is none that understands: and then this ignorance is immediately proved, for they seek not God; for empty is the man in whom there is not the knowledge of God, whatever other learning he may possess; yea, the sciences and the arts, which in themselves are good, are empty things, when they are without this groundwork. 12. It is added, [99] There is no one who doeth kindness By this we are to understand, that they had put off every feeling of humanity. For as the best bond of mutual concord among us is the knowledge of God, (as he is the common Father of all, he wonderfully unites us, and without him there is nothing but disunion,) so inhumanity commonly follows where there is ignorance of God, as every one, when he despises others, loves and seeks his own good. 13. It is further added, Their throat is an open grave; [100] that is, a gulf to swallow up men. It is more than if he had said, that they were devourers (anthropophagous -- men-eaters;) for it is an intimation of extreme barbarity, when the throat is said to be so great a gulf, that it is sufficient to swallow down and devour men whole and entire. Their tongues are deceitful, and, the poison of asps is under their lips, import the same thing, 14. Then he says, that their mouth is full of cursing and bitterness [101] -- a vice of an opposite character to the former; but the meaning is, that they are in every way full of wickedness; for if they speak fair, they deceive and blend poison with their flatteries; but if they draw forth what they have in their hearts, bitterness and cursing stream out. 16. Very striking is the sentence that is added from Isaiah, Ruin and misery are in all their ways; [102] for it is a representation of ferociousness above measure barbarous, which produces solitude and waste by destroying every thing wherever it prevails: it is the same as the description which Pliny gives of Domitian. 17. It follows, The way of peace they have not known: they are so habituated to plunders, acts of violence and wrong, to savageness and cruelty, that they know not how to act kindly and courteously. 18. In the last clause [103] he repeats again, in other words, what we have noticed at the beginning -- that every wickedness flows from a disregard of God: for as the principal part of wisdom is the fear of God, when we depart from that, there remains in us nothing right or pure. In short, as it is a bridle to restrain our wickedness, so when it is wanting, we feel at liberty to indulge every kind of licentiousness. And that these testimonies may not seem to any one to have been unfitly produced, let us consider each of them in connection with the passages from which they have been taken. David says in Psalm 14:1 , that there was such perverseness in men, that God, when looking on them all in their different conditions, could not find a righteous man, no, not one. It then follows, that this evil pervaded mankind universally; for nothing is hid from the sight of God. He speaks indeed at the end of the Psalm of the redemption of Israel: but we shall presently show how men become holy, and how far they are exempt from this condition. In the other Psalms he speaks of the treachery of his enemies, while he was exhibiting in himself and in his descendants a type of the kingdom of Christ: hence we have in his adversaries the representatives of all those, who being alienated from Christ, are not led by his Spirit. Isaiah expressly mentions Israel; and therefore his charge applies with still greater force against the Gentiles. What, then? There is no doubt but that the character of men is described in those words, in order that we may see what man is when left to himself; for Scripture testifies that all men are in this state, who are not regenerated by the grace of God. The condition of the saints would be nothing better, were not this depravity corrected in them: and that they may still remember that they differ nothing from others by nature, they do find in the relics of their flesh (by which they are always encompassed) the seeds of those evils, which would constantly produce fruits, were they not prevented by being mortified; and for this mortification they are indebted to God's mercy and not to their own nature. We may add, that though all the vices here enumerated are not found conspicuously in every individual, yet they may be justly and truly ascribed to human nature, as we have already observed [2]on Romans 1:26 . Footnotes: [97] The references given in the margin are these, -- Psalm 14:1-3 ; Psalm 53:3 Psalm 5:9 ; Psalm 14:3 ; Psalm 9:7 ; Isaiah 56:7 ; Proverbs 1:16 ; Psalm 36:1 . [98] Psalm 14:1 . The Hebrew is, "There is none that doeth good;" and the Septuagint, "There is none doing kindness, (chrestoteta), there is not even one, (ouk estin heos henos.)" So that the Apostle quotes the meaning, not the words. The eleventh verse ( Romans 3:11 ) is from the same Psalm; the Hebrew, with which the Septuagint agree, except that there is the disjunctive e between the participles, is the following, -- "Whether there is any one who understands, who seeks after God." -- Ed. [99] This verse is literally the Septuagint, and as to meaning, a correct version of the Hebrew. "All have gone out of the way -- pantes exeklinan" "is in Hebrew hkl sr, "the whole (or every one) has turned aside," or revolted, or apostatized. Then, "they have become unprofitable" or useless, is n'lchv, "they are become putrid," or Corrupted, like putrified fruit or meat, therefore useless, not fit for what they were designed -- to serve God and to promote their own and the good of others. Idolatry was evidently this putrescence. -- Ed. [100] This is from Psalm 5:9 , that is, the first part, and is literally the Septuagint, which correctly represents the Hebrew. The last clause is from Psalm 140:3 , and is according to the Septuagint, and the Hebrew, too, except that "asps," or adders, is in the singular number. Stuart gives the import of this figurative language different from Calvin: "As from the sepulchre," he says, "issues forth an offensive and pestilential vapor; so from the mouths of slanderous persons issue noisome and pestilential words. Their words are like poison, they utter the poisonous breath of slander." -- Ed. [101] Psalm 10:7 . Paul corrects the order of the words as found in the Septuagint, and gives the Hebrew more exactly, but retains the word "bitterness," by which the Septuagint have rendered mrmvt, which means deceit, or rather, mischievous deceit. Some think that it ought to be mrrvt, "bitterness;" but there is no copy in its favor. -- Ed. [102] Romans 3:15 , 16, and 17 are taken from Isaiah 59:7 , 8. Both the Hebrew and the Septuagint are alike, but Paul has abbreviated them, and changed two words in the Greek version, having put oxei' for tachinoi, and egnosan for oi'dasi, and has followed that version in leaving out "innocent" before "blood." -- Ed. [103] It is taken from Psalm 36:1 , and verbatim from the Greek version, and strictly in accordance with the Hebrew. It is evident from several of these quotations, that Paul's object, as Calvin says, was to represent the general meaning, and not to keep strictly to the expressions. There is a difference of opinion as to the precise object of the Apostle; whether in these quotations he had regard to the Jews only, or to both Jews and Gentiles. In the introduction, Romans 3:9 , he mentions both, and in the conclusion, Romans 3:19 , he evidently refers to both, in these words, "that every, mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God." The most consistent view seems to be, that the passages quoted refer both to Jews and Gentiles; the last, more especially, to the Jews, while some of the preceding have a special reference to the Gentile world, particularly Psalm 14 , as it describes the character of the enemies of God and his people, to whose liberation the Psalmist refers in the last verse. -- Ed.

As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:

As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: As it is written — What the prophets had said of some particular people or person is here applied to the whole race of mankind, because by nature there is never a better of us. Κακοι μεν θριπες, κακοι δε και ιπες . (Eras. Adag.)

As it is written; viz. in several places of Scripture, which he quotes in the following verses, giving us the sense, though not so strictly tying himself to the words; and this is a proper proof, to the Jews at least, whom he had called a little before the keepers of these oracles. There is none righteous, no, not one: the more general proof with which he begins, is taken out of Psalm 14:3 , and Psalm 53:1 , upon which places see the annotations.

As it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one. The several passages cited here, and in some following verses, are taken out of the Psalms and Isaiah; and are brought to prove, not only that the Jews are no better than the Gentiles, being equally corrupt and depraved as they; but also to show the corrupt state and condition of mankind in general: and the words are not always literally expressed, but the sense is attended to, as in this passage; for in the original text of Psalm 14:1 , it is, "there is none that doth good"; from whence the apostle rightly infers, "there is none righteous"; for he that does not do good, is not righteous; and therefore if there is none on earth that does good and does not sin, there is none righteous upon earth, "no, not one" single person. The Jews allegorizing that passage in Genesis 19:31 , "there is not a man in the earth to come into us", remark (u) on it thus, "Urab qydu vya Nya, "there is not a righteous man in the earth"; and there is not a man that rules over his imagination.'' There is none righteous as Adam was, in a state of innocence; for all have sinned, and are filled with unrighteousness, and are enemies to righteousness; none are righteous by their obedience to the law of works; nor are there any righteous in the sight of God, upon the foot of their own righteousness, however they may appear in their own eyes, and in the sight of others; nor are any inherently righteous, for there is none without sin, sanctification is imperfect; nor is it, either in whole or in part, a saint's justifying righteousness; indeed there is none righteous, no, not one, but those who are justified by the righteousness of Christ imputed to them. (u) Midrash Haneelam in Zohar in Gen. fol. 68. 1.

Here again is shown that all mankind are under the guilt of sin, as a burden; and under the government and dominion of sin, as enslaved to it, to work wickedness. This is made plain by several passages of Scripture from the Old Testament, which describe the corrupt and depraved state of all men, till grace restrain or change them. Great as our advantages are, these texts describe multitudes who call themselves Christians. Their principles and conduct prove that there is no fear of God before their eyes. And where no fear of God is, no good is to be looked for.

10-12. As it is written, &c.—(Ps 14:1-3; 53:1-3). These statements of the Psalmist were indeed suggested by particular manifestations of human depravity occurring under his own eye; but as this only showed what man, when unrestrained, is in his present condition, they were quite pertinent to the apostle's purpose.

As it is written - The apostle is reasoning with Jews; and he proceeds to show from their own Scriptures, that what he had affirmed was true. The point to be proved was, that the Jews, in the matter of justification, had no advantage or preference over the Gentiles; that the Jew had failed to keep the Law which had been given him, as the Gentile had failed to keep the Law which had been given him; and that both, therefore, were equally dependent on the mercy of God, incapable of being justified and saved by their works. To show this, the apostle adduces texts to show what was the character of the Jewish people; or to show that according to their own Scriptures, they were sinners no less than the Gentiles. The point, then, is to prove the depravity of the Jews, not that of universal depravity. The interpretation should be confined to the bearing of the passages on the Jews, and the quotations should not be adduced as directly proving the doctrine of universal depravity. In a certain sense, which will be stated soon, they may be adduced as bearing on that subject. But their direct reference is to the Jewish nation. The passages which follow, are taken from various parts of the Old Testament. The design of this is to show, that this characteristic of sin was not confined to any particular period of the Jewish history, but pertained to them as a people; that it had characterised them throughout their existence as a nation. Most of the passages are quoted in the language of the Septuagint. The quotation in Romans 3:10-12 , is from Psalm 14:1-3 ; and from Psalm 53:1-3 . Psalm 53:1-6 is the same as Psalm 14:1-7 , with some slight variations. (Yet if we consult Psalm 14:1-7 and Psalm 53:1-6 , from which the quotations in Romans 3:10-12 are taken, we shall be constrained to admit that their original application is nothing short of universal. The Lord is represented as looking down from heaven, (not upon the Jewish people only, but upon the "children of men" at large, "to see if there were any that did understand and seek God);" and declaring, as the result of his unerring scrutiny, "there is "none" that doeth good, no, not one." That the apostle applies the passages to the case of the Jews is admitted, yet it is evident more is contained in them than the single proof of Jewish depravity. They go all the length of proving the depravity of mankind, and are cited expressly with this view. "We have before proved both Jews and Gentiles," says Paul in Romans 3:9 , "that they are all under sin." Immediately on this, the quotations in question are introduced with the usual formula, "as it is written," etc. Now since the apostle adduces his Scripture proofs, to establish the doctrine that both Jews and Gentiles are all under sin," we cannot reasonably decide against him by confining their application to the Jews only. In Romans 3:19 Paul brings his argument to bear directly on the Jews. That they might not elude his aim, by interpreting the universal expressions he had introduced, of all the pagan only, leaving themselves favorably excepted; he reminds them that" whatsoever things the law saith, it saith to them that were under it." Not contented with having placed them alongside of the Gentiles in Romans 3:9 ; by this second application of the general doctrine of human depravity, to their particular case, he renders escape or evasion impossible. The scope of the whole passage then, is, that all people are depraved, and that the Jews form no exception. This view is further strengthened by the apostle's conclusion in Romans 3:20 . "Therefore, by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his (God's) sight." "If the words," says President Edwards, "which the apostle uses, do not most fully and determinately signify an universality, no words ever used in the Bible are sufficient to do it. I might challenge any man to produce any one paragraph in the scriptures, from the beginning to the end, where there is such a repetition and accumulation of terms, so strongly, and emphatically, and carefully, to express the most perfect and absolute universality, or any place to be compared to it." - "Edwards on Original Sin, - Haldane's Commentary." There is none righteous - The Hebrew Psa 14:1 is, there is none that doeth good. The Septuagint has the same. The apostle quotes according to the sense of the passage. The design of the apostle is to show that none could be justified by the Law. He uses an expression, therefore, which is exactly conformable to his argument, and which accords in meaning with the Hebrew, "there is none just," δίκαιος dikaios. No, not one - This is not in the Hebrew, but is in the Septuagint. It is a strong universal expression, denoting the state of almost universal corruption which existed in the time of the psalmist. The expression should not be interpreted to mean that there was not literally "one pious man" in the nation; but that the characteristic of the nation was, at that time, that it was exceedingly corrupt. Instead of being righteous, as the Jew claimed, because they were Jews, the testimony of their own Scriptures was, that they were universally wicked. (The design of the apostle, however, is not to prove that there were few or none pious. He is treating of the impossibility of justification by works, and alleges in proof that, according to the judgment of God in the Psalm 14:1 Psalm, there were none righteous, etc., in regard to their natural estate, or the condition in which man is, previous to his being justified. In this condition, all are deficient in righteousness, and have nothing to commend them to the divine favor. What people may afterward become by grace is another question, on which the apostle does not, in this place, enter. Whatever number of pious people, therefore, there might be in various places of the world, the argument of the apostle is not in the least affected. It will hold good even in the millennium!)

Romans 3:10 Romans 3:10-18 , contain the confirmation of the doctrine of the universal sinfulness of men by the testimony of the Scriptures. These passages are not found consecutively in any one place in the Old Testament. Romans 3:10-12 are from Psalms 14:1-7 and Psalms 53:1-6 ; Romans 3:13 is from Psalms 5:9 ; Romans 3:14 is from Psalms 10:7 ; Romans 3:15-17 are from Isaiah 59:7 , Isaiah 59:8 ; and Romans 3:18 is from Psalms 36:1 . These passages, it will be observed, are of two different classes; the one descriptive of the general character of men; the other referring to particular sinful acts, on the principle “by their fruits ye shall know them.” This method of reasoning is common and legitimate. The national character of a people may be proved by the prevalence of certain acts by which it is manifested. The prevalence of crime among men is a legitimate proof that the race is apostate, though every man is not a shedder of blood, or guilty of robbery or violence. There is none righteous, no not one. Psalms 14:1 , in the Hebrew is, “there is none doing good;” in the Septuagint it is ποιῶν χρηστότητα ; Paul has, οὐκ ἔστι δίκαιος , there is none righteous . The sense is the same. Paul probably uses δίκαιος , righteous , because the question which he is discussing is whether men are righteous, or can be justified on the ground of their own righteousness in the sight of God. This is a declaration of the universal sinfulness of men. The two ideas included in the negation of righteousness, want of piety and want of rectitude, are expressed in the following verses.