language · Rom 3:19; Rom 3:20 · ✓ Approved

ὑπόδικος … τῷ θεῷ; ἐξ ἔργων νόμου οὐ δικαιωθήσεται πᾶσα σάρξ

Says 3:19: ὅσα ὁ νόμος λέγει τοῖς ἐν τῷ νόμῳ λαλεῖ, ἵνα πᾶν στόμα φραγῇ καὶ ὑπόδικος γένηται πᾶς ὁ κόσμος τῷ θεῷ. Abbott-Smith glosses ὑπόδικος (hypodikos) "brought to trial, answerable to" (with τ. θεῷ, Rom 3:19) and lists φράσσω for the mouth stopped (Rom 3:19).

Uncertain What ὁ νόμος means in 3:19. This note leans to the Scriptures as a whole, since the catena just quoted is from the Psalms and Isaiah. The main alternative is the Mosaic law in the narrow sense.

Says 3:20 opens with διότι, ordinarily "because" (BSB "Therefore"). The clause follows LXX Ps 142:2 (MT and ENG 143:2), but Paul writes πᾶσα σάρξ ("all flesh," every human being) for πᾶς ζῶν, has αὐτοῦ for σου, and adds ἐξ ἔργων νόμου, as again in Gal 2:16. The MT and LXX forms are in note.language.Rom.3.20.ps-143-2.

Says διὰ γὰρ νόμου ἐπίγνωσις ἁμαρτίας: Abbott-Smith lists ἐπίγνωσις τ. ἁμαρτίας (Rom 3:20) under "recognition."

Uncertain The scope of ἔργα νόμου. This note leans to all that the law requires, its boundary markers included, as in note.language.Rom.2.15.ergon-nomou-grapton: 3:20b speaks of knowledge of sin, and 2:21–23 names moral commands. The main alternative takes them as the whole law with Israel's distinguishing practices especially in view (Dunn, by reference). The one paragraph on the debate is in the Exegete's commentary.

Claims

SaysWhatever the law says, it says to those under the law, so that every mouth is stopped and the whole world becomes ὑπόδικος to God (3:19).
UncertainWhether ὁ νόμος in 3:19 is the Scriptures as a whole (lean: the catena quotes Psalms and Isaiah) or the Mosaic law narrowly (main alternative).
Says3:20 follows LXX Ps 142:2 (Swete), with πᾶσα σάρξ (every human being) for πᾶς ζῶν, αὐτοῦ for σου, and ἐξ ἔργων νόμου added (cf. Gal 2:16).
SaysThrough the law comes ἐπίγνωσις of sin (3:20b).
UncertainWhether ἔργα νόμου is all that the law requires, boundary markers included (lean: 3:20b; 2:21–23), or the whole law with Israel's distinguishing practices especially in view (main alternative; Dunn, by reference).

Citations

Abbott-Smith public domain s.v. ὑπόδικος (τ. θεῷ, Ro 3:19) — brought to trial, answerable to
Abbott-Smith public domain s.v. φράσσω (στόμα, metaph., Ro 3:19)
Abbott-Smith public domain s.v. ἐπίγνωσις (τ. ἁμαρτίας, Ro 3:20) — recognition
LXX (Swete) CC BY-SA 4.0 vol. 2, p. 406 (Ps 142:2), scan archive.org oldtestamentingr02swetuoft leaf 423, checked 2026-10-29; apparatus at 142:2 only on του δουλου (ℵ*)
BSB public domain Rom 3:19–20
🔒︎ Dunn, Romans (WBC) Copyrighted vol. 38A, on Rom 3:20 (by reference; not checked)

Sources SBLGNT CC BY 4.0 Abbott-Smith public domain BSB public domain LXX (Swete) CC BY-SA 4.0 🔒︎ Dunn, Romans (WBC) Copyrighted Bible Scholarship & Tool CC BY 4.0

Quotations from LXX (Swete) are used under CC BY-SA 4.0 · Credits

2026-10-29

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