AISBT ReaderRom 3:1–31
Notes · 35 on Rom 3:1–31
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Notes · Rom 3:1–31

God's Faithfulness, the Verdict on All, and the Righteousness of God Revealed

35 approved team notes on Rom 3:1–31.
Read Rom 3:1–31

Rom 3:1

exegeticalRom 2:1–29; Rom 1:18–3:20
Introduction to Romans 2:1–29: the place of the chapter in the indictment of 1:18–3:20
  • SaysRomans 2 turns from 1:18–32 to the one who judges others (2:1), states that God judges according to truth, according to deeds, without partiality and through Christ Jesus (2:2, 6, 11, 16), and names the Jew at 2:17.
  • ImpliesRomans 2 belongs to the indictment of 1:18–3:20 that concludes in 3:9, 19–20: all, Jew and Greek, are under sin and accountable to God; its statements about judgment and doing serve that purpose.
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exegeticalRom 3:1–31; Rom 1:18–3:20
Introduction to Romans 3:1–31: the close of the indictment and the righteousness of God revealed
  • Says3:1 asks the Jew's advantage; 3:9 and 3:20 give the verdict that all are under sin and that no one is justified by works of the law; 3:21 announces the righteousness of God revealed apart from the law.
  • Implies3:1–20 completes the indictment of 1:18–3:20: the Jew's advantages are real but do not exempt him; 3:21–26 takes up the thesis of 1:16–17 and states how God justifies sinners; 3:27–31 draws the consequences.
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exegeticalRom 3:1–8
The Jew's advantage, the oracles of God, and God's faithfulness (Romans 3:1–8)
  • SaysThe Jew's advantage is much in every way, first that the Jews were entrusted with τὰ λόγια τοῦ θεοῦ (3:1–2).
  • UncertainWhether τὰ λόγια are God's words to Israel as a whole, the Scriptures (lean: 3:4, 10–19 cite them as one body; Acts 7:38), or the promises in particular (main alternative).
  • ImpliesThe trust of God's words carries accountability (3:19).
  • SaysSome people's ἀπιστία does not nullify God's faithfulness (3:3).
  • UncertainWhether ἠπίστησαν/ἀπιστία means 'were unfaithful' (lean) or 'did not believe' (main alternative; BSB).
  • Says3:4 sets God's truth against human falsehood with the words of LXX Ps 115:2 plus δέ, and quotes LXX Ps 50:6 (ENG 51:4); SBLGNT prints νικήσεις, and Swete, Byz, and TR have νικήσῃς.
  • ImpliesAs in Ps 51, God is shown to be in the right when he judges sin, even the sin of his own people.
  • UncertainWhether κρίνεσθαί σε is passive, 'when you are judged' (lean), or middle, 'when you go to law' (main alternative; BSB).
  • SaysIf human unrighteousness shows God's righteousness, God is still not unjust to inflict wrath, for otherwise he could not judge the world (3:5–6).
  • Impliesθεοῦ δικαιοσύνη in 3:5 is God's own justice and covenant faithfulness, alongside the gift sense of 3:21–22, not against it.
  • SaysThe objector asks why, if his falsehood increases God's glory, he is still condemned as a sinner (3:7).
  • UncertainWhether the 'I' of 3:7 is a rhetorical first person for any sinner (lean) or Paul himself (main alternative).
  • SaysSome slanderously claimed that Paul and his companions say, 'Let us do evil that good may result'; their condemnation is just (3:8).
  • ImpliesPaul's gospel of grace was slandered as license; he rejects the inference here and in 6:1, 15.
  • UncertainWhether ὧν in 3:8 refers to the slanderers (lean) or to all who argue 'let us do evil' (main alternative); who the slanderers were is also open.
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historicalRom 3:1–4
'The oracles of God' (3:2) and the advantage of the Jew
  • SaysRom 3:1–4 says the Jews were entrusted with the oracles (τὰ λόγια) of God and that their lack of faith does not nullify God's faithfulness; Acts 7:38 calls what Moses received 'living words' (λόγια ζῶντα).
  • ImpliesRom 3:2–4, 9 implies that the Jew's advantage is a trust of God's word, not an exemption from judgment, since Jews and Greeks alike are under sin.
  • UncertainWhether τὰ λόγια in Rom 3:2 means Israel's Scriptures as a whole or especially the promises.
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languageRom 2:25; Rom 3:1
Περιτομὴ μὲν γὰρ ὠφελεῖ ἐὰν νόμον πράσσῃς
  • SaysCircumcision benefits if one practices the law; for the transgressor it has become uncircumcision (2:25).
  • Saysὠφελεῖ is used absolutely; the question returns at 3:1; γέγονεν is a perfect of standing result.
  • ImpliesPaul ties circumcision's value to covenant keeping and denies only that the sign protects the transgressor at the judgment.
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languageRom 3:1; Rom 3:2
ἐπιστεύθησαν τὰ λόγια τοῦ θεοῦ: "entrusted with the very words of God"
  • Says3:1 asks the advantage of the Jew and the value of circumcision; the answer is 'much in every way', beginning with πρῶτον μέν.
  • Saysἐπιστεύθησαν τὰ λόγια τοῦ θεοῦ: the passive of πιστεύω ('entrust') with the thing entrusted in the accusative.
  • UncertainWhether τὰ λόγια are God's words to Israel as a whole, the Scriptures (lean: 3:4, 10–19 cite them as one body), or the promises in particular (main alternative).
  • ImpliesBeing entrusted with God's words is a privilege that carries accountability (3:19; cf. 2:17–24).
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Rom 3:3

languageRom 3:3; Rom 3:4; Rom 3:5; Rom 3:6
ἠπίστησαν … ἡ ἀπιστία … τὴν πίστιν τοῦ θεοῦ: Israel's unfaithfulness and God's faithfulness; κρίνεσθαί σε (3:4)
  • Says3:3 asks whether some people's ἀπιστία will nullify God's πίστις; μή expects 'no', and μὴ γένοιτο rejects the inference (3:4, 6).
  • Saysἡ πίστις τοῦ θεοῦ is God's faithfulness; καταργέω means to render inoperative.
  • UncertainWhether ἠπίστησαν/ἀπιστία means 'were unfaithful' (lean: the contrast with God's faithfulness and 3:2) or 'did not believe' (main alternative; BSB; Abbott-Smith).
  • UncertainWhether κρίνεσθαί σε (3:4, LXX Ps 50:6) is passive, 'when you are judged' (lean: Abbott-Smith lists Rom 3:4 under the passive; νικάω as a law-court term; people arraign God in 3:5–7), or middle, 'when you go to law' (main alternative; cf. BSB 'when You judge').
  • ImpliesIn 3:3–7 God's faithfulness, truth, and righteousness are near-synonyms, so θεοῦ δικαιοσύνη in 3:5 is God's own justice and covenant faithfulness, presented alongside the gift sense of 3:21–22, not against it.
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Rom 3:4

languageRom 3:4
Rom 3:4: Ps 51:4 (MT and LXX) and Ps 116:11
  • SaysMT Ps 51:6 תִּצְדַּק בְּדָבְרֶךָ תִּזְכֶּה בְשָׁפְטֶךָ; LXX 50:6 ὅπως ἂν δικαιωθῇς … καὶ νικήσῃς ἐν τῷ κρίνεσθαί σε (no variant in Swete's apparatus); Rom 3:4b follows the LXX.
  • SaysRom 3:4a πᾶς δὲ ἄνθρωπος ψεύστης = LXX Ps 115:2 Πᾶς ἄνθρωπος ψεύστης plus δέ; MT 116:11 כָּל־הָאָדָם כֹּזֵב.
  • ImpliesPaul takes over the words of Ps 116:11 without a citation formula; with Ps 51:4 they set God's truthfulness against human falsehood (3:3–4).
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Rom 3:5

historicalRom 3:5–8
'Let us do evil that good may result' (3:8): the charge against Paul's gospel
  • SaysRom 3:8 says some slanderously claimed Paul taught 'Let us do evil that good may result' and that their condemnation is deserved; Rom 6:1, 15 (cf. Gal 2:17) raise the same objection and reject it; Acts 21:20–21 reports the rumor that Paul taught Jews among the Gentiles to forsake Moses.
  • ImpliesRom 3:8, 20–24, 31; 6:2 imply that Paul's gospel of justification by grace apart from works of the law drew the charge of encouraging sin, and that Paul rejects the inference without softening the message.
  • UncertainWhether the slanderers of Rom 3:8 were unbelieving Jews, Jewish Christians, or others who misread Paul.
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Rom 3:7

languageRom 3:7; Rom 3:8
The "I" of 3:7, μὴ καθώς and ὧν τὸ κρίμα (3:7–8)
  • Says3:7 asks why, if God's truth abounded through 'my' falsehood, 'I too' am still judged as a sinner.
  • UncertainWhether the 'I' of 3:7 is a rhetorical first person voicing the objector as any sinner (lean) or Paul himself (main alternative; cf. 'we' in 3:8).
  • Says3:8 continues the question without a completed construction; ὅτι introduces direct speech and ποιήσωμεν is hortatory.
  • ImpliesPaul's gospel of grace was slandered as license, a charge answered again in 6:1, 15.
  • UncertainWhether ὧν in 3:8 refers to the slanderers (lean: the nearest persons) or to all who argue 'let us do evil' (main alternative).
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Rom 3:9

exegeticalRom 3:9–20
Jews and Greeks all under sin, and the law's verdict (Romans 3:9–20)
  • SaysPaul answers 'Not at all': Jews and Greeks alike are all under sin, as already charged (3:9; προῃτιασάμεθα).
  • UncertainWhether προεχόμεθα is middle with active sense, 'Are we any better?' (lean; BSB), or passive, 'are we surpassed?' (main alternative); a true middle, 'do we make excuses?', is also proposed. Whether 'we' are the Jews with Paul (lean) or Paul and fellow believers (alternative).
  • Implies'Under sin' means under sin's power (6:14; 7:14), not only guilty of sins.
  • SaysWhatever the law says, it says to those under the law, so that every mouth is stopped and the whole world is accountable to God (3:19).
  • UncertainWhether ὁ νόμος in 3:19 is the Scriptures as a whole (lean) or the Mosaic law narrowly (main alternative).
  • ImpliesIf Israel's own Scriptures condemn those who have them, no one can claim exemption; every mouth is stopped.
  • SaysNo one will be justified before God by works of the law, for through the law comes knowledge of sin (3:20); the wording follows Ps 143:2 (LXX 142:2), with πᾶσα σάρξ, αὐτοῦ, and the added ἐξ ἔργων νόμου.
  • ImpliesWorks of the law cannot gain the verdict of righteousness; all people, Jew and Greek, are guilty before God, so righteousness must come from God (3:21–22).
  • UncertainWhether 'works of the law' are all that the law requires, boundary markers included (lean: 3:20b; 2:21–23; 3:27–4:5), or Israel's distinguishing practices chiefly (the narrower reading); either way they are excluded as the ground of justification.
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historicalRom 2:6–16; Rom 3:9–28
Election, impartial judgment and the law in Second Temple Judaism
  • SaysRom 2:6 says God will repay each according to his deeds; 2:11 says God shows no favoritism; 2:13 says the doers of the law will be declared righteous.
  • ImpliesJudgment according to deeds is real and impartial (Rom 2:6, 16), and it is not a second way of salvation alongside faith (Rom 3:9, 20, 23, 28).
  • UncertainWhich conservative reading explains Rom 2:7, 10 and 13: (a) the hypothetical or law-standard reading, the standard no one meets apart from Christ (2:13 grounding 2:12; 3:20); or (b) the deeds of believers as the fruit of saving faith in the Spirit-renewed life, evidence rather than ground (2:26–29; 8:4).
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languageRom 3:9
τί οὖν; προεχόμεθα; οὐ πάντως: "Are we any better? Not at all"
  • Says3:9 asks προεχόμεθα; and answers οὐ πάντως, because the charge has already been made that Jews and Greeks are all under sin.
  • UncertainWhether προεχόμεθα is middle with active sense, 'are we better off?' (lean; BSB), or passive, 'are we surpassed?' (main alternative); a true middle, 'do we make excuses?', is also proposed.
  • UncertainWhether 'we' are the Jews with Paul (lean) or Paul and fellow believers (main alternative).
  • Saysπροῃτιασάμεθα refers back to the charge already made (1:18–2:29); ὑφ᾽ ἁμαρτίαν is 'under sin'.
  • Implies'Under sin' means under sin's power (cf. 7:14; 6:14), not only guilty of sins.
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Rom 3:10

exegeticalRom 3:10–18
The chain of Old Testament texts: sources, arrangement, and what it shows (Romans 3:10–18)
  • Says3:10–18 strings together Ps 14:1–3 (= 53:1–3), Ps 5:9, Ps 140:3, Ps 10:7, Isa 59:7–8 (cf. Prov 1:16), and Ps 36:1; 3:13 follows LXX Ps 5:10 and 139:4 word for word, 3:12 agrees with LXX Ps 13:3, 3:14–17 shorten their sources, and 3:18 has αὐτῶν for αὐτοῦ.
  • SaysSwete's Ps 13:3 (Codex B) carries all of Rom 3:13–18; Codex A omits it and a corrector of Sinaiticus brackets it.
  • UncertainWhether Paul compiled the chain or took over an existing collection (4Q175); no lean.
  • ImpliesThe chain moves from character (3:10–12) to speech (3:13–14), deeds (3:15–17), and root (3:18), framed by οὐκ ἔστιν.
  • ImpliesSin pervades the whole person: understanding, speech, conduct, and the fear of God; the team's position agrees with WCF 6.2–4 (inability at 8:7–8; original sin at 5:12–21).
  • ImpliesPaul applies these portraits, some first spoken of Israel (Isa 59), to Jews and Greeks alike (3:9, 19).
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historicalRom 3:10–18
Where did the chain of 3:10–18 come from? Testimonia and Scripture chains
  • SaysRom 3:10–18 strings together Ps 14:1–3 (53:1–3), Ps 5:9, Ps 140:3, Ps 10:7, Isa 59:7–8 (cf. Prov 1:16), and Ps 36:1; 3:13 follows LXX Ps 5:10 and 139:4 word for word and 3:18 follows LXX Ps 35:2 with 'their' for 'his'; 3:12 matches LXX Ps 13:3, while 3:10–11, 14–17 shorten or adapt their sources; 3:19 draws the conclusion that the whole world is accountable to God.
  • ImpliesRom 3:9–19 implies that Paul uses the chain as Scripture's own verdict on all people, Jews included.
  • UncertainWhether Paul composed the chain of Rom 3:10–18 or used an existing collection of texts (testimonia).
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languageRom 3:10; Rom 3:11; Rom 3:12; Rom 3:13; Rom 3:14; Rom 3:15; Rom 3:16; Rom 3:17; Rom 3:18
The sources of the catena in Rom 3:10–18: MT and LXX
  • SaysRom 3:10–12 follows Ps 14:1–3 (= Ps 53:1–3); ποιῶν χρηστότητα agrees with LXX Ps 13:3 against Ps 52:4 ἀγαθόν; δίκαιος (3:10) is not in the psalm (cf. Eccl 7:20).
  • SaysRom 3:13 = LXX Ps 5:10 and 139:4; 3:14 shortens LXX Ps 9:28; 3:15–17 shortens Isa 59:7–8 (ἔγνωσαν with A and Qmg; Swete's text οἴδασιν); 3:18 = Ps 35:2 with αὐτῶν for αὐτοῦ. Prov 1:16 has almost the same Hebrew as Isa 59:7.
  • UncertainWhether Paul compiled the catena or took over an existing collection.
  • ImpliesPaul applies these portraits of the wicked to Jews and Greeks alike (3:9, 19).
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Rom 3:19

languageRom 3:19; Rom 3:20
ὑπόδικος … τῷ θεῷ; ἐξ ἔργων νόμου οὐ δικαιωθήσεται πᾶσα σάρξ
  • 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).
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Rom 3:20

exegeticalRom 2:6–16; Rom 3:20–28; Rom 4:4–5; Rom 5:1; Rom 8:1; 2 Cor 5:10
Doctrinal note: judgment according to works and justification by faith (grounded in Romans 2:6, 16; 3:20–28; 4:4–5; 5:1; 8:1; 2 Corinthians 5:10)
  • SaysPaul teaches both judgment according to deeds for all, believers included (2:6, 16; 2 Cor 5:10), and justification of the ungodly by faith apart from works (3:20, 28; 4:4–5; 5:1; 8:1).
  • ImpliesJudgment according to deeds is real and impartial and is not a second way of salvation alongside faith (2:6, 9–11, 16; 3:20–28; 4:4–5; 2 Cor 5:10).
  • ImpliesWorks never form part of the ground of the verdict of justification (3:20–28; 4:4–5; 5:1; 8:1); an account in which the whole life's works form part of the ground of the final verdict falls outside this boundary.
  • UncertainWhether 2:7, 10, 13 describe believers' deeds appearing at the judgment as evidence of a living faith; the two readings differ, and it is left open.
  • SaysPaul speaks of reward and loss for a believer's work at the Day, though the builder himself will be saved (1 Cor 3:12–15).
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historicalRom 3:20; Rom 3:24–25; Rom 3:27–28
'Works of the law' (3:20, 28) and 4QMMT
  • SaysRom 3:20 says no one will be justified by works of the law, for the law brings awareness of sin; Rom 3:28 says a person is justified by faith apart from works of the law.
  • ImpliesRom 3:20, 24–25, 28 implies that whatever 'works of the law' includes, it is excluded as the ground of justification; faith is the way a person is justified, and the ground is the redemption in Christ Jesus.
  • UncertainWhether the 4QMMT parallel shows that 'works of the law' in Rom 3:20, 28 points chiefly to the law's distinctive marks or to all that the law requires.
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languageRom 3:20
Rom 3:20 and Ps 143:2 (LXX 142:2)
  • SaysMT Ps 143:2 יִצְדַּק לְפָנֶיךָ כָל־חָי; LXX 142:2 ὅτι οὐ δικαιωθήσεται ἐνώπιόν σου πᾶς ζῶν.
  • SaysRom 3:20 follows Ps 143:2, though Paul's wording differs from the LXX.
  • SaysThe psalmist appeals to God's faithfulness and righteousness, not his own (Ps 143:1).
  • ImpliesIf no one living is righteous before God's judgment, works of the law cannot gain that verdict; righteousness must come from God (3:21–22).
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Rom 3:21

exegeticalRom 1:17; Rom 3:21–26; Rom 10:3; Phil 3:9
The meaning of δικαιοσύνη θεοῦ in Romans 1:17
  • SaysGod's righteousness is revealed in the gospel, from faith to faith, with Hab 2:4 cited as support (1:17).
  • ImpliesAt 1:17 δικαιοσύνη θεοῦ is God's saving righteousness received by faith, not his punitive justice; cf. Ps 98:2 (LXX 97:2); Isa 46:13; 51:5–8.
  • ImpliesRead with 3:21–26, 10:3, and Phil 3:9, it includes both God's saving act and the righteous status he gives to believers (genitive of source/author).
  • UncertainHow far 'covenant faithfulness' belongs to the meaning at 1:17 rather than 3:3–5, 25–26; the team holds the gift sense primary, God's faithfulness its ground.
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exegeticalRom 3:21–26
The righteousness of God revealed apart from the law (Romans 3:21–26)
  • SaysApart from the law the righteousness of God has been revealed, attested by the Law and the Prophets, διὰ πίστεως Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ to all who believe, with no distinction; all have sinned and fall short of God's glory and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption in Christ Jesus (3:21–24).
  • Impliesδικαιοσύνη θεοῦ is chiefly the God-given standing in 3:21–22 (cf. Phil 3:9) and chiefly God's own justice and saving and covenant faithfulness in 3:25–26; the two belong together and are not set against each other.
  • ImpliesJustification is forensic: δικαιόω is a declarative verdict given freely by grace to the ungodly and set against condemnation (3:24; 4:5; 5:9, 16; 8:1, 33–34).
  • UncertainWhether δικαιούμενοι attaches to the 'all' of 3:23 (lean) or begins afresh, possibly a formula Paul adopts (main alternative); whether ἀπολύτρωσις keeps the idea of a ransom price (lean: 3:25; 1 Cor 6:20) or means deliverance without it (main alternative).
  • SaysGod presented Christ as ἱλαστήριον in his blood through faith, to demonstrate his righteousness because of the passing over of former sins in his forbearance, so as to be just and the justifier of τὸν ἐκ πίστεως Ἰησοῦ (3:25–26).
  • ImpliesChrist's death is a penal substitution: God is just in justifying because the penalty of the sins he passed over was borne in Christ's death (3:24–26; 4:25; 5:9; 8:3).
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languageRom 3:21; Rom 3:22; Rom 3:26
δικαιοσύνη θεοῦ διὰ πίστεως Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ (3:22; cf. 3:26)
  • SaysGod's righteousness has been manifested apart from the law, διὰ πίστεως Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, to all who believe (3:21–22).
  • UncertainWhether πίστις Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ (3:22; cf. 3:26) is objective, 'faith in Jesus Christ' (Gal 2:16; Mark 11:22; Abbott-Smith; Moo, Schreiner, Cranfield), or subjective, 'the faithfulness of Jesus Christ' (3:3; 4:16; Wright); presented on equal terms, with a loosely held lean to the objective.
  • SaysOn either reading justification comes through the believer's faith in Christ (3:22b τοὺς πιστεύοντας; Gal 2:16 ἐπιστεύσαμεν).
  • Impliesδικαιοσύνη θεοῦ is chiefly the God-given standing in 3:21–22 (Phil 3:9) and, in 3:25–26, chiefly God's own righteousness: his justice and his saving and covenant faithfulness (3:3–5), shown at the cross; the two belong together.
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Rom 3:22

exegeticalRom 3:22; Rom 3:26
Faith in Jesus Christ or the faithfulness of Jesus Christ (Romans 3:22, 26)
  • SaysGod's righteousness comes διὰ πίστεως Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ to all who believe (3:22), and God justifies τὸν ἐκ πίστεως Ἰησοῦ (3:26).
  • UncertainWhether πίστις Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ is objective, 'faith in Jesus Christ' (Gal 2:16; Mark 11:22; BSB; Moo, Schreiner, Cranfield), or subjective, 'the faithfulness of Jesus Christ' (3:3; 4:16; Wright); set out on equal terms, with a loosely held lean to the objective.
  • SaysOn either reading justification comes through the believer's faith in Christ (3:22b, τοὺς πιστεύοντας; Gal 2:16, ἐπιστεύσαμεν).
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Rom 3:23

languageRom 3:23; Rom 3:24
δικαιούμενοι δωρεὰν τῇ αὐτοῦ χάριτι διὰ τῆς ἀπολυτρώσεως
  • SaysAll have sinned and fall short of God's glory, being justified freely by his grace through the redemption in Christ Jesus (3:23–24).
  • Saysδωρεάν is adverbial ('freely'), τῇ αὐτοῦ χάριτι is a dative of means, and ἀπολύτρωσις is redemption.
  • UncertainWhether δικαιούμενοι attaches to πάντες of 3:23 (lean; the 'all' who believe, 3:22) or begins afresh, possibly a formula Paul adopts (main alternative; Käsemann, Stuhlmacher).
  • UncertainWhether ἀπολύτρωσις keeps the idea of a ransom price (lean: 'in His blood', 3:25; 1 Cor 6:20) or means deliverance without it (main alternative).
  • Impliesδικαιόω is declarative: a free verdict by grace to the ungodly, set against condemnation (3:24; 4:5; 5:9, 16; 8:33–34).
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Rom 3:25

exegeticalRom 3:25–26
ἱλαστήριον as propitiation, πάρεσις as forbearance, and the demonstration of God's righteousness (Romans 3:25–26)
  • SaysGod presented Christ as ἱλαστήριον (3:25); the LXX uses the word for the cover of the ark (Exod 25:17; Lev 16:2, 14), as does Heb 9:5, and 4 Macc 17:22 (non-canonical) has it.
  • UncertainWhether προέθετο means 'presented publicly' (lean) or 'purposed' (main alternative; cf. 1:13).
  • Impliesἱλαστήριον is propitiation: God's wrath turned away by Christ's death, provided by God himself, which also removes sin; the named alternative is expiation only.
  • UncertainWhether 3:25 alludes to the mercy seat (lean: probable, not established; LXX ἱλαστήριον for the kapporet, Heb 9:5, 'in His blood' and the Day of Atonement) or means a means of propitiation in general (named alternative: no article; Christ as both place and victim); the allusion, if present, does not displace propitiation.
  • Impliesπάρεσις is forbearance, a passing over of former sins, not their forgiveness (ἐν τῇ ἀνοχῇ; the need for a demonstration; ἄφεσις is Paul's word for forgiveness); the named alternative is 'remission'. God had not yet punished those sins in full, and the cross shows that he had not overlooked them.
  • UncertainWhether διὰ τὴν πάρεσιν is 'because of' (lean) or 'through' (alternative); whether there is one demonstration restated (lean) or two (alternative); whether ἐν τῷ αὐτοῦ αἵματι goes with προέθετο/ἱλαστήριον (lean) or with διὰ πίστεως (alternative).
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historicalRom 3:25–26
ἱλαστήριον (3:25): the Day of Atonement and other background
  • SaysRom 3:25 says God presented Christ as a ἱλαστήριον in his blood through faith; Heb 9:5 uses the word for the mercy seat; Lev 16:14–15 has the high priest sprinkle blood on and before the mercy seat on the Day of Atonement.
  • ImpliesRom 3:25–26, read with 1:18 and 2:5, implies that ἱλαστήριον means propitiation, God's wrath turned away by the sacrifice he provides, which also removes sin; Dodd's expiation-only reading is the main alternative.
  • UncertainWhether Rom 3:25 alludes to the mercy seat (kapporet): probable, not established, since LXX ἱλαστήριον names the kapporet (also Heb 9:5) and 'in His blood' fits the Day of Atonement; the alternative is a general 'means of propitiation', since the word lacks the article and the mercy-seat reading makes Christ both place and victim.
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languageRom 3:25; Rom 3:26
εἰς ἔνδειξιν … διὰ τὴν πάρεσιν … πρὸς τὴν ἔνδειξιν (3:25–26)
  • SaysGod presented Christ for a demonstration of his righteousness, διὰ τὴν πάρεσιν of former sins in his forbearance, so as to be just and the justifier of τὸν ἐκ πίστεως Ἰησοῦ (3:25–26; BSB 'the one who has faith in Jesus').
  • Impliesπάρεσις is forbearance, a passing over of former sins, not their forgiveness (ἐν τῇ ἀνοχῇ; the need for a demonstration; ἄφεσις is Paul's word for forgiveness); the alternative is 'remission' (Vulgate).
  • UncertainWhether διὰ τὴν πάρεσιν means 'because of' (lean: διά + accusative is regularly causal; the clause gives the reason for the demonstration) or 'through' (main alternative: the passing over as means, parallel to διὰ πίστεως; rare for διά + accusative).
  • UncertainWhether there is one demonstration, restated (lean: the article in πρὸς τὴν ἔνδειξιν), or two, past and present (alternative).
  • UncertainWhether ἐν τῷ αὐτοῦ αἵματι goes with προέθετο/ἱλαστήριον (lean: Paul seldom marks faith's object with ἐν; 'his blood' belongs with the sacrifice, 5:9) or with διὰ πίστεως (main alternative: word order; Abbott-Smith lists Rom 3:25 under πίστις with ἐν).
  • ImpliesGod is just in justifying because the penalty of the sins he passed over was borne in Christ's death (3:24–26; 4:25; 5:9; 8:3).
✓ Approved SBLGNT CC BY 4.0 Abbott-Smith public domain BSB public domain Tischendorf⁸ public domain
languageRom 3:25
ὃν προέθετο ὁ θεὸς ἱλαστήριον: "an atoning sacrifice"
  • SaysGod put Christ forward as ἱλαστήριον (3:25).
  • UncertainWhether προέθετο means 'set forth publicly' (lean: the stress on demonstration) or 'purposed' (main alternative; cf. 1:13).
  • Saysἱλαστήριον is the neuter of ἱλαστήριος, 'propitiatory'; the LXX uses the noun for the lid of the ark (Exod 25; Lev 16), and 4 Macc 17:22 (non-canonical) also has the word.
  • Impliesἱλαστήριον is propitiation: God's wrath turned away by Christ's death, provided by God himself (1:18; 2:5; 3:5; 5:9); the named alternative is expiation only (Dodd; answered by Morris).
  • UncertainWhether 3:25 alludes to the mercy seat (lean: probable, not established; grounds: LXX ἱλαστήριον for the kapporet, Heb 9:5, and 'in his blood' fitting the Day of Atonement) or denotes a means of propitiation in general (main alternative: no article, and the mercy-seat reading makes Christ both place and victim; Deissmann); if present the allusion does not displace propitiation.
✓ Approved SBLGNT CC BY 4.0 Abbott-Smith public domain BSB public domain Deissmann, Bible Studies public domain 🔒︎ Dodd, 'Ἱλάσκεσθαι' (JTS 1931) Copyrighted
languageRom 3:25
Kapporet and ἱλαστήριον: Exod 25 and Lev 16 behind Rom 3:25
  • SaysExod 25:17 (כַפֹּרֶת) and Lev 16:2, 14–15: the gold kapporet on the ark, where God meets Moses and appears, and on which the Day of Atonement blood is sprinkled.
  • SaysSwete's LXX renders kapporet ἱλαστήριον (Exod 25:16; Lev 16:2, 14); Heb 9:5 τὸ ἱλαστήριον; Rom 3:25 ἱλαστήριον with ἐν τῷ αὐτοῦ αἵματι.
  • Impliesἱλαστήριον in Rom 3:25 is propitiation: in Christ's blood God's wrath is turned away and God is shown righteous (3:25–26); the named alternative, expiation only (the removal of sin with no wrath in view), is in note.language.Rom.3.25.hilasterion.
  • UncertainWhether Rom 3:25 alludes to the kapporet (lean: probable, not established, on LXX ἱλαστήριον for the kapporet, Heb 9:5, and 'in his blood' fitting the Day of Atonement; Moo) or uses ἱλαστήριον generally as a means of propitiation (alternative: no article; the mercy-seat reading would make Christ both the place and the victim).
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Rom 3:27

exegeticalRom 3:27–31
Boasting excluded, justification by faith apart from works of the law, the one God, and the law upheld (Romans 3:27–31)
  • SaysBoasting is excluded, not by a law of works but by the law (principle) of faith (3:27).
  • UncertainWhether νόμος in νόμου πίστεως is 'principle' (lean; BSB) or the Mosaic law viewed in relation to faith (main alternative; 3:31; 9:31–32).
  • ImpliesBoasting is excluded because justification is a free gift received by faith (3:24, 28; 4:2–5).
  • SaysA person is justified by faith apart from works of the law (3:28).
  • Implies'Faith alone' is a fair summary of 3:28 (3:24, 27–28; 4:4–5); faith is the means, and the ground is the redemption in Christ Jesus.
  • UncertainWhether 'works of the law' are all that the law requires, boundary markers included (lean: 3:20b; 2:21–23; 4:4–5), or Israel's distinguishing practices chiefly (narrower reading); either way 3:28 excludes them as the ground of justification.
  • SaysGod is the God of Gentiles as well as Jews, since God is one, and he will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith (3:29–30).
  • Impliesεἷς ὁ θεός echoes the Shema (Deut 6:4): the one God justifies circumcised and uncircumcised alike by faith.
  • UncertainWhether ἐκ πίστεως and διὰ τῆς πίστεως in 3:30 are a stylistic variation (lean) or a deliberate Jew/Gentile distinction (main alternative).
  • SaysFaith does not nullify the law; 'we uphold the law' (3:31).
  • UncertainWhether faith upholds the law as Scripture witnessing to justification by faith (lean: 3:21; ch. 4) or by leading to the fulfillment of its requirement (main alternative; 8:4); the two can be held together.
✓ Approved SBLGNT CC BY 4.0 BSB public domain OSHB CC BY 4.0 LXX (Swete) CC BY-SA 4.0
languageRom 3:27
ἐξεκλείσθη … διὰ νόμου πίστεως
  • SaysBoasting is excluded, not by a law of works but through νόμος πίστεως (3:27); ἐξεκλείσθη is aorist passive.
  • SaysThe boasting recalls 2:17, 23.
  • UncertainWhether νόμος in νόμου πίστεως is 'principle' (lean; BSB) or the Mosaic law viewed in relation to faith (main alternative; cf. 3:31; 9:31–32).
  • ImpliesBoasting is excluded because justification is a free gift received by faith (3:24, 28; 4:2–5).
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Rom 3:28

languageRom 3:28; Rom 3:29; Rom 3:30
δικαιοῦσθαι πίστει … χωρὶς ἔργων νόμου; ἐκ πίστεως / διὰ τῆς πίστεως
  • SaysA person is justified by faith apart from works of the law (3:28).
  • Implies'Faith alone' is a fair summary of 3:28 (3:24, 27–28; 4:4–5).
  • SaysGod is not the God of Jews only but of Gentiles too, since God is one (3:29–30).
  • UncertainWhether ἐκ πίστεως and διὰ τῆς πίστεως in 3:30 are a stylistic variation (lean: both used of the same justification; the article is anaphoric) or a deliberate Jew/Gentile distinction (main alternative).
✓ Approved SBLGNT CC BY 4.0 BSB public domain

Rom 3:29

languageRom 3:29; Rom 3:30
Rom 3:30 and the Shema (Deut 6:4)
  • SaysRom 3:30 εἷς ὁ θεός; Deut 6:4 אֶחָד, LXX Κύριος εἷς ἐστιν.
  • ImpliesRom 3:30 echoes the Shema: the one God justifies circumcised and uncircumcised alike by faith (3:29–30; cf. 10:12).
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Rom 3:31

languageRom 3:31
νόμον οὖν καταργοῦμεν διὰ τῆς πίστεως; … νόμον ἱστάνομεν
  • SaysPaul denies that faith nullifies the law and affirms that 'we uphold the law' (3:31).
  • Saysδιὰ τῆς πίστεως has the anaphoric article, 'this faith'.
  • UncertainWhether faith upholds the law as Scripture witnessing to justification by faith (lean: 3:21; ch. 4) or by leading to the fulfillment of its requirement (main alternative; 8:4); the two can be held together.
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