Romans

3:9-20

Arguments in support of the proposition, 1:18-11:36

1. The impartial nature of God's righteous condemnation of universal sin, 1:18-3:20

vii] Given the human condition of universal sin, the law is unable to purify, it only condemns

In this passage, Paul draws a conclusion from his argument so far, namely, that the human condition of universal sin is not aleviated by submission to the law, for the law only serves to make sin more sinful.

ti oun "what shall we conclude then?" - what therefore? "What then", NRSV.

proecomeqa (proecw) pres. mid/pas. "are we any better?" - active = are we better off, do we have an advantage? The NIV, as with most modern translations, treat the middle voice as active (middles are often active in NT). A passive seems unlikely, middle possible; "have we a shelter under which we can regard ourselves as delivered from wrath", Godet. Paul does note Jewish advantage in v1, but this is qualified such that in eternal terms there is no advantage. The "we" is obviously "we Jews", but in particular, "we believers who maintain our Jewish heritage and submit to the law of Moses as compared with Gentiles who don't" (but note "we" in v8; "we" = Paul's apostolic missionary team). It could be argued that this rules Paul out, but although Paul maintains his Jewish heritage, he would be the first to admit that, when it comes to a person's standing before God, Jewish heritage means nothing.

ou pantwV "not at all!" - The definite sense "by no means", Barclay, as NIV, is accepted by most, eg., Turner, BAGD, although the Gk. properly says "not altogether", Cranfield.

prohtiasameqa (proaitiaomai) aor. mid. "we have already made the charge" - act. = we have made a previous accusation. "We have already made the point that we are all sinners and stand under the judgment of God, irrespective of our submission to the law."

einai (eimi) inf. "that" - Infinitive of the verb to-be serving to express a dependent statement, indirect speech.

The string of six quotations, Ps.14:1-3, 5-9, 140.3, 10:7, Isa.59.7-8 and Ps.36:1, prove the universality of sin, of our "moral bankruptcy and guilt before God", Hunter.

oJti "-" - introducing a quote.

dikaioV adj. "righteous" - Possibly taking Paul's sense of "count/treat as right/righteous", Barrett, and therefore "possess covenant status"; "no one", "not even one" has ever gained, maintained, or progressed this standing through their own effort applied to the law, although there are some who are right by faith. So, "there is no one who is righteous under the law", all sin and all stand condemned.

oJ ekzhtwn (ekzhtew) pres. part. "one who seeks" - the one seeking. The prefix expresses "earnest seeking." Again, it must be "seeking" apart from grace.

hcrewqhsan (acreiow) aor. pas. "we have [together] become worthless" - we have become useless, unprofitable. Aorist is possibly ingressive where the stress is placed on the beginning of the action, so NIV.

eJwV eJnow "not even one" - until one. In the sense of "not even reaching one." "There isn't one person who does right", CEV.

Paul draws on the Psalms to illustrate the evil of mankind, particularly applicable to the self-righteous and their tongue.

anewgmenoV (anoigw) perf. pas. part. "are open [graves]" - having been opened. The participle is probably adjectival, qualifying the noun "grave"; "a grave which has been opened". The image of a throat like an open grave is somewhat strange, but possibly the stench of the open grave is what is intended, and this related to a deceitful tongue, so: "their talk is foul and filthy like the stench of an open grave", LB.

edoliousan (doliow) imperf. "practice deceit" - they were working deceit. The imperfect tense is durative; "They use their tongues for treachery", REB.

Isaiah 59:7-8 proclaims God's judgment upon faithless Israel, here illustrating Israel's evil, an evil applicable to the self-righteous.

ekceai "[are swift] to shed [blood]" - to pour, shed. There is no verb in the Gk. (an ellipsis) so it must be supplied, eg., "they have swift (adj. "sharp", so obviously "swift") feet", the infinitive is then epexegetic, explaining something about the "feet". The unrighteous of Israel (although v15 is possibly wider) live in a destructive way. "Everyone is in a hurry to destroy."

In v16 it is again best to supply a verb, eg., "they spread ruin and misery along (Gk. "in/by") their path", TNT.

v17, "they do not recognize (Gk. "know") the way that leads to fellowship (Gk. "peace") with God and one another."

foboV (oV) "fear" - If "the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom", then they haven't even begun to relate to God; "he plays no part in directing their life", Cranfield. "Fear", probably in the sense of "respect", Fitzmyer, although Morris argues for "the terror of the Lord."

oJti "that" - Introducing a dependent statement of pondering.

toiV "those who are" - to the ones.

en "under [the law]" - in, on. Obviously taking a local sense, "in the sphere of", so "those within the sphere of the law," Wuest; "inside the law", Moffatt." "We know (= "we Jews know") that the instruction of the law (Mosaic law rather than scriptures) apply to those who have placed themselves under / submit to the authority of the law."

iJna + subj. "so that [... may be silenced .... held accountable]" - Possibly expressing purpose, "in order that", although result (consecutive) seems better, "with the result that."

fragh/ (frassw) aor. pas. subj. "may be silenced" - [every mouth] may be stopped. Courtroom imagery where a defendant is unable to answer the charge due to the degree of incrimination.

paV oJ kosmoV "the whole world" - all the world. The whole world is not incriminated by the law of Moses, rather, a Jew under the law is incriminated by the law and thus they, along with the Gentiles (J+G = "the whole world"), stand guilty.

genhtai (ginomai) aor. mid. subj. "held accountable" - become [guilty]. "Guilty" in the sense of having broken the law and thus subject to punishment.

tw/ qew/ "to God" - The dative is local, "before God / in God's presence."

Paul now summarizes his argument: Those who place themselves under the law of Moses, as with all humanity, are in a state of sin and face the condemnation of God, for the law serves only to expose sin, not establish nor maintain right-standing before God for the appropriation of his promised covenant blessings.

dioti "therefore" - because, therefore. A causal "because" is possible, "for the truth is that no human being will be ......", Cassirer, particularly if the hina clause in v19 is final (purpose), but a consequential, "therefore", seems better, as NIV.

pasa sarx "no one" - all flesh. "no human being", REB.

dikaiwqhsetai (dikaiow) fut. pas. "will be declared righteous" - will be justified. "Declared righteous" is possibly the sense, but such a meaning reflects a particular theological position, as does "made righteous", "counted/treated as righteous", "have conferred on them a righteous status", "gain covenant status", ..... How about "no person stands right before God by works of the law"?

ex "by" - "Out of / from", as of identifying source, is OK, but probably best expressed in the sense of an expenditure for some end, eg., buy something "with" money, so here gain righteousness "with" works of the law; best expressed instrumentally, "by means of."

ergwn nomou "observing the law" - works of the law. This is virtually a technical term for Paul, meaning "obedience to the law of Moses."

gar "rather" - for. Better, "because", Cassirer.

dia + gen. "through" - through, by means of. "Through" identifying the function of the law, not to create, maintain, or progress righteousness, but rather, expose the human state of sin.

epignwsiV (iV ewV) "we become conscious of" - recognition, knowledge. In the sense, perception of. "The law forces us to face our complicity."

Romans Introduction.

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