For being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, they didn’t subject themselves to the righteousness of God.

World English Bible · Public Domain

Parallel Translations

  • WEB World English Bible

    For being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, they didn’t subject themselves to the righteousness of God.

  • TYNDALE Tyndale New Testament (1534)

    For they are ignoraunt of the rightewesnes which is alowed before God and goo about to stablisshe their awne rightewesnes and therfore are not obedient vnto the rightewesnes which is of valew before God.

  • GNV Geneva Bible (1599)

    For they, being ignorant of the righteousnes of God, and going about to stablish their owne righteousnes, haue not submitted themselues to the righteousnes of God.

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Cross-references (29)

Passages linked to Romans 10:3 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.

  • Luke 16:15 He said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts. For that which is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.
  • Philippians 3:9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own, that which is of the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith,
  • 2 Corinthians 5:21 For him who knew no sin he made to be sin on our behalf; so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
  • Luke 18:9-12 He spoke also this parable to certain people who were convinced of their own righteousness, and who despised all others. “Two men went up into the temple to pray; one was a Pharisee, and the other was a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed to himself like this: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of men, extortionists, unrighteous, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week. I give tithes of all that I get.’
  • Romans 1:17 For in it is revealed God’s righteousness from faith to faith. As it is written, “But the righteous shall live by faith.”
  • Romans 5:19 For as through the one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the one, many will be made righteous.
  • Revelation 3:17-18 Because you say, ‘I am rich, and have gotten riches, and have need of nothing;’ and don’t know that you are the wretched one, miserable, poor, blind, and naked; I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, that you may become rich; and white garments, that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes, that you may see.
  • Isaiah 51:8 For the moth will eat them up like a garment, and the worm will eat them like wool; but my righteousness will be forever, and my salvation to all generations.”
  • Isaiah 57:12 I will declare your righteousness; and as for your works, they will not benefit you.
  • Romans 3:22 even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ to all and on all those who believe. For there is no distinction,
  • Nehemiah 9:33 However you are just in all that has come on us; for you have dealt truly, but we have done wickedly.
  • Isaiah 56:1 Yahweh says, “Maintain justice and do what is right, for my salvation is near and my righteousness will soon be revealed.
  • Luke 10:29 But he, desiring to justify himself, asked Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?”
  • Leviticus 26:41 I also walked contrary to them, and brought them into the land of their enemies; if then their uncircumcised heart is humbled, and they then accept the punishment of their iniquity,
  • Job 33:27 He sings before men, and says, ‘I have sinned, and perverted that which was right, and it didn’t profit me.
  • Psalms 71:19 Your righteousness also, God, reaches to the heavens; you have done great things. God, who is like you?
  • Isaiah 64:6 For we have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteousness is like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.
  • Psalms 71:15-16 My mouth will tell about your righteousness, and of your salvation all day, though I don’t know its full measure. I will come with the mighty acts of the Lord Yahweh. I will make mention of your righteousness, even of yours alone.
  • Lamentations 3:22 It is because of Yahweh’s loving kindnesses that we are not consumed, because his compassion doesn’t fail.
  • John 16:9-10 about sin, because they don’t believe in me; about righteousness, because I am going to my Father, and you won’t see me any more;
  • Romans 3:26 to demonstrate his righteousness at this present time; that he might himself be just, and the justifier of him who has faith in Jesus.
  • Romans 9:30-32 What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, who didn’t follow after righteousness, attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith; but Israel, following after a law of righteousness, didn’t arrive at the law of righteousness. Why? Because they didn’t seek it by faith, but as it were by works of the law. They stumbled over the stumbling stone;
  • Galatians 5:3-4 Yes, I testify again to every man who receives circumcision that he is a debtor to do the whole law. You are alienated from Christ, you who desire to be justified by the law. You have fallen away from grace.
  • 2 Peter 1:1 Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have obtained a like precious faith with us in the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ:
  • Isaiah 51:6 Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look at the earth beneath; for the heavens will vanish away like smoke, and the earth will wear out like a garment. Its inhabitants will die in the same way, but my salvation will be forever, and my righteousness will not be abolished.
  • Jeremiah 23:5-6 “Behold, the days come,” says Yahweh, “that I will raise to David a righteous Branch, and he will reign as king and deal wisely, and will execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell safely. This is his name by which he will be called: Yahweh our righteousness.
  • Daniel 9:6-9 We haven’t listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land. “Lord, righteousness belongs to you, but to us confusion of face, as it is today; to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to all Israel, who are near, and who are far off, through all the countries where you have driven them, because of their trespass that they have trespassed against you. Lord, to us belongs confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against you. To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgiveness; for we have rebelled against him.
  • Daniel 9:24 “Seventy weeks are decreed on your people and on your holy city, to finish disobedience, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most holy.
  • Luke 15:17-21 But when he came to himself he said, ‘How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough to spare, and I’m dying with hunger! I will get up and go to my father, and will tell him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight. I am no more worthy to be called your son. Make me as one of your hired servants.” ’ “He arose, and came to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him, and was moved with compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)

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Explain this verse (19 sources)

Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.

John Calvin 1540 · Public Domain 3. For being ignorant of the righteousness of God,…

3. For being ignorant of the righteousness of God, etc. See how they went astray through inconsiderate zeal! for they sought to set up a righteousness of their own; and this foolish confidence proceeded from their ignorance of God’s righteousness. Notice the contrast between the righteousness of God and that of men. We first see, that they are opposed to one another, as things wholly contrary, and cannot stand together. It hence follows, that God’s righteousness is subverted, as soon as men set up their own. And again, as there is a correspondence between the things contrasted, the righteousness of God is no doubt his gift; and in like manner, the righteousness of men is that which they derive from themselves, or believe that they bring before God. Then he who seeks to be justified through himself, submits not to God’s righteousness; for the first step towards obtaining the righteousness of God is to renounce our own righteousness: for why is it, that we seek righteousness from another, except that necessity constrains us?

We have already stated, in another place, how men put on the righteousness of God by faith, that is, when the righteousness of Christ is imputed to them. But Paul grievously dishonors the pride by which hypocrites are inflated, when they cover it with the specious mask of zeal; for he says, that all such, by shaking off as it were the yoke, are adverse to and rebel against the righteousness of God.

John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.

Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain The ignorance of the Law which we ought to…
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain 3 For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and…
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain They being ignorant of God’s righteousness: here he shows…
William Burkitt 1703 · Public Domain That is, the Jews being ignorant of God’s way…
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain For they being ignorant of God's righteousness,.... Either of…
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain For they being ignorant of the righteousness of God…
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 3. For - being ignorant of God's righteousness]…
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain For they being ignorant - The ignorance of the…
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain The justice of God. That is, the justice which…
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain For they being ignorant of God's righteousness--that is, for…
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain 3. Being ignorant—Or, rather, ignoring actively; just as the…
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 3. being ignorant of] not knowing: the verb refers…
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain (3) God’s righteousness.—See Rom_1:17; Rom_3:21.
B. W. Johnson 1891 · Public Domain 3. Being ignorant of God's righteousness. It is now…
William B. Godbey 1900 · Public Domain 3. “For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness and…
J. W. McGarvey 1914 · Public Domain For being ignorant of God's righteousness [Here Paul shows…
C. I. Scofield 1917 · Public Domain The word "righteousness" here, and in the passages having…
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 10:3 God’s way of making people right with himself:…

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