Questions where the Bible appears to say two different things, with the passages on each side set together.
Has there ever been a righteous person?Job 15:14, Isaiah 64:6, and Romans 3:10 deny anyone is righteous — all our righteousness is as filthy rags, there is none righteous, no, not one.
Should we fear God?The Torah, prophets, and Wisdom literature relentlessly command fear of YHWH — Deuteronomy 6:13, Ecclesiastes 12:13, Proverbs 9:10, Matthew 10:28, and Hebrews…
Psalms 53:1-3(v10)The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, and have done abominable iniquity. There is no one who does good. God…
Psalms 14:1-3(v10)The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt. They have done abominable deeds. There is no one who does good. Yahweh…
Romans 3:23(v10)for all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God;
Psalms 14:2-4(v11)Yahweh looked down from heaven on the children of men, to see if there were any who understood, who sought after God. They have all gone…
1 John 1:8-10(v10)If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to…
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Psalms 53:2(v11)God looks down from heaven on the children of men, to see if there are any who understood, who seek after God.
Job 15:14(v10)What is man, that he should be clean? What is he who is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?
Job 25:4(v10)How then can man be just with God? Or how can he who is born of a woman be clean?
Psalms 14:3(v12)They have all gone aside. They have together become corrupt. There is no one who does good, no, not one.
Mark 7:21-22(v10)For from within, out of the hearts of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, sexual sins, murders, thefts, covetings, wickedness, deceit,…
Mark 10:18(v10)Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except one—God.
Matthew 15:19(v10)For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, sexual sins, thefts, false testimony, and blasphemies.
Titus 3:3(vv10–11)For we were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating…
Jeremiah 17:9(v10)The heart is deceitful above all things and it is exceedingly corrupt. Who can know it?
Ecclesiastes 7:20(v12)Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and doesn’t sin.
Ephesians 5:3-6(v10)But sexual immorality, and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be mentioned among you, as becomes saints; nor filthiness, nor…
1 Timothy 1:9-10(v10)as knowing this, that law is not made for a righteous person, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and sinners, for the…
Isaiah 59:8(v12)They don’t know the way of peace; and there is no justice in their ways. They have made crooked paths for themselves; whoever goes in them…
Isaiah 64:6(v12)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…
1 Peter 1:16(v10)because it is written, “You shall be holy; for I am holy.”
Job 14:4(v10)Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? Not one.
Isaiah 53:6(v12)All we like sheep have gone astray. Everyone has turned to his own way; and Yahweh has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Hosea 4:6(v11)My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I will also reject you, that you may be no priest to…
Galatians 5:19-21(v10)Now the deeds of the flesh are obvious, which are: adultery, sexual immorality, uncleanness, lustfulness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred,…
Colossians 3:5-9(v10)Put to death therefore your members which are on the earth: sexual immorality, uncleanness, depraved passion, evil desire, and…
2 Timothy 3:2-5(v10)For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without…
Ecclesiastes 7:29(v12)Behold, I have only found this: that God made man upright; but they search for many schemes.”
Romans 8:7(v11)because the mind of the flesh is hostile toward God; for it is not subject to God’s law, neither indeed can it be.
Hosea 7:10(v11)The pride of Israel testifies to his face; yet they haven’t returned to Yahweh their God, nor sought him, for all this.
Isaiah 31:1(v11)Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, and rely on horses, and trust in chariots because they are many, and in horsemen because they…
Isaiah 55:6(v11)Seek Yahweh while he may be found. Call on him while he is near.
Isaiah 65:1(v11)“I am inquired of by those who didn’t ask. I am found by those who didn’t seek me. I said, ‘See me, see me,’ to a nation that was not…
Jeremiah 4:22(v11)“For my people are foolish. They don’t know me. They are foolish children, and they have no understanding. They are skillful in doing evil,…
Romans 3:4(v10)May it never be! Yes, let God be found true, but every man a liar. As it is written, “that you might be justified in your words, and might…
Ephesians 2:1-3(v10)You were made alive when you were dead in transgressions and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world,…
Job 15:16(v10)how much less one who is abominable and corrupt, a man who drinks iniquity like water!
Proverbs 1:22(v11)“How long, you simple ones, will you love simplicity? How long will mockers delight themselves in mockery, and fools hate knowledge?
Proverbs 1:29-30(v11)because they hated knowledge, and didn’t choose the fear of Yahweh. They wanted none of my counsel. They despised all my reproof.
Matthew 13:19(v11)When anyone hears the word of the Kingdom, and doesn’t understand it, the evil one comes, and snatches away that which has been sown in his…
1 Corinthians 6:9-10(v10)Or don’t you know that the unrighteous will not inherit God’s Kingdom? Don’t be deceived. Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor…
Ephesians 2:3(v12)We also all once lived among them in the lusts of our flesh, doing the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of…
1 Peter 2:25(v12)For you were going astray like sheep; but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
1 John 5:20(v11)We know that the Son of God has come, and has given us an understanding, that we know him who is true, and we are in him who is true, in…
Proverbs 1:7(v11)The fear of Yahweh is the beginning of knowledge; but the foolish despise wisdom and instruction.
Isaiah 9:13(v11)Yet the people have not turned to him who struck them, neither have they sought Yahweh of Armies.
Matthew 13:13-14(v11)Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they don’t see, and hearing, they don’t hear, neither do they understand. In them the…
Romans 1:22(v11)Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
Philemon 1:11(v12)who once was useless to you, but now is useful to you and to me.
Revelation 22:15(v10)Outside are the dogs, the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.
Genesis 1:31(v12)God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. There was evening and there was morning, a sixth day.
Job 21:15-16(v11)What is the Almighty, that we should serve him? What profit should we have, if we pray to him?’ Behold, their prosperity is not in their…
Psalms 94:8(v11)Consider, you senseless among the people; you fools, when will you be wise?
Isaiah 8:20(v10)Turn to the law and to the covenant! If they don’t speak according to this word, surely there is no morning for them.
Isaiah 27:11(v11)When its boughs are withered, they will be broken off. The women will come and set them on fire, for they are a people of no understanding.…
Romans 1:28(v11)Even as they refused to have God in their knowledge, God gave them up to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not fitting;
Ephesians 2:8-10(v12)for by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, that no one would boast.…
Revelation 21:8(v10)But for the cowardly, unbelieving, sinners, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their part is in…
Genesis 6:6-7(v12)Yahweh was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him in his heart. Yahweh said, “I will destroy man whom I have created…
Exodus 32:8(v12)They have turned away quickly out of the way which I commanded them. They have made themselves a molded calf, and have worshiped it, and…
Psalms 53:1(v12)The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, and have done abominable iniquity. There is no one who does good.
Psalms 53:4(v11)Have the workers of iniquity no knowledge, who eat up my people as they eat bread, and don’t call on God?
Jeremiah 2:13(v12)“For my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the spring of living waters, and cut out cisterns for themselves: broken…
Matthew 25:30(v12)Throw out the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
Romans 11:8(v10)According as it is written, “God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear, to this…
Romans 15:3-4(v10)For even Christ didn’t please himself. But, as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.” For whatever things…
Philippians 2:12-13(v12)So then, my beloved, even as you have always obeyed, not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation…
Titus 2:13-14(v12)looking for the blessed hope and appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us, that he might…
James 1:16-17(v12)Don’t be deceived, my beloved brothers. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with…
68 distinct cross-references across this passage (69 total citations).
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this passage (20 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
John Calvin1540 · Public DomainOn vv10–1210. As it is written, etc. He has hitherto…
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; he afterwards particularly enumerates the effects or fruits of this unrighteousness.
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.
John Trapp1656 · Public DomainOn vv10–1210 As it is written, There is none righteous,…
10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
Ver. 10. 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.)
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole1685 · Public DomainOn vv10–12As it is written; viz. in several places of…
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 Psa 14:3, and Psa 53:1, upon which places see the annotations.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
William Burkitt1703 · Public DomainOn v10Observe here, How the apostle proves his assertion; namely,…
Observe here, How the apostle proves his assertion; namely, That both Jew and Gentile were under the guilt both of original and actual transgression, from the testimony of David, Psalms 14 where the state of corrupt nature is described, and the natural condition of all men declared, till they are either restrained or renewed by the grace of God: There is none righteous, no not one. Which words are true in several respects:
1. There is none originally righteous, no not one; none righteous in their first plantation in the world, until they are transplanted into the body of Christ, wrought and fashioned by his Holy Spirit.
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2. There is none efficiently righteous, no not one: None have a righteousness of their own making, but of God’s. The righteousness of justification and sanctification both are from Christ, not from ourselves; we are his workmanship, not our own.
3. There is none meritoriously righteous, no not one; none that can deserve or demand anything as a due debt at God’s hand; but the most rigorous and holy saints are but unprofitable servants.
4. There is none perfectly and completely righteous, no not one; but inchoatively only: None righteous in a strict and legal sense, but in a gospel and qualified sense only: He that doeth righteousness is righteous, in the account of God; and, as such, shall be accepted and rewarded by him.
Observe, 2. How the apostle proves the corruption of mankind in general, by an induction of particulars. He surveys him in all the principal faculties of his soul, and members of his body; his understanding, will and affections; his eye, hand, tongue, and feet all corrupted and depraved: Their mouth is full or cursing, and bitter speeches: Their heart an open sepulchre, gaping after, and devouring the good name of their neighbours, and belching out filthy, ill scented, and unsavoury words against them. They seek not God in anything they do, and there is no fear of God, no respect of God before their eyes.
The apostle suts up all with this, because want of the fear of God before our eyes, is the fountain from which all other evils do proceed and flow. The fear of God is the bridle and curb which restrains from sin; where that is wanting, all iniquity abounds; where that is present and prevalent, it keeps the soul close to God, I will put my fear in their hearts, and they shall not depart from me. Jer 32:32
We usually depart far, yea, run fast from those we fear; but the true fear of God will make us cleave close unto him, because love is intermixed with it, and renders it a delightful fear.
William Burkitt's Expository Notes on the New Testament (1700–1703) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
John Gill1763 · Public DomainOn vv10–12There is none that understandeth,.... This is rightly concluded,…
There is none that understandeth,.... This is rightly concluded, from what the Psalmist says, Psa 14:2, "The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men", on all the children of men, Jews and Gentiles, "to see if there were any that did understand"; and it appears, upon this survey of them, there was not one understanding person among them: man thinks himself a very wise and understanding creature, though he is born a very ignorant one: true indeed, he has not lost by sin the natural faculty of the understanding, so as to become like the horse and mule, which are without any; and it must be allowed, that natural men have some understanding of things natural, civil, and moral; though there is none that understands even these, as Adam did: but then they have no understanding of things spiritual; no spiritual knowledge of God; no true sense of themselves, their sin and misery; nor do they truly know the way of salvation by Christ; nor have they any experience of the work of the Spirit of God upon their souls; nor any experimental knowledge of the doctrines of the Gospel: no man can understand these of himself, by the mere strength of reason, and light of nature; nor can even a spiritual man fully understand them in this life; in consequence of this account and character of men it follows, that
there is none that seeketh after God; that worships him in Spirit and in truth, or prays to him with the Spirit, and with the understanding; who seek him chiefly, and in the first place, with their whole hearts, earnestly, diligently, and constantly; who seek him in Christ, and under the assistance of the Spirit; who seek after the knowledge of God in Christ, communion with him through the Mediator, or his honour and glory.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley1765 · Public DomainOn vv10–12As it is written - That all men are…
As it is written - That all men are under sin appears from the vices which have raged in all ages. St. Paul therefore rightly cites David and Isaiah, though they spoke primarily of their own age, and expressed what manner of men God sees, when he "looks down from heaven;" not what he makes them by his grace. There is none righteous - This is the general proposition. The particulars follow: their dispositions and designs, ver. 11, 12; their discourse, ver. 13, 14; their actions, ver. 16-18. Psalm xiv, 1, &c.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke1810 · Public DomainOn vv10, 12Verse 10. As it is written] See Ps 14:1-3;…
Verse 10. As it is written] See Ps 14:1-3; from which this and the two following verses are taken.
There is none righteous] This is true, not only of the Jews, but of the Gentiles; of every soul of man, considered in his natural and practical state, previously to his receiving the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ. There is no righteous principle in them, and, consequently, no righteous act can be expected from them; see on Ro 3:12. God himself is represented as looking down from heaven to see if there were any that feared and sought after him; and yet he, who cannot be deceived, could find none! And therefore we may safely conclude there was none to be found.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Albert Barnes1834 · Public DomainOn vv10–12As it is written - The apostle is reasoning…
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 Rom 3:10-12, is from Psa 14:1-3; and from Psa 53:1-3. Psa 53:1-6 is the same as Psa 14:1-7, with some slight variations.
(Yet if we consult Psa 14:1-7 and Psa 53:1-6, from which the quotations in Rom 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.”
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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 Rom 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 Rom 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 Rom 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 Rom 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 Psa 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!)
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary1859 · Public DomainOn v10There is not any man just, viz. virtue either…
There is not any man just, viz. virtue either of the law of nature, or of the law of Moses; but only by faith and grace. (Challoner) --- The apostle here adduces a series of passages from the ancient Scripture, to convince both Jews and Gentiles, that not one amongst them was just, nor had any title to glory, on account of his good works. Not that a just man could not be found under the old law, or even before the law; an infinite number of passages of Scripture will shew the contrary: but he must be understood as speaking of man left to himself, as a son of Adam, conceived in sin, and brought forth a child of wrath. (Calmet) --- These crimes, enumerated by the apostle, are not mentioned as if found in each individual, but some of this black catalogue of crimes were found in one man; some in another; yet so that all had become infected with sin and iniquity, all had deserted the path of virtue. There was none just, none found, who feared or sought after God. (Estius) --- These texts of Scripture, though formerly, even before the times of St. Jerome and St. Augustine, they were found together in some Latin editions, viz. Psalm xiii. cannot be found united either in the Hebrew text, or Septuagint version, as St. Jerome affirms, in Præf. lib. xvi. commentar. in Isai. This, he says, all the Greek commentators allow. He says, that those who were ignorant of this apostle’s art in uniting together the texts of different pasts of Scripture, upon finding no part where they were all together, placed them, without any authority, in that psalm whence the first part of the citation is taken. The words, an open sepulchre, are taken from Psalm xiii. (Hebrew text xiv.) the verse "Their throat is an open sepulchre, with their tongues they have dealt deceit fully," from Psalm v. "The venom of asps is under their lips," from Psalm cxxxix. "Whose mouth is full of curses and bitterness," from Psalm ix. "Their feet are swift," &c. as far as, there is no fear, from Isaias chap. lix. "There is not the fear of God before their eyes," from Psalm xxxv. (Estius)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown1871 · Public DomainOn v10As it is written, &c.-- (Psa 14:1-3; Psa 53:1-3).…
As it is written, &c.-- (Psa 14:1-3; Psa 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.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon1874 · Public DomainOn vv10–1110. Not one—Not that none are regenerate and so…
10. Not one—Not that none are regenerate and so righteous, but that none in nature’s condition are so.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges1878 · Public DomainOn v1010. There is none, &c.] In Rom_3:10-18 we have…
10. There is none, &c.] In Rom_3:10-18 we have a chain of Scripture quotations. The originals are found, verbally or in substance, in Psa_5:9; Psa_10:7; Psa_14:1-3; Psa_36:1; Psa_140:3; Pro_1:16; Isa_59:7. In the Alexandrine MS. of the LXX. of Psalms 14 (LXX. 13):3, appears a singular phenomenon: the Gr. is much ampler than the original Hebrew (for Which see E. V.), and is verbatim the same as the Gr. of Rom_3:12-18 of this chapter. There can be little doubt that this was the work of a copyist acquainted with this passage of St Paul.—Rom_3:10 would better read: as it is written that there is none righteous, no, not one. The precise quotations would then begin at Rom_3:11. The words of Rom_3:10 are not found in the O. T., and read rather as a summary of what is to follow.
The awful charges of Rom_3:10-18 are specially pointed at the Jews: see Rom_3:19. The passages quoted are descriptive of Israelites, some of them of Israelites of the best days of Israel. What at least they establish is that the root of sin was vigorous in Jewish hearts, and that its fruits in Jewish lives were abominable in the sight of God. Meantime we must not narrow the reference too closely. The Apostle’s doctrine of human sinfulness (see e.g. Tit_3:3) is that the worst developments of individual sin only indicate the possibilities of the sinful heart in general. Passages like those cited here thus prove, not only what certain men were, but what man is. See Jer_17:9.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers1878 · Public DomainOn v12(12) They are together become unprofitable.—Here the adjective is…
(12) They are together become unprofitable.—Here the adjective is used to express a state of moral corruption and depravity. “Together” means “altogether;” “the whole mass of mankind, with one consent, has fallen to ruin.”
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary1880 · Public DomainOn v10Vers. 10-18. As it is written, There is none…
Vers. 10-18. As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: there is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are altogether become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. (Ps 14 or Ps 53) Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they hays used deceit; (Psa_5:9) the poison of asps is under their lips: (Psa_140:3) whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: (Psa_10:7) their feet are swift to shed blood: destruction and misery are in their ways: and the way of peace have they not known: (Pro_1:16 and Isa_59:7) there is no fear of God before their eyes. (Psa_36:1) These texts are from various unconnected passages of the Old Testament, quoted from the LXX, though not all accurately. They seem to be put together from memory by way of showing the general scriptural view of human depravity. It may be said that they do not establish the apostle"s position of all men being guilty; for that they are for the most part rhetorical rather than dogmatic, that most of them refer only to certain classes of men, and that the righteous are spoken of too, and this in the sequence of even the most sweeping of them all (that from Ps 14 or lift.), which does, literally understood, assert universal sinfulness. Any such objection to the cogency of the quotations may be met by regarding them as adduced, not as rigid proofs, but as only generally confirmatory of the apostle"s position. See, he would say to the Jew, the picture your own Scriptures give you; observe their continued testimony to human depravity: and the main point of all the quotations is that which is brought out in the next verse, viz. that they had reference, not to the Gentile world, but to the chosen people themselves.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
B. W. Johnson1891 · Public DomainOn vv10–1210–18. As it is written. Psalms 14:1–3 and 53:1–3.…
10–18. As it is written. Psalms 14:1–3 and 53:1–3. Paul quotes the Jewish Scriptures to confirm his statement. None righteous. None absolutely free from sin.
B. W. Johnson's The People's New Testament with Notes (1889–1891) — public domain. Electronic text from the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) ThML edition.
William B. Godbey1900 · Public DomainOn vv10–1210. “As has been written, that there is none…
10. “As has been written, that there is none righteous, no, not one,” i. e., not a single one of the above classes, i. e., Jews and Greeks who are all under sin, i. e., all church members of all ages and nations so far as the efficacy of membership, water baptism, church rites and legal obedience are concerned. Since these things, though all right in their places, never did have any power to justify a soul; therefore they leave all their votaries in their sins both actual and original, on the same plane with the unregenerate heathen.
William B. Godbey, Commentary on the New Testament (1896–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
J. W. McGarvey1914 · Public DomainOn vv10–12as it is written, There is none righteous, no,…
as it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one ;
J. W. McGarvey (with Philip Y. Pendleton), Commentaries on the New Testament (The Fourfold Gospel, 1914; Acts; and the epistles) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
C. I. Scofield1917 · Public DomainOn v10(See Scofield "Rom 10:10").
righteous
(See Scofield "Rom 10:10").
The Scofield Reference Bible (1917 edition), notes by C. I. Scofield — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0On v11There is no one who understands
There is no one who understands
There is no one who understands what is right. AT: "No one really understands what is right" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)
Read full note →
There is no one who seeks after God
Here the phrase "seeks after God" means to have a relationship with God. AT: "No one sincerely tries to have a right relationship with God" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)
They have all turned away
This is an idiom that means the people do not even want to think about God. They want to avoid him. AT: "They have all turned away from God" (See: Idiom)
They together have become useless
Since no one does what is good, they are useless to God. AT: "Everyone has become useless to God" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)
Tyndale Open Study Notes2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0On v103:10-18 The six quotations in these verses, drawn from…
3:10-18 The six quotations in these verses, drawn from various parts of the Old Testament, all address human sinfulness. Paul follows the practice of rabbis who gathered together Old Testament texts on similar themes in a practice called pearl-stringing.
3:10-12 This quotation from Pss 14:1-3; 53:1-3 directly supports the argument that all people are under the power of sin.
GEBible — Godless Engineer's Bible App
John Calvin 1540 · Public Domain On vv10–12 10. As it is written, etc. He has hitherto…
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; he afterwards particularly enumerates the effects or fruits of this unrighteousness.
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.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv10–12 10 As it is written, There is none righteous,…
10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
Ver. 10. 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.)
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv10–12 As it is written; viz. in several places of…
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 Psa 14:3, and Psa 53:1, upon which places see the annotations.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
William Burkitt 1703 · Public Domain On v10 Observe here, How the apostle proves his assertion; namely,…
Observe here, How the apostle proves his assertion; namely, That both Jew and Gentile were under the guilt both of original and actual transgression, from the testimony of David, Psalms 14 where the state of corrupt nature is described, and the natural condition of all men declared, till they are either restrained or renewed by the grace of God: There is none righteous, no not one. Which words are true in several respects:
1. There is none originally righteous, no not one; none righteous in their first plantation in the world, until they are transplanted into the body of Christ, wrought and fashioned by his Holy Spirit.
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2. There is none efficiently righteous, no not one: None have a righteousness of their own making, but of God’s. The righteousness of justification and sanctification both are from Christ, not from ourselves; we are his workmanship, not our own.
3. There is none meritoriously righteous, no not one; none that can deserve or demand anything as a due debt at God’s hand; but the most rigorous and holy saints are but unprofitable servants.
4. There is none perfectly and completely righteous, no not one; but inchoatively only: None righteous in a strict and legal sense, but in a gospel and qualified sense only: He that doeth righteousness is righteous, in the account of God; and, as such, shall be accepted and rewarded by him.
Observe, 2. How the apostle proves the corruption of mankind in general, by an induction of particulars. He surveys him in all the principal faculties of his soul, and members of his body; his understanding, will and affections; his eye, hand, tongue, and feet all corrupted and depraved: Their mouth is full or cursing, and bitter speeches: Their heart an open sepulchre, gaping after, and devouring the good name of their neighbours, and belching out filthy, ill scented, and unsavoury words against them. They seek not God in anything they do, and there is no fear of God, no respect of God before their eyes.
The apostle suts up all with this, because want of the fear of God before our eyes, is the fountain from which all other evils do proceed and flow. The fear of God is the bridle and curb which restrains from sin; where that is wanting, all iniquity abounds; where that is present and prevalent, it keeps the soul close to God, I will put my fear in their hearts, and they shall not depart from me. Jer 32:32
We usually depart far, yea, run fast from those we fear; but the true fear of God will make us cleave close unto him, because love is intermixed with it, and renders it a delightful fear.
William Burkitt's Expository Notes on the New Testament (1700–1703) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv10–12 There is none that understandeth,.... This is rightly concluded,…
There is none that understandeth,.... This is rightly concluded, from what the Psalmist says, Psa 14:2, "The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men", on all the children of men, Jews and Gentiles, "to see if there were any that did understand"; and it appears, upon this survey of them, there was not one understanding person among them: man thinks himself a very wise and understanding creature, though he is born a very ignorant one: true indeed, he has not lost by sin the natural faculty of the understanding, so as to become like the horse and mule, which are without any; and it must be allowed, that natural men have some understanding of things natural, civil, and moral; though there is none that understands even these, as Adam did: but then they have no understanding of things spiritual; no spiritual knowledge of God; no true sense of themselves, their sin and misery; nor do they truly know the way of salvation by Christ; nor have they any experience of the work of the Spirit of God upon their souls; nor any experimental knowledge of the doctrines of the Gospel: no man can understand these of himself, by the mere strength of reason, and light of nature; nor can even a spiritual man fully understand them in this life; in consequence of this account and character of men it follows, that
there is none that seeketh after God; that worships him in Spirit and in truth, or prays to him with the Spirit, and with the understanding; who seek him chiefly, and in the first place, with their whole hearts, earnestly, diligently, and constantly; who seek him in Christ, and under the assistance of the Spirit; who seek after the knowledge of God in Christ, communion with him through the Mediator, or his honour and glory.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On vv10–12 As it is written - That all men are…
As it is written - That all men are under sin appears from the vices which have raged in all ages. St. Paul therefore rightly cites David and Isaiah, though they spoke primarily of their own age, and expressed what manner of men God sees, when he "looks down from heaven;" not what he makes them by his grace. There is none righteous - This is the general proposition. The particulars follow: their dispositions and designs, ver. 11, 12; their discourse, ver. 13, 14; their actions, ver. 16-18. Psalm xiv, 1, &c.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv10, 12 Verse 10. As it is written] See Ps 14:1-3;…
Verse 10. As it is written] See Ps 14:1-3; from which this and the two following verses are taken.
There is none righteous] This is true, not only of the Jews, but of the Gentiles; of every soul of man, considered in his natural and practical state, previously to his receiving the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ. There is no righteous principle in them, and, consequently, no righteous act can be expected from them; see on Ro 3:12. God himself is represented as looking down from heaven to see if there were any that feared and sought after him; and yet he, who cannot be deceived, could find none! And therefore we may safely conclude there was none to be found.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On vv10–12 As it is written - The apostle is reasoning…
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 Rom 3:10-12, is from Psa 14:1-3; and from Psa 53:1-3. Psa 53:1-6 is the same as Psa 14:1-7, with some slight variations.
(Yet if we consult Psa 14:1-7 and Psa 53:1-6, from which the quotations in Rom 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.”
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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 Rom 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 Rom 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 Rom 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 Rom 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 Psa 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!)
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On v10 There is not any man just, viz. virtue either…
There is not any man just, viz. virtue either of the law of nature, or of the law of Moses; but only by faith and grace. (Challoner) --- The apostle here adduces a series of passages from the ancient Scripture, to convince both Jews and Gentiles, that not one amongst them was just, nor had any title to glory, on account of his good works. Not that a just man could not be found under the old law, or even before the law; an infinite number of passages of Scripture will shew the contrary: but he must be understood as speaking of man left to himself, as a son of Adam, conceived in sin, and brought forth a child of wrath. (Calmet) --- These crimes, enumerated by the apostle, are not mentioned as if found in each individual, but some of this black catalogue of crimes were found in one man; some in another; yet so that all had become infected with sin and iniquity, all had deserted the path of virtue. There was none just, none found, who feared or sought after God. (Estius) --- These texts of Scripture, though formerly, even before the times of St. Jerome and St. Augustine, they were found together in some Latin editions, viz. Psalm xiii. cannot be found united either in the Hebrew text, or Septuagint version, as St. Jerome affirms, in Præf. lib. xvi. commentar. in Isai. This, he says, all the Greek commentators allow. He says, that those who were ignorant of this apostle’s art in uniting together the texts of different pasts of Scripture, upon finding no part where they were all together, placed them, without any authority, in that psalm whence the first part of the citation is taken. The words, an open sepulchre, are taken from Psalm xiii. (Hebrew text xiv.) the verse "Their throat is an open sepulchre, with their tongues they have dealt deceit fully," from Psalm v. "The venom of asps is under their lips," from Psalm cxxxix. "Whose mouth is full of curses and bitterness," from Psalm ix. "Their feet are swift," &c. as far as, there is no fear, from Isaias chap. lix. "There is not the fear of God before their eyes," from Psalm xxxv. (Estius)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On v10 As it is written, &c.-- (Psa 14:1-3; Psa 53:1-3).…
As it is written, &c.-- (Psa 14:1-3; Psa 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.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv10–11 10. Not one—Not that none are regenerate and so…
10. Not one—Not that none are regenerate and so righteous, but that none in nature’s condition are so.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On v10 10. There is none, &c.] In Rom_3:10-18 we have…
10. There is none, &c.] In Rom_3:10-18 we have a chain of Scripture quotations. The originals are found, verbally or in substance, in Psa_5:9; Psa_10:7; Psa_14:1-3; Psa_36:1; Psa_140:3; Pro_1:16; Isa_59:7. In the Alexandrine MS. of the LXX. of Psalms 14 (LXX. 13):3, appears a singular phenomenon: the Gr. is much ampler than the original Hebrew (for Which see E. V.), and is verbatim the same as the Gr. of Rom_3:12-18 of this chapter. There can be little doubt that this was the work of a copyist acquainted with this passage of St Paul.—Rom_3:10 would better read: as it is written that there is none righteous, no, not one. The precise quotations would then begin at Rom_3:11. The words of Rom_3:10 are not found in the O. T., and read rather as a summary of what is to follow.
The awful charges of Rom_3:10-18 are specially pointed at the Jews: see Rom_3:19. The passages quoted are descriptive of Israelites, some of them of Israelites of the best days of Israel. What at least they establish is that the root of sin was vigorous in Jewish hearts, and that its fruits in Jewish lives were abominable in the sight of God. Meantime we must not narrow the reference too closely. The Apostle’s doctrine of human sinfulness (see e.g. Tit_3:3) is that the worst developments of individual sin only indicate the possibilities of the sinful heart in general. Passages like those cited here thus prove, not only what certain men were, but what man is. See Jer_17:9.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On v12 (12) They are together become unprofitable.—Here the adjective is…
(12) They are together become unprofitable.—Here the adjective is used to express a state of moral corruption and depravity. “Together” means “altogether;” “the whole mass of mankind, with one consent, has fallen to ruin.”
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On v10 Vers. 10-18. As it is written, There is none…
Vers. 10-18. As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: there is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are altogether become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. (Ps 14 or Ps 53) Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they hays used deceit; (Psa_5:9) the poison of asps is under their lips: (Psa_140:3) whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: (Psa_10:7) their feet are swift to shed blood: destruction and misery are in their ways: and the way of peace have they not known: (Pro_1:16 and Isa_59:7) there is no fear of God before their eyes. (Psa_36:1) These texts are from various unconnected passages of the Old Testament, quoted from the LXX, though not all accurately. They seem to be put together from memory by way of showing the general scriptural view of human depravity. It may be said that they do not establish the apostle"s position of all men being guilty; for that they are for the most part rhetorical rather than dogmatic, that most of them refer only to certain classes of men, and that the righteous are spoken of too, and this in the sequence of even the most sweeping of them all (that from Ps 14 or lift.), which does, literally understood, assert universal sinfulness. Any such objection to the cogency of the quotations may be met by regarding them as adduced, not as rigid proofs, but as only generally confirmatory of the apostle"s position. See, he would say to the Jew, the picture your own Scriptures give you; observe their continued testimony to human depravity: and the main point of all the quotations is that which is brought out in the next verse, viz. that they had reference, not to the Gentile world, but to the chosen people themselves.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
B. W. Johnson 1891 · Public Domain On vv10–12 10–18. As it is written. Psalms 14:1–3 and 53:1–3.…
10–18. As it is written. Psalms 14:1–3 and 53:1–3. Paul quotes the Jewish Scriptures to confirm his statement. None righteous. None absolutely free from sin.
B. W. Johnson's The People's New Testament with Notes (1889–1891) — public domain. Electronic text from the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) ThML edition.
William B. Godbey 1900 · Public Domain On vv10–12 10. “As has been written, that there is none…
10. “As has been written, that there is none righteous, no, not one,” i. e., not a single one of the above classes, i. e., Jews and Greeks who are all under sin, i. e., all church members of all ages and nations so far as the efficacy of membership, water baptism, church rites and legal obedience are concerned. Since these things, though all right in their places, never did have any power to justify a soul; therefore they leave all their votaries in their sins both actual and original, on the same plane with the unregenerate heathen.
William B. Godbey, Commentary on the New Testament (1896–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
J. W. McGarvey 1914 · Public Domain On vv10–12 as it is written, There is none righteous, no,…
as it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one ;
J. W. McGarvey (with Philip Y. Pendleton), Commentaries on the New Testament (The Fourfold Gospel, 1914; Acts; and the epistles) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
C. I. Scofield 1917 · Public Domain On v10 (See Scofield "Rom 10:10").
righteous
(See Scofield "Rom 10:10").
The Scofield Reference Bible (1917 edition), notes by C. I. Scofield — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v11 There is no one who understands
There is no one who understands
There is no one who understands what is right. AT: "No one really understands what is right" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)
Read full note →
There is no one who seeks after God
Here the phrase "seeks after God" means to have a relationship with God. AT: "No one sincerely tries to have a right relationship with God" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)
They have all turned away
This is an idiom that means the people do not even want to think about God. They want to avoid him. AT: "They have all turned away from God" (See: Idiom)
They together have become useless
Since no one does what is good, they are useless to God. AT: "Everyone has become useless to God" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)
translationWords
God
turn
good
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v10 3:10-18 The six quotations in these verses, drawn from…
3:10-18 The six quotations in these verses, drawn from various parts of the Old Testament, all address human sinfulness. Paul follows the practice of rabbis who gathered together Old Testament texts on similar themes in a practice called pearl-stringing.
3:10-12 This quotation from Pss 14:1-3; 53:1-3 directly supports the argument that all people are under the power of sin.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.