9What then? Are we at an advantage? Not at all. For we have already charged both Jews and Greeks: all are under sin. [3:10] As it is written: 'There is no one righteous — not even one; [3:11] there is no one who understands, no one who seeks out God. [3:12] All have turned aside; together they have become worthless. There is no one who does good — not even one.' [3:13] 'Their throat is an open grave; with their tongues they have spoken deceit.' 'The venom of vipers is under their lips.' [3:14] 'Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.' [3:15] 'Their feet are swift to shed blood; [3:16] ruin and misery are in their paths, [3:17] and the way of peace they have not known.' [3:18] 'There is no fear of God before their eyes.' [3:19] Now we know that whatever the law says, it speaks to those within the law, so that every mouth may be stopped and all the world may be held under judgment before God. [3:20] Therefore, by works of the law no flesh will be justified before him — for through the law comes the knowledge of sin.
ROM 3:9-20
There Is No One Righteous
In the world it was spoken into
In the Roman world, the concept of righteousness was deeply tied to legal and moral standing, often framed within the honor-shame culture. For Jews, righteousness was understood through the lens of Torah observance, while Greeks associated it with virtue and civic duty. Paul’s assertion that 'none is righteous' would have been jarring to both groups. Jews prided themselves on their covenantal relationship with God, while Greeks valued philosophical and ethical ideals. Paul’s use of Psalm 14 and other Jewish scriptures to declare universal sinfulness would have challenged Jewish listeners, who saw themselves as distinct from Gentiles. Greeks, accustomed to Stoic and Epicurean debates about virtue, would have found the idea of universal moral failure counterintuitive. The imagery of venomous snakes and deceitful tongues evoked the pervasive corruption Paul describes, resonating with Jewish apocalyptic thought and Greco-Roman moral critiques. The term (under judgment) underscores accountability to divine law, a concept familiar to both Jewish and Roman legal systems.
›See the receipts
How other translations render this
ROM 3:9
- KJV
- What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin;
- BSB
- What then? Are we any better? Not at all. For we have already made the charge that Jews and Greeks alike are all under sin.
- Koinōnos
- What then? Are we at an advantage? Not at all. For we have already charged both Jews and Greeks: all are under sin.
ROM 3:10
- KJV
- As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
- BSB
- As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one.
- Koinōnos
- As it is written: 'There is no one righteous — not even one;
ROM 3:11
- KJV
- There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.
- BSB
- There is no one who understands, no one who seeks God.
- Koinōnos
- there is no one who understands, no one who seeks out God.
ROM 3:12
- KJV
- They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
- BSB
- All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.”
- Koinōnos
- All have turned aside; together they have become worthless. There is no one who does good — not even one.
ROM 3:13
- KJV
- Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips:
- BSB
- “Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit.” “The venom of vipers is on their lips.”
- Koinōnos
- Their throat is an open grave; with their tongues they have spoken deceit.' 'The venom of vipers is under their lips.
ROM 3:14
- KJV
- Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness:
- BSB
- “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.”
- Koinōnos
- Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.
ROM 3:16
- KJV
- Destruction and misery are in their ways:
- BSB
- ruin and misery lie in their wake,
- Koinōnos
- ruin and misery are in their paths,
ROM 3:17
- KJV
- And the way of peace have they not known:
- BSB
- and the way of peace they have not known.”
- Koinōnos
- and the way of peace they have not known.
ROM 3:19
- KJV
- Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.
- BSB
- Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God.
- Koinōnos
- Now we know that whatever the law says, it speaks to those within the law, so that every mouth may be stopped and all the world may be held under judgment before God.
ROM 3:20
- KJV
- Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
- BSB
- Therefore no one will be justified in His sight by works of the law. For the law merely brings awareness of sin.
- Koinōnos
- Therefore, by works of the law no flesh will be justified before him — for through the law comes the knowledge of sin.
Only verses where the wording diverges meaningfully are shown. Identical phrasings are suppressed.
Where the historical framing draws from
- Josephus, WarsWars 2.8.14
- Josephus, WarsWars 2.12.7
›Josephus, Wars Wars 2.8.14
“the Pharisees are those who are esteemed most skillful in the exact explication of their laws, and introduce the first sect.”
Cited to ground: For Jews, righteousness was understood through the lens of Torah observance
›Josephus, Wars Wars 2.12.7
“he condemned the Samaritans, and commanded that three of the most powerful men among them should be put to death; he banished Cumanus”
Cited to ground: The term (under judgment) underscores accountability to divine law, a concept familiar to both Jewish and Roman legal systems.
Translator's notes
ROM 3:9
- Are we better?:The phrase translated 'Are we better?' carries the sense of having an advantage or being superior, often implying a claim to privilege or preeminence.
ROM 3:12
- they became worthless;:The word translated 'they became worthless' describes something becoming useless, corrupted, or rendered unprofitable, like something that has spoiled or been damaged beyond repair.
ROM 3:13
- of vipers:The word translated 'of vipers' refers to a specific type of venomous snake, often an asp, known for its deadly bite.
ROM 3:19
- under judgment:The term translated 'under judgment' means being liable to judgment or accountable to the law, indicating a state of being subject to legal proceedings or condemnation.