Romans 3:10 · Bible study
Romans 3:10 Commentary: No One Righteous
Greek · 10 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Explore how Paul's quotation of Psalm 14:1-3 in Romans 3:10 declares universal sinfulness apart from justification by faith.
Research Summary
- Meaning: Paul quotes Psalm 14 to prove that every person, including religious insiders, fails to meet God’s standard of righteousness.
- Key words: “righteous” (dikaios) = in right relationship with God; “no, not one” (oude heis) = absolute negation.
- Main debate: Is the quotation meant to prove universal depravity or specifically Jewish failure? Most commentators see both layers.
- Theological theme: The universality of sin, which sets the stage for justification by faith alone.
- Best use: As a bridge from conviction (law) to hope (gospel) in preaching and teaching.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one.
WEB World English Bible 2000
As it is written, “There is no one righteous; no, not one.
KJV King James Version 1769
As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
ASV American Standard Version 1901
as it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one;
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
according as it hath been written--`There is none righteous, not even one;
Darby Darby Bible 1890
according as it is written, There is not a righteous [man], not even one;
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
As it is written: There is not any man just.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Como está escrito: No hay justo, ni aun uno;
como está escrito: Não há justo, nem um sequer.
selon qu’ il est écrit:
wie denn geschrieben steht: “Da ist nicht, der gerecht sei, auch nicht einer.
Gelijk geschreven is: Er is niemand rechtvaardig, ook niet een;
siccome è scritto: Non v’è alcun giusto, neppur uno.
Jako napisano: Nie masz sprawiedliwego ani jednego;
как написано: нет праведного ни одного;
就如 經上所記： 沒 有 義人，連一個 也沒有。
As it is said in the holy Writings, There is not one who does righteousness;
Verse in Context
Original Language (Koine Greek)
New Testament · Koine Greek · Romans 3:10
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree that Paul cites Psalm 14:1-3 to establish a rock-solid Scriptural verdict: every human being, Jew or Gentile, stands outside a right relationship with God on their own. Barnes notes that while the immediate target is the Jewish claim of privilege, the psalm itself pictures God looking down on all the children of men, no one does good, not one. Calvin observes that Paul gives the meaning rather than the literal words, summing up the prophet’s declaration that none are righteous. Gill draws the same conclusion: the apostle rightly infers from “there is none that does good” that “there is none righteous.” Wesley says Paul “rightly cites David and Isaiah” because the vices witnessed in every age confirm the charge. The consensus holds that the purpose is not mere accusation but to shut every mouth and make the whole world accountable to God.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: Paul quotes Scripture to assert that no human being, apart from God’s grace, is in a right relationship with God.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Scope of the quotation | Paul cites Psalm 14 to support his argument that all are under sin. | Some see the primary reference as the Jewish nation (Barnes, initial point), while others insist the original psalm and Paul's use are universal (Gill, Wesley). Most harmonize both: the direct target is Jewish, but the principle applies to all. |
| Meaning of 'righteous' (dikaios) | It refers to being in right standing before God, not just outward behavior. | Catholic tradition often emphasizes inherent righteousness infused by grace, while Reformed tradition stresses imputed righteousness. The verse itself does not settle the mechanism, but both agree that no one has a righteousness of their own that can stand before God. |
| Relationship to the Law | The law exposes sin and stops human boasting, preparing for the gospel. | Some traditions emphasize that the law's function is to drive us to Christ (Lutheran), while others see it as a continued guide for the regenerate (Calvinist). The verse underlines the universal failure to keep the law. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Romans 3:10 sits at the hinge of Paul’s argument that both Jews and Greeks need a righteousness that comes from God, not from the law. In chapters 1, 2 he has shown that Gentiles are guilty of suppressing the truth, and that Jews who possess the law fail to keep it. Now in 3:9 he states the conclusion: we have already charged that all are under sin. Verse 10 begins the proof from their own Scriptures, a chain of quotations from the Psalms and Isaiah (14:1-3; 5:9; 10:7; 140:3; 36:1; Provers 1:16; Isaiah 59:7-8). The Jewish reader would venerate these texts; Paul uses them as an unanswerable witness.
Psalm 14 (and its parallel, Psalm 53) describes the fool who says there is no God and is then corrupted in every part. In its original setting it probably exposed the godlessness and oppression within Israel, but the psalmist frames God searching “the children of men” universally. Paul takes that scope and applies it directly to his Jewish contemporaries. The Cambridge Bible points out that the apostle’s chain of quotations is not random; it catalogues the specific fruits of sin, throat, tongue, lips, mouth, feet, to show humanity’s comprehensive failure.
The cultural force of this argument would have been sharp. Jews believed circumcision and the law gave them an edge in justification (Romans 2:17, 20). Paul dismantles that confidence by demonstrating that the very oracles they treasure condemn them. The only path left is the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ, which he will unfold starting in 3:21.
Textual Notes
The Greek text of Romans 3:10 is firm across all major manuscripts; there are no significant variants for this verse. The Cambridge Bible notes that in the Alexandrine manuscript of the Septuagint of Psalm 14, the text includes additional clauses matching Paul's entire catena (Romans 3:12, 18), likely a scribal harmonization. This does not affect the Pauline text, but it shows how Paul's quotation was later incorporated into some Old Testament manuscripts.
Reception History
Romans 3:10 has been a foundational text for the doctrine of original sin. Early church fathers like Augustine cited it to argue that human nature is fallen and incapable of good without grace. During the Reformation, Luther and Calvin used it to contradict any confidence in human ability. In the Wesleyan tradition, the verse was understood to describe humanity’s natural state before prevenient grace restores some measure of freedom. Across traditions, the verse is read as a severe but merciful diagnosis: only when we confess that “there is none righteous” can we receive the righteousness that comes from God through faith.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The universal verdict, God declares that no one is righteous, not a single person. This is not a weak probability but a divine pronouncement anchored in “it is written.”
- The biblical witness, Paul does not rely on his own opinion; he appeals to the Psalms, showing that Israel’s own sages and prophets agreed: sin is universal.
- The purpose of the verdict, This diagnosis is not meant to crush but to drive us to the cure. The courtroom indictment prepares the way for the gracious verdict given in Christ.
Five-point outline
- Paul proves his claim from the Old Testament, “as it is written”
- Righteousness is defined not as outward behavior but as being right with God
- No exception exists, “no, not one”
- The scope includes all people, not just Gentiles
- The confession of sin opens the door to the good news of justification by faith
Illustration hooks
- A teacher hands out an exam that no student can pass, not because the test is unfair, but because the material they need is unavailable to them. That is the situation Paul describes: the law demands perfection, and we cannot deliver.
- A child tries to reach a high shelf by standing on their tiptoes. No matter how hard they try, they cannot. Paul says the same is true for all humans trying to reach God’s standard on their own.
- Consider a courtroom where every person in the gallery is called to give an account. One by one they all confess they cannot meet the judge’s requirements. That is the picture Paul paints: “every mouth may be stopped.”
Questions your congregation is asking
- If Paul says no one is righteous, what about the godly people in the Old Testament, Noah, Abraham, David? Were they not righteous?”
- Does this verse mean believers still have no righteousness at all, or are they made righteous in Christ?”
- What does it mean to be “righteous” in this context, is it a moral quality or a legal standing?”
Leading a Discussion
Paul writes to people who thought their religious heritage gave them an advantage before God. This verse shatters that confidence. The good news cannot be heard until we admit the bad news is true.
Discussion questions
- What does Paul mean when he says it is “written”? Why does he base his argument on Scripture?
- How does the phrase “no, not one” reinforce the force of the statement?
- Barnes says the primary reference is to the Jews. Is there any evidence in the text that Paul intends a wider scope? How does Romans 3:9 help answer this?
- If no one is righteous, how can there be any hope for anyone? Where does this passage point for a solution?
- How does this verse challenge modern assumptions that people are basically good?
- In what ways might we still try to claim we are “better than they” (v.9) today?
- How does knowing the full extent of sin deepen your appreciation for God’s grace in Christ?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Job 14:4 | Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? Not one. |
| Job 15:14 | What is man, that he should be clean? What is he who is born of a woman, that he should be righteous? |
| Job 15:16 | how much less one who is abominable and corrupt, a man who drinks iniquity like water! |
| Job 25:4 | How then can man be just with God? Or how can he who is born of a woman be clean? |
| Psalms 14:1 | For the Chief Musician. By David. 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. |
| Psalms 14:3 | They have all gone aside. They have together become corrupt. There is no one who does good, no, not one. |
| Psalms 53:1 | For the Chief Musician. To the tune of “Mahalath.” A contemplation by David. 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 53:3 | Every one of them has gone back. They have become filthy together. There is no one who does good, no, not one. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
9 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke stresses that the claim "there is none righteous" applies to every person in their natural state, Jew and Gentike alike. He observes that God is pictured searching from heaven for anyone who seeks him, and since God cannot be deceived, finding none proves the verdict absolute.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes argues that Paul quotes the Old Testament to prove universal human sinfulness, not merely Jewish failure. The psalmist originally described all humanity when he said no one does good, and Paul uses these words to show that both Jews and Gentiles are equally under sin, unable to be justified by the law.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin stresses that Paul shifts from human reasoning to divine authority, treating Scripture as the most compelling proof for Christians. He also notes that Paul gives the sense of the Psalm rather than its exact words, which matters for understanding how the apostles used the Old Testament.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The commentator observes that this verse is not a direct Old Testament quotation but a summary statement Paul composed to introduce the chain of citations that follow. The original passages describe Israelites, yet Paul broadens their force to show that sin's root and fruits are universal to every human heart.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
As it is written, There is none righteous, no not one.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill notes that Paul deliberately infers "none righteous" from the Psalmist's statement that "none does good." His point is that righteousness is proven by action, so if no one does good, no one is righteous. Gill then lists every possible basis for human righteousness, from Adam's innocence to law-keeping to inherent holiness, and denies them all except the righteousness of Christ imputed to believers.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB notes that the Psalmist's descriptions of human wickedness came from specific examples he witnessed, but those examples reveal something universal. They show what every person is like when left unrestrained in their fallen condition, which is why the apostle applies them broadly to all humanity.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry notes that the Jew's great advantage lay in receiving God's oracles, a privilege no other nation had. He then clears away the objection that some Jews' unbelief could undo God's faithfulness: human failure does not cancel divine truth, but rather highlights it.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley stresses that Paul cites David and Isaiah to show what God sees when He looks down from heaven, not what grace makes people. The description of universal sinfulness applies to human nature apart from grace, with the general claim that none are righteous followed by their corrupt dispositions, speech, and actions.