Rom 3:10-23 | TNotes | STEP | Summary for Rom 3:10-18: 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 . Summary for Rom 3:10-12: 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.

Summary for Rom 3:10-18: 3:10-18 ^a 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.
Summary for Rom 3:10-12: 3:10-12 ^b This quotation from Pss 14:1-3 ^c; 53:1-3 ^d directly supports the argument that all people are under the power of sin.
Summary for Rom 3:13-14: 3:13-14 ^e Paul here refers to sins of speech, mentioning a different organ of speech in each of the four lines (talk in 3:13 ^f is literally throat).
Summary for Rom 3:15-17: 3:15-17 ^g In this quotation from Isa 59:7-8 ^h, Paul addresses sins against others.
3:18 ⁱ They have no ... : This concluding quotation from Ps 36:1 ^j neatly ties up the whole series (Rom 3:10-18 ^k) by referring to the same Greek words that introduced the first quotation (ouk estin, translated in 3:10 ^l, “No one is”).
3:19 ^m Paul speaks of the entire Old Testament as the law (see also 1 Cor 9:8 ⁿ, 9 ^o; 14:21 ^p, 34 ^q; Gal 4:21 ^r).

• Those to whom it was given (literally those in the law) were the Jews, who were given the Scriptures.

• How can Paul conclude that the entire world is guilty before God on the basis of evidence from the Old Testament that Jews are sinful? He argues from the greater to the lesser, a standard Jewish rhetorical technique: If the law shows that the Jews, God’s own people, are guilty, then how much more are the Gentiles, who have not had the benefit of God’s instruction, also guilty.
3:20 ^s By doing what the law commands refers to obeying the requirements of the law of Moses. While this phrase refers to Jews, the principle extends to all people. If Jews cannot be put in right relationship with God by obeying the law God gave them, certainly other people cannot establish such a relationship through good deeds.
Summary for Rom 3:21-22: 3:21–4:25 ^t Paul returns to the central theme of the righteousness of God that is revealed in Christ and is available to anyone who believes. The fundamental statement of this theology is in 3:21-26 ^u; Paul elaborates on it in 3:27-31 ^v and illustrates it with the experience of Abraham in ch 4 ^w.
Summary for Rom 3:21-22: 3:21-22 ^x After a lengthy reminder of the power of sin (1:18–3:20 ^y), Paul returns to the theme presented in 1:17 ^z, the way to be made right with God (literally the righteousness of God). As in that verse, “the righteousness of God” is the way that God puts people in right relationship with himself.

• without keeping the requirements of the law (literally apart from the law): The old covenant looked forward to the climactic revelation of God’s righteousness in his Son. Because of what God has accomplished for us in Christ by completely fulfilling the requirements of the law, we are now able to come to him by faith, apart from the covenant structure set up by the law of Moses (cp. Heb 8:13 ^aa).