Romans 3

Romans 3:1

The former two chapters having been chiefly spent on the Gnostics, (those heretics that, leading villainous, heathen lives, pretended zeal to the legal Mosaical observances,) in persuading and fortifying others against their pretences, not to be seduced by them to depart from the church, or to condemn the uncircumcised Gentile Christians for not having the carnal circumcision, the apostle now proceeds to the defence of his doctrine (and withal, of that great apostolical practice, so heavily objected against him by the Jews and Judaizers, of preaching to the Gentiles, departing from the unbelieving obstinate Jews, and of that great disposition of God’s providence in Christ, the receiving the Gentiles and rejecting the Jews); and that he may vindicate it, he first proposes some vulgar objections against it: as, first, If this which was said ch. ii. 28, 29. be true, (if God reward the cleanness of the heart and inward purity without any discrimination of birth or regard of circumcision, that is, if the Gentiles remaining uncircumcised may be received into the church,) then it may seem that a Jew hath no advantage or privilege or prerogative above the Gentiles, no benefit of the promises made to Abraham when he was appointed to be circumcised, he and all his seed. But all this is thus answered:

Romans 3:2

That, this notwithstanding, the advantages of the Jews have been in many respects very great; for,

[a] chiefly] Πρῶτον here clearly denoteth a form of enumeration, answerable to our imprimis, and signifies that the apostle was about to reckon up all the advantages of the Jew in this place, and accordingly began with one, resolving to have proceeded, had not an objection here diverted his purpose for many chapters together, not permitting him to return from that digression till ch. ix, where again he falls to the same matter, and enumerates the remainder of those privileges, particularly ver. 4, &c. The only privilege which here he begins with is, ὅτι ἐπιστεύθησαν τὰ λόγια τοῦ Θεοῦ, their being intrusted with the oracles of God. What is meant by that phrase it will not be amiss to explain in both parts of it; and first, the λόγια, oracles. Beside the four garments used by the priest when he officiated, there were four more proper to the high priest. The first of them was called חשן, pectoral, because it was fastened about the neck, and came down hanging upon the breast, הכשיש כנגד הלב, saith Sol. Jarchi on Exod. xxviii. 4, “it hangs before or near the heart.” In the scripture it is called the חשן המשמש, the pectoral of judgment, because by it the high priest received the responses of God in all matters of difficulty, as when they should make war or peace, &c. This is called by Josephus ἐσσήν, Antiq. l. 3. c. 8, the very Hebrew word, the ח being not pronounced; and of it he saith, that in the Greek language it signifieth λόγιον (not rationale, I suppose, but) orationale rather, because the word or oracle of God was revealed thereby. And from this use of the word λόγιον for that pectoral, by which all the responses and oracles of God were received, it comes that the word λόγια in the plural is used to signify those oracles and responses, all the revelations of God’s will by this means vouchsafed unto men. (Of the other ways of revelations among the Jews, see note [a] on Acts xxiii.) If it be demanded how these responses or oracles were given and received, the most probable way, (though there be some uncertainty among the Jewish writers in this matter,) and that which is most agreed on, is this: the Hebrew names of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and the twelve tribes, with this addition, כל אלה שבטי ישראל, all these are the tribes of Israel, were written on the pectoral; and in these words every letter of the alphabet is to be found, out of which all other words may be composed. Then when any response was to be received, the high priest set his face toward the שכינה, the ark, the testimony of God’s presence, and he that was concerned in the response set his face toward the high priest; and the letters which were prominent, or which shined in the pectoral, being put together, made the response. And whereas some difficulty is conceived to have been in understanding the order wherein the shining or prominent letters were to be taken, (whereupon some of the rabbins have been fain to say that the high priest heard a voice to direct him in that matter,) I suppose that difficulty will be removed by conceiving

Romans 3:4

[b] judged] Κρίνομαι, δικάζομαι, it signifies “to have a suit in law,” saith Hesychius; and agaiu, κρινόμεθα, μαχόμεθα, any civil “controversy or contention.” The Hebrew in psalm li. 4, whence it is cited, hath בשפטך, in judicando te, “when thou judgest,” literally, but then that word שפט, though it signify judicare, “to judge,” signifies often litigare, “to contend,” also “to plead or manage a cause for one against another.” So Ezek. l. 4, Wilt thou judge them? that is, Wilt thou plead for them? So ver. 7, and oft in these Epistles, 1 Cor. vi. 1, Τολμᾶ κρίνεσθαι, Dares any wage a suit at law, implead another? So in Demaratus Arcadicor. 2. Φόνον κριθεὶς ἀπελύθη τοῦ ἐγκλήματος, “Being impleaded of murder, he was freed from the accusation:” where κριθεὶς must signify, not judged or condemned, for it is added, “he was absolved,” but accused or impleaded: and again, it was by his mother that he was κριθεὶς, not by the judge, another evidence that it signifies

m Ap. Stob. p. 128.

Romans 3:5

But here it will be objected, If God’s way of gracious economy under the gospel (see note [b] ch. i.) may be thus set out, and more illustriously seen by the sins of men, why should God then thus punish the Jews (as the apostles say he will, every where foretelling their approaching destruction) for these sins of theirs, which thus tend to his glory? (I recite the objection of some men;) or if he do, is it not injustice in him to do so?

Romans 3:6

God forbid that we should say any thing on which this may be inferred, for that were to deny him to be God, who, as such, is judge of all the world. (This seems to be here inserted by way of parenthesis, as a note or expression of aversion and detestation of any such blasphemous inference, after which he again proceeds in the proposed objection, ver. 7, repeating it again in other words, which therefore must connect with ver. 5. and cannot be the reason of what is said here in this verse.)

Romans 3:7

[c] lie] As ἀλήθεια, truth, signifies also fidelity or faithfulness, so ψεύσμα, on the contrary, signifying a lie, imports also infidelity or unfaithfulness, and is here set to signify that sin of not making good use of the oracles of God intrusted to the Jews, called their ἀπίστια, unbelief, ver. 3, and ἀδικία, unrighteousness, ver. 5. So ver. 4, Let God be true, and every man a liar: that is, the unfaithfulness of men, in neglecting to do their part, doth no way prejudice, but rather commend the fidelity of God, in allowing them those mercies which they make so ill use of.

Romans 3:8

[d] And not rather] The placing of the words in this verse hath some harshness and consequent obscurity in it. The learned Hugo Grotius is inclinable to believe a transposition of μὴ ὅτι for ὅτι μὴ, and then renders ὅτι, cur, why, thus: And why not, (the rest being read in a parenthesis,) or, Why should we not do evil that good may come? But I suppose the more obvious and simple way ought here to be preferred, and the τί, why, from the former verse to be repeated; or else the sense so to hang, as that the τί, why, there shall have an influence here upon the μὴ, not, and be thus rendered: Καὶ μὴ, And why not, as we are calumniated, &c. or, And why should we not say, as we are calumniated, and as some say that we say. If this latter be it, then λίξομεν, say, is to be understood from the λέγειν following. But if the former, then the whole oration, placed ordinarily in a parenthesis, (καθὼς βλασφημού-μεθα, καὶ καθὼς φασί τινες ἡμᾶς λέγειν, as we are calumniated, and as some say that we say,) is, as it were, the verb to the τί μὴ, why not: thus; And why should not we say what Paul is affirmed to say, (but that is calumny, saith Paul:) and in either way the ὅτι that follows will be taken in the sense that hath been noted of it, Matt. vii. [d] for scilicet or videlicet, “to wit,” only as a form to introduce the speech following: thus; Why should we not say, as we are calumniated—to say, to wit, Let us do evil that good may come—And so this will be a perspicuous rendering of the verse.

Romans 3:9

Some further objection there would be against what we have said, if indeed the Jews were much better by having received the law, less sinful, more innocent than the Gentiles; for then it might be said, that when the Gentiles are taken in, who were the greater sinners, and the Jews, who were better than they, cast off, there were some unequal dealing indeed. But the truth is, we Jews were not better or more innocent than they; but as we have before charged the Jews (as they do the Gentiles) with wilful damnable sinning, so it is most true of them, they were in a very foul course of vices when Christ came, and long before, the far greatest part of them, (where the sinfulness of the Gentiles being supposed by them to whom he writes, and not needing to be proved, but only that of the Jews, he insists on the proof of that only: see ver. 19.)

Romans 3:10

This may be confirmed by the several testimonies of scripture, spoken of the Jews in several texts of the Old Testament, all which were too truly applicable to the Jews at the time of Christ’s coming: They are universally depraved to all iniquity, Psalm xiv. 1. and liii. 1.

Romans 3:11

They live almost atheistically, Psalm xiv. 2.

Romans 3:12

They are apostatized from all piety, so far from having done God any faithful service, that they do the quite contrary, Psalm xiv. 3, (see note [h] ch. i. and note [a] Luke xvii,) men of putrid noisome conversations; and this so generally, that there is not any considerable number of pious men discernible among them.

Romans 3:13

Their talk or discourse (of which throat, tongue, lips are the principal instruments) is most murderous and malicious, Psalm v. 9, like the poison of asps, incurably mortal, Psalm cxl. 4.

[e] Their throat is an open—] These three verses that here follow are evidently taken out of several places of the Psalms and other scriptures, and by the apostle accommodated to his present purpose. And by occasion of their being annexed to three verses taken out of the fourteenth psalm, it hath come to pass that some ancient Latin copies of that psalm have taken them in from hence, and added them to that psalm; and accordingly the translation which is used in the Liturgy hath three verses more to that psalm than the translation in our Bibles doth acknowledge.

Romans 3:14

They curse and deceive, Psalm x. 7, speak contumeliously and falsely against their brethren.

[f] bitterness] The Hebrew word מרכּות, signifying deceits, was by the Septuagint mistaken for מְרוּרָת, and so rendered πικρίας, bitterness, and continued here from thence in this citation; as indeed in most citations of Paul, the apostle of the Gentiles, (who generally used the Septuagint,) and of Luke also his companion, (see note [e] on Acts viii.) the Hebrew text is not made use of, but the Greek translation retained, even when it differs from the original Hebrew.

Romans 3:15

They are most bloodily disposed, delight, and are ready to do any injury, Isaiah lix. 7, to wrong any innocent person.

Romans 3:16

Their actions are very oppressive and grievous to others, grinding the face of the poor, and afflicting them sadly.

Romans 3:17

But for aught that tends to the good of any, to charity or peaceable-mindedness, they know not what belongs to it, Isaiah lix. 8.

Romans 3:18

They have utterly cast off all care or thought of piety, Psalm xxxvi. 1.

Romans 3:19

Now this we know, that what the books of the Old Testament, the Psalms, and the Prophets, thus say, they say to and of the Jews, and so by complaining so much of their universal defection, and their all manner of wickedness, they conclude them (and not only the Gentiles) to be obnoxious to God’s vengeance, and most justly punishable by him, without any thing to say for themselves, as they are considered barely under the law, having so visibly sinned against that, and incurred destruction by the rules of it.

Romans 3:20

To conclude then, there is no justification (see note [b]) to be had for any Jew (that hath been guilty of any sin) by the legal observances, by circumcision and the rest of the Mosaical rites, without remission of sins, through the grace of God in the new covenant. Nor indeed can it be imagined that justification and salvation can be hoped from thence, from whence comes the acknowledgment of our sin and guilt; and such indeed is the law, and such is circumcision particularly, whose nature it is only to oblige us to purity, and to tell us what we should do, and, when we offend, to give us knowledge, and to reproach us of that, and to denounce judgment against us, and appoint sacrifices, (which are only the commemorating of our sins before God, Heb. x. 3, not the expiating of them;) but not to help us to justification, without the mercies of God in the new covenant: (see note [g] Matt. v.)

21, 22. Whereas, on the other side, there is now a sure, clear, new way to bliss, see note [b] ch. i. (to wit, that which was in the world before, and so doth not depend at all upon the Mosaical law, see note [p] Matt. v.) manifested to men by Christ, but mentioned also and obscurely set down in the Old Testament, namely, that way of justifying men by faith in Christ, or by that course which is now prescribed us by Christ, which way shall belong and extend to all, both Jews and Gentiles, (circumcised or uncircumcised, without any discrimination,) who shall believe there is mercy to be had for all true penitents through Christ, and so set themselves to a new life, whatsoever their sins have formerly been.

Romans 3:23

For Jews as well as Gentiles are found also to be sinners, and so far from meriting God’s praise or acceptance; and so, by any way but by the gospel, there is neither justification nor salvation to be had for them.

[g] the glory of God] The word δόξα, glory or praise, being here joined with Θεοῦ, of God, signifies not that glory which accrues to God, the glorifying or praising of his name, but that which accrues to man from God, and that may be either in this world or in the next; the

Romans 3:24

And therefore whensoever they are justified, (either one or other,) it is freely by his undeserved favour, (see note [b]), through that great work which Jesus Christ hath wrought for the redemption of man, that is, for the obtaining pardon for their past sins, and working in them reformation for the future: (see note [h]).

Romans 3:25

Which Christ, the Messias of the world, God from the beginning purposed to set forth unto men, as the means to exhibit and reveal to us his covenant of mercy, on condition of our faith, and constant new obedience to him who hath died for us, to make expiation for our sins, and to work reformation in us, hereby demonstrating the great mercifulness of God now under the gospel, in that he forbears to inflict vengeance on sinners, but gives them space to repent, and promises them pardon upon repentance.

[h] propitiation] Some difficulty there is in this verse, which must be explained by surveying the several parts of it. The Hebrew כפר signifying two things, to cover and to expiate, (see note [d] on Heb. ix.) the noun כפרת, which is used for the covering of the ark, is indifferently rendered in the Old Testament Ἰλαστήριον, propitiatory, and καταπίεσμα, covering: and indeed very fitly and properly both, because as that place where the cherubim or angels of God’s presence were placed was the covering of the ark, so Exod. xxv. 22, God promised that in that place he would talk with Moses, and give responses, and shew himself propitious to the people. Thus (beside the many places in the Old Testament) it is used in the New, Heb. ix. 5, where the cherubim of glory, that is, the pictures of the angels in the manner wherein they were wont to appear, that is, in the resemblance of a bright cloud or glory, are said to overshadow the Ἰλαστήριον, that is, the covering of the ark or propitiatory. And in proportion to this must the word here be rendered, not propitiation, (that is, Ἰλασμός, 1 John ii. 2.) but propitiatory, Christ being now the antitype, (prefigured by that covering of the ark, either, as Theophylact conceives, in that our human nature in Christ πῶμα ἦν θεότητος, “was the covering or veil of his divinity,” or because God exhibited and revealed himself in Christ, as the propitiatory was the place where God was wont to exhibit himself peculiarly,) he by whom God spake to us, Heb. i. 1, in whom the fulness of the Godhead dwelt bodily, and on whom the angels descended with that voice, This is my beloved Son, &c. and by whom God gave his responses to the world, shewing himself propitious to them, (which is the meaning of ἐνδεξις δικαιοσύνης, demonstrating of his righteousness or mercy that here follows,) or shewing a way by which he will be propitiated, viz. through faith in his blood, (not by any legal performances,) the condition required on our part to be performed. This condition is here introduced by the word διὰ, (with a genitive case,) through, which is the note of a condition, (as with an accusative it is of a cause,) and it is πίστις ἐν τῷ αἵματι αὐτοῦ, faith in his blood, where the blood being the object of the faith, it must signify in concreto Jesus Christ, who thus shed his blood, (shed it to propitiate and satisfy for our sins, and shed it to redeem us from all iniquity,) in or on whom we are to believe, and that is styled, ver. 22, (in that simpler phrase, yet to the same sense,) πίστις Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, the faith of Jesus Christ. Beside this, the blood is also the foundation or motive of the Christian faith, that which persuades us to believe and obey Christ, because what he hath taught us, as the will of God, he hath

[i] declare his righteousness] Ἐνδεξις δικαιοσύνης will here best be rendered demonstration of his righteousness; and accordingly, as the method of demonstrating is wont to be by the cause, so here follows διὰ, which, with an accusative case, is a note of a cause, διὰ τὴν πάρεσιν, because of the passing by (not taking notice) of past sins, the sins, whether by Jews or Gentiles, formerly committed, that is, before the revealing and manifesting of God’s will unto them by Christ: according to that of Acts xvii. 30, that God ὑπεριδὼν, looking over, not taking notice of, that time of ignorance, doth now command all men every where to repent; and Wisd. xi. 23, παρορᾶς ἀμαρτήματα ἀνθρώπων εἰς μετάνοιαν, thou lookest another way, and beholdest not the sins of men, that they may repent. The ὑπεριδὼν and παρορῶν there is the direct interpretation of God’s πάρεσις here, differing from ἄφεσις, pardon, as preterition doth from remission; as passing by, not yet laying to their charge for punishment, doth from absolving, acquitting of them. For though in order to their repentance and change, God doth at the present so pass by their forepast sins, as not to forsake them, or shut up all ways of mercy against them, but reveals Christ to them, with promise of pardon for what is past, if they will now obey him, (this is the meaning of πάρεσις,) yet unless that change be wrought, and for the future approved to him, there is no ἄφεσις, remission or pardon to be expected from him. This πάρεσις then consists ἐν τῇ ἀνοχῇ Θεοῦ, in God’s forbearance or longsuffering, (so the word signifies, ch. ii. 4.) in his not proceeding so swiftly and severely with sinners, as to cut them off, or forsake and leave them helpless and hopeless in their sins, but treating them gently, giving them space to repent and amend, and using all effectual means to win them to it: all one with God’s μακροθυμία, slowness to punish, mentioned oft in the case of Pharaoh, and elsewhere. And this being now God’s dealing in Christ, is here mentioned as the medium to demonstrate God’s righteousness, that is, that evangelical way revealed by Christ, wherein it consists, not in the purchase of pardon and forgiveness absolutely, or for any but those that do sincerely return from their wicked lives, and embrace the faith and obedience of Christ, but to give space and to admonish and call to repentance, and use means on God’s part effectual, if they be not obstinately resisted or condemned by us, to bring us to new life. And that is the meaning also of the ἀπολύτρωσις, redemption which is in Christ, ver. 24,

Romans 3:26

To reveal, I say, and make known unto us at this time this way of justifying sinners in the gospel, (by grace, or mercy, and pardon of sin,) whereby God appears to all to be a most gracious and merciful God, and accordingly to accept and reward all those which (though they have formerly sinned, do yet) upon this merciful promise, and tender, and call of Christ’s, give themselves up to be ruled by him, to live as he hath commanded in the gospel.

[k] just] That the word δίκαιος, just or righteous, signifies a merciful or charitable person, hath been shewed from the Hebrew notation of עֶרְקָה, righteousness, for ἐλημωσύνη, mercy, note [g] on Matt. i. And accordingly it may be observed, that the word seldom in these books, if ever, belongs or is applied to the act of vindicative or punitive justice, but (as there in the case of Joseph, who would not offer his wife to legal punishment, and therefore is called δίκαιος, righteous) for the abating of the rigour of exact law, and bringing in ἐπιείκεια, moderation or equity or mercy instead of it. Accordingly it is here to be resolved, that this phrase being used of God, εἰς τὸ εἶναι αὐτὸν δίκαιον, that God may be righteous, must be understood to denote his mercy and goodness and clemency, in pardoning and forgiving of sins, that being the thing looked on in the many foregoing expressions, our being justified freely by his grace, ver. 24, the propitiatory, ver. 25, God’s means of exhibiting or revealing his covenant of mercy, God’s righteousness, that is, his merciful dealing with men under this second covenant, vv. 25 and 26, and the remission of sins and forbearance, ver. 25. It is true, indeed, that the satisfaction made and the price paid for our sins by Christ, being the meritorious cause of this remission and justification, may fitly denominate God δίκαιον, just, in that other respect; and it is most certain that God, to give a great example to his hatred to sin, and his wrath against sinners, was pleased to lay on his own Son the iniquities of us all, rather than let sin go utterly unpunished. But the word δίκαιος, righteous, being so commonly taken in that notion of mercifulness, and so seldom in this of vindicative justice, there is no reason to interpret it thus in this place.

Romans 3:27

By this means then all proud reflections on ourselves are perfectly excluded; (a thing which the Mosaical law was made use of to foster in the Jews; they thought themselves thereby discriminated from and dignified above all other men in the world, and that, by being Abraham’s seed, and circumcised, and such like external performances, they were secured of the favour of God, whatsoever they did;) but by this evangelical way of God’s dealing in Christ, accepting and acquitting all, Gentiles as well as Jews, through grace and mercy, by which their sins are forgiven, and they received into God’s favour, (without any respect of personal privileges, of being Abraham’s

¹⁶ predetermined, or, proposed, προέθετο. strating of, εἰς ἑνδείον. προγεγονότων ἐμαρτημάτων. Ἰησοῦ.

¹⁷ a propitiatory. ¹⁸ to the demonstrating of, εἰς ἑνδείον. ¹⁹ because of the passing by of past sins, διὰ τὴν πάρκιν τῶν πραγνησίτων ἐμαρτημάτων. ²⁰ righteous. ²¹ that is of the faith of, τὸν ἐκ πίστεως

HAMMOND, VOL. II. C

Romans 3:28

[l] conclude] Λόγος signifies ratio or ratiocinium, not only in the notion of the logician, but also of the arithmetician, not only reason or arguing, but also reckoning or counting; and so you shall find it ch. ix. 28, whose art is called thereupon λογιστικὴ, counting or reckoning; whence Phavorinus, λογίζομαι, ψηφίζω τῇ χειρὶ, casting accounts with ψῆφοι, which we therefore call counters, or those by which we cast account. Hence λογίζομαι is to perfect and make up an account, and to conclude or sum up; and so it is here used to conclude, not in the logicians’ but arithmeticians’ notion of concluding. Of this word λογίζομαι, see note [f] on 1 Cor. xiii.