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Romans 3:9–20, King James Version
Italic words were supplied in the English translation for clarity.
Romans 3:9–20
Scripture Places Every Mouth Under Sin and God's Accountability
Scripture places every mouth under sin and before God's accountability.
Jews and Greeks are all under sin. Paul strings psalms and prophets: none is righteous, not even one; throats, tongues, feet, and eyes become a portrait of harm. Whatever the law says, it says to those under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped and the whole world held accountable. By works of law no flesh will be justified, for through the law comes knowledge of sin.
"None righteous" is a verdict about standing before God, not a claim that every person is equally harmful or incapable of relative good. It removes the platform for group boasting; it does not erase differences of damage or the need to protect people from harm.
How this should shape us
Drop the scoreboard that says your group is basically fine and theirs is the real problem. Tell the truth about sin without pretending every neighbor is equally dangerous, and keep protecting people who are being hurt.
Teach it back
Explain Romans 3:9–20 in your own words. Include its place in Romans, its movement, one material uncertainty, and one misuse the context rules out.
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Go deeper
The explanation above is meant to stand on its own. Open these notes only if you want language, history, disagreements, or source locations.
Where careful interpreters disagreeThe strongest options and their difficulties
Where do careful interpreters disagree?
Best judgment: Traditional readings stress universal guilt; New Perspective readings stress Jew-Gentile boasting and law's social function; apocalyptic readings stress captivity under Sin.
How certain? probableResearch trail and exact locationsThe source record behind this section
Supports: Exact reader-facing Scripture wording, paragraph markers, supplied-word markup, and complete verse coverage.
Romans 3:9–20, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM corpus
Supports: Greek wording, clause relationships, and base text for original-language discussion.
Faithlife SBLGNT repository, data/sblgnt/text/Rom.txt, 3:9–20
Supports: Verse-level syntax, KJV-era wording, material variants, and interpretive alternatives.
NET Bible official Romans chapter print view, 3:9–20, translation and attached translator, study, and textual notes
Supports: Complete evangelical Protestant whole-letter exposition, historical setting, argument flow, and theological synthesis.
Mathis, 'Romans,' introduction and commentary section covering 3:9–20, with bibliography and endnotes
Supports: Catholic exegetical orientation, salvation-history frame, concise verse notes, and faith-new-life synthesis.
USCCB, Romans introduction and chapter notes covering 3:9–20
Supports: Jewish historical context, Paul-within-Judaism alternatives, diatribe restraint, and anti-supersessionist controls.
Nanos, Jewish Annotated New Testament, first edition print pp. 253-286, introduction and annotations on 3:9–20
Supports: Classic New Perspective proposal about works of law, covenant identity, boasting, and Romans 2-4 and 11.
Dunn, 'The New Perspective on Paul,' BJRL 65.2 (1983), journal pp. 95-122 plus later additional note
Supports: Abstract-level apocalyptic thesis about God's rescue of creatures from Sin and Death and renewed creaturely agency.
Gaventa, 'Places of Power in Paul's Letter to the Romans,' Interpretation 76.4 (2022), public abstract only
Sources for This Section
These records identify the source, the claim it supports, and the exact location used. A source remains evidence to evaluate; it does not replace the biblical text.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact reader-facing Scripture wording, paragraph markers, supplied-word markup, and complete verse coverage.
Exact location: Romans 3:9–20, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM corpus
Open source ↗Greek textual evidence
The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition
Michael W. Holmes, editor; Society of Biblical Literature and Logos
Society of Biblical Literature and Logos Bible Software, 2010
Supports: Greek wording, clause relationships, and base text for original-language discussion.
Exact location: Faithlife SBLGNT repository, data/sblgnt/text/Rom.txt, 3:9–20
Open the Romans Greek text file ↗Translation and textual notes
NET Bible - Romans with translators' and textual notes
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, 2005-2026 online edition
Supports: Verse-level syntax, KJV-era wording, material variants, and interpretive alternatives.
Exact location: NET Bible official Romans chapter print view, 3:9–20, translation and attached translator, study, and textual notes
Open NET Romans 3 notesmodern open commentary
Romans
Donny Ray Mathis II
The Gospel Coalition Bible Commentary, 2023
Supports: Complete evangelical Protestant whole-letter exposition, historical setting, argument flow, and theological synthesis.
Exact location: Mathis, 'Romans,' introduction and commentary section covering 3:9–20, with bibliography and endnotes
Open source ↗modern catholic translation notes
The Letter to the Romans: introduction and chapter notes
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2010-2026 online edition
Supports: Catholic exegetical orientation, salvation-history frame, concise verse notes, and faith-new-life synthesis.
Exact location: USCCB, Romans introduction and chapter notes covering 3:9–20
Open source ↗modern jewish annotated new testament
Romans introduction and annotations in The Jewish Annotated New Testament
Mark D. Nanos; edited by Amy-Jill Levine and Marc Zvi Brettler
Oxford University Press, 2011
Supports: Jewish historical context, Paul-within-Judaism alternatives, diatribe restraint, and anti-supersessionist controls.
Exact location: Nanos, Jewish Annotated New Testament, first edition print pp. 253-286, introduction and annotations on 3:9–20
Open source ↗landmark peer reviewed lecture
The New Perspective on Paul
James D. G. Dunn
Bulletin of the John Rylands Library 65.2, 1983
Supports: Classic New Perspective proposal about works of law, covenant identity, boasting, and Romans 2-4 and 11.
Exact location: Dunn, 'The New Perspective on Paul,' BJRL 65.2 (1983), journal pp. 95-122 plus later additional note
Open source ↗peer reviewed apocalyptic reading
Places of Power in Paul's Letter to the Romans
Beverly Roberts Gaventa
Interpretation 76.4, 2022
Supports: Abstract-level apocalyptic thesis about God's rescue of creatures from Sin and Death and renewed creaturely agency.
Exact location: Gaventa, 'Places of Power in Paul's Letter to the Romans,' Interpretation 76.4 (2022), public abstract only
Open source ↗