Romans 3:20

Romans 3:20 in other versions

• King James Version (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.
• New International Version (NIV)Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.
• English Standard Version (ESV)For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

Context of Romans 3:20

18They refuse to respect God in any way.’ 19So, we know that God's Law belongs to the Jews. God told them to obey everything that his Law teaches. As a result, nobody can say: ‘God should not punish me.’ Everybody in the world must stand in front of God and he will judge them. God's Law shows people clearly that they have done wrong things. Nobody can become right with God because they obey that Law. 21But now we know how to become right with God. God has shown us the way that he will accept people as right with himself. This way is not part of the Law that he gave to Moses. But God's Law and the messages of his prophets have told us about it. 22God accepts people as right with himself because Jesus Christ did what God wanted. God accepts every person who believes in Christ. It is the same way for everyone, whether they are Jews or Gentiles.

Romans 3:20 word by word

διότι ἐξ ἔργων νόμου οὐ δικαιωθήσεται πᾶσα σὰρξ ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ· διὰ γὰρ νόμου ἐπίγνωσις ἁμαρτίας.Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• ·πᾶςpas · allG3956
• Thereforeδιότιdioti · becauseG1360
• byἐκek ex · out fromG1537
• the deedsἔργονergon · workG2041
• of the lawνόμοςnomos · lawG3551
• there shallδικαιόωdikaioō · to justifyG1344
• noοὐou · noG3756
• fleshσάρξsarx · fleshG4561
• inἐνώπιονenōpion · beforeG1799
• hisαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• forγάρgar · forG1063
• byδιάdia · through/because ofG1223
• the knowledgeἐπίγνωσιςepignōsis · knowledgeG1922
• of sinἁμαρτίαhamartia · sinG266

Cross-references for Romans 3:20

• Romans 3:28So this is what we are saying. A person becomes right with God if they trust in Christ. It is not because they do the good things which God's Law teaches.
• Romans 2:13Who does God accept as right with himself? It is those people who obey his Law. It is not the people who only know his Law but do not obey them.
• Romans 4:13God promised to Abraham, and to his descendants, that the world would belong to them one day. God did not promise that because Abraham obeyed any rules. God promised it because Abraham believed in him. That is why God accepted Abraham as right with him.
• Romans 9:32They failed because they refused to believe in Christ. Instead, they were trying to do certain things so that God would accept them. Because of that they fell to the ground. Their feet hit the stone which causes people to fall.
• Acts 13:39God can cause anyone to become right with him. If you believe in Jesus, God will make you free from your sins. God's Law that he gave to Moses cannot do this for you. That Law cannot make you free, even if you obey all of it.
• Galatians 2:16But we know that we do not become right with God because we obey his Law. A person only becomes right with God when they believe in Jesus Christ. And we, as Jewish believers, have believed in Christ Jesus. We have become right with God because we trust in what Christ has done. It is not because we obey God's Law that he accepts us. Nobody becomes right with God only because they obey the rules in God's Law.
• Galatians 3:10But some people try to obey all the rules of God's Law. They think that they will become right with God if they do this very well. But God will speak against people like that and he will punish them. It is written in the Bible: ‘God will punish everyone who does not always obey all the rules in his Law completely.’
• Galatians 5:4I say this to you people who try to obey the rules of God's Law. If you think that God will accept you as right because you do that, you have turned away from Christ. You no longer agree to accept God's kind gift.
• Ephesians 2:8When you believed in Jesus, God saved you because he is very kind. You could not save yourselves, but that is God's gift to you.
• James 2:9But if you are kind to some people and you are not kind to others, then you are doing a bad thing. God's Law shows that you are wrong.
• Job 25:4No human is righteous when he stands in front of God. He cannot be pure.
• Psalms 130:3Lord, if you should write down all our sins, nobody could stand as a righteous person.
• Psalms 143:2Do not judge me, your servant. Nobody is righteous when they stand in front of you.
• James 2:20You fool! If someone's faith does not lead them to do good things, it is not worth anything. You should know that!
• Job 15:15God does not even trust his own angels. He knows that they make mistakes.
• Job 25:5When God looks at the moon and the stars, they do not seem to be pure and bright.

Commentaries on Romans 3:20

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 20Therefore, by the deeds of the law - On the score of obedience to this moral law, there shall no flesh, , no human being, be justified; none can be accepted in the sight of God. And why? Because by the law is the knowledge of sin: it is that which ascertains what sin is; shows how men have deviated from its righteous demands; and sentences them to death because they have broken it. Thus the law is properly considered as the rule of right; and, unless God…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 20By the deeds of the law - By works; or by such deeds as the Law requires. The word “Law” has, in the Scriptures, a great variety of significations. Its strict and proper meaning is, a rule of conduct prescribed by superior authority. The course of reasoning in these chapters shows the sense in which the apostle uses it here. He intends evidently to apply it to those rules or laws by which the Jews and Gentiles pretended to frame their lives; and to affirm…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 19-20Verses 19-20 It is in vain to seek for justification by the works of the law. All must plead guilty. Guilty before God, is a dreadful word; but no man can be justified by a law which condemns him for breaking it. The corruption in our nature, will for ever stop any justification by our own works.Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 20by works of the law: This means obeying the rules given by Moses, the prophet and leader of Israel. 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.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2020. Therefore by the deeds of--obedience to the law there shall no flesh be justified--that is, be held and treated as righteous; as is plain from the whole scope and strain of the argument. in his sight--at His bar (Psa 143:2). for by the law is the knowledge of sin--(See on Ro 4:15; Ro 7:7; and 1Jo 3:4). Note, How broad and deep does the apostle in this section lay the foundations of his great doctrine of Justification by free grace--in the disorder of…Read the comment

Topics related to Romans 3:20

• Bigotry
• Boasting
• Catholicity
• Works

In the dictionaries

• Boasting
• Conclude
• Destruction
• Establish
• Faith
• Justifier
• Overcome
• Sin
• Bible, the
• Galatians, Epistle to the

Commentaries on Romans 3

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• The People’s New Testament
• Robertson’s Word Pictures
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings