Romans 3:5

Romans 3:5 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)But if our unrighteousness commend the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unrighteous who taketh vengeance? (I speak as a man)
• New International Version (NIV)But if our unrighteousness brings out God’s righteousness more clearly, what shall we say? That God is unjust in bringing his wrath on us? (I am using a human argument.)
• English Standard Version (ESV)But if our unrighteousness serves to show the righteousness of God, what shall we say? That God is unrighteous to inflict wrath on us? (I speak in a human way.)
• New King James Version (NKJV)But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unjust who inflicts wrath? (I speak as a man.)

Context of Romans 3:5

3But you may say, ‘Some Jews did not believe God's messages as they should have done. Because of that, maybe God will not do what he said he would do.’ 4No, certainly it does not mean that! God will always do what he says. He will always say what is true, even if everyone in the world should tell lies. This is what is written in the Bible: ‘Your message is true. It shows that you are right. People may say that you are wrong. But it will always be clear that you are right.’ Maybe some people may say, ‘The wrong things that we do show more clearly that God is always right. So perhaps God is wrong to punish us.’ 6That is not true! God always decides what is right and fair. That is why he is able to judge everyone in the world. 7Someone might also say, ‘When I tell lies, that shows how great and good God is. My lies show more clearly that God always says what is true. So God should not say that I am a bad person. He should not punish me.’

Romans 3:5 word by word

Εἰ δὲ ἡ ἀδικία ἡμῶν θεοῦ δικαιοσύνην συνίστησιν, τί ἐροῦμεν; μὴ ἄδικος ὁ θεὸς ὁ ἐπιφέρων τὴν ὀργήν; κατὰ ἄνθρωπον λέγω·Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• ·μήmē · notG3361
• Butδέde · thenG1161
• ifεἰei · ifG1487
• ourἐγώegō · I/weG1473
• unrighteousnessἀδικίαadikia · unrighteousnessG93
• commendσυνίστημι, συνιστάωsunistaō sunistanō sunistēmi · to commendG4921
• the righteousnessδικαιοσύνηdikaiosunē · righteousnessG1343
• of Godθεόςtheos · GodG2316
• whatτίςtis · which?G5101
• shall we sayἐρῶereō · to sayG2046
• unrighteousἄδικοςadikos · unjustG94
• who takethἐπιφέρωepipherō · to inflictG2018
• vengeanceὀργήorgē · wrathG3709
• I speakλέγωlegō · to sayG3004
• asκατάkata · according toG2596
• a manἄνθρωποςanthrōpos · a humanG444

Cross-references for Romans 3:5

• Romans 3:7Someone might also say, ‘When I tell lies, that shows how great and good God is. My lies show more clearly that God always says what is true. So God should not say that I am a bad person. He should not punish me.’
• Romans 8:20God has caused everything in the universe to lose its purpose. It did not choose to be like that. It was God who decided that it should be like that. Then it could hope for something better in a future time.
• Romans 4:1Abraham was the ancestor of all of us who are Jews. Think about what he discovered.
• Romans 6:1Someone might say, ‘Perhaps we should continue to do wrong things. Then God can be kind to us in more and more ways.’
• Romans 7:7So someone might say, ‘God's Law must be bad.’ No! Certainly, it is not bad! Without that law, I would not have known what sin really is. One rule says, ‘You must not want to take things for yourself that belong to other people.’ Without that command, I would not have known that it is wrong to want other people's things.
• Romans 9:13This is written in the Bible: ‘I loved Jacob, but I hated Esau.’
• Romans 2:5But you refuse to change the way that you live. You are not sorry about the wrong things that you have done. As a result, you cause God to become even angrier with you. So he will punish you even more on the day when he will judge everyone. On that day, he will show how angry he is against people who do bad things. Everyone will know that he judges people in a right way.
• Romans 3:19So, 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.
• Romans 9:18So we see this: God is kind to some people and he forgives them. But he causes some people, like Pharaoh, to turn against him. He chooses what he will do with each person.
• Romans 12:19My friends, if someone has done bad things to you, do not try to punish them yourselves. Instead, let God be angry and punish them. This is what is written in the Bible: ‘The Lord God says, “When people do something wrong, I am the one who will punish them. I will pay them back.” ’
• Deuteronomy 32:39Realize the truth! I alone am God. There is no other god as well as me. I can kill and I can give life. I can hurt people and I can make them well again. Nobody can stop me doing what I choose to do.
• Psalms 58:10When God punishes those wicked people, righteous people will be very happy. They will wash their feet in the blood of the wicked people!
• Psalms 94:1Lord, you are the God who punishes guilty people. God, show your power to punish people as they deserve!
• Nahum 1:2God is angry with the people in Nineveh. The Lord loves his people. But he is very angry with his enemies. He is so angry with them that he must punish them. He will be angry until he has killed his enemies.
• 2 Thessalonians 1:6God will punish those people who are causing trouble for you. He will cause trouble for them. That is right and fair.
• Revelation 15:3Now they sang the song of God's servant, Moses, and the Lamb's song. They sang this: ‘Lord God with all power, what you do is great and wonderful! Everything that you do is completely fair and honest. You are King of all nations of the world.

Commentaries on Romans 3:5

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 5Jew. But if our unrighteousness commend the righteousness of God - May we not suppose that our unrighteousness may serve to commend and illustrate the mercy of God in keeping and fulfilling to us the promise which he made to our forefathers? The more wicked we are, the more his faithfulness to his ancient promise is to be admired. And if so, would not God appear unjust in taking vengeance and casting us off? I speak as a man - I feel for the situation…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 5But if our unrighteousness - If our sin. The particular sin which had been specified Romans 3:3 was “unbelief.” But the apostle here gives the objection a general form. This is to be regarded as an objection which a Jew might make. The force of it is this: (1)It had been conceded that some had not believed; that is, had sinned. (2)but God was true to his promises. Notwithstanding their sin, God‘s character was the same. Nay, (3)In the very midst of sin…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 5-7how could God judge the world?: Abraham asked a similar question: “Will not the Judge of all the earth do what is right?” (Genesis 18:25). God punishes all sin and maintains absolute righteousness while doing so. Even when God makes use of human sin for his own ends, that sin still deserves to be, and will be, punished (see Romans 9:10–24).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 5-65-6. But if, &c.--Another objection: "It would appear, then, that the more faithless we are, so much the more illustrious will the fidelity of God appear; and in that case, for Him to take vengeance on us for our unfaithfulness would be (to speak as men profanely do) unrighteousness in God." Answer:Read the comment

Topics related to Romans 3:5

• Bigotry
• Boasting
• God Continued...
• Infidelity

In the dictionaries

• God
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Atonement
• Boasting
• Conclude
• Destruction
• Establish
• Faith
• Fall of man
• Justifier

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