English Standard Version
Romans 3:1
1Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision?
Romans 3:1 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)What advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit is there of circumcision?
- New International Version (NIV)What advantage, then, is there in being a Jew, or what value is there in circumcision?
- New King James Version (NKJV)What advantage then has the Jew, or what is the profit of circumcision?
- New Living Translation (NLT)Then what’s the advantage of being a Jew? Is there any value in the ceremony of circumcision?
Context of Romans 3:1
Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision? 2Much in every way. To begin with, the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God. 3What if some were unfaithful? Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God?
Read all of Romans 3Romans 3:1 word by word
Τί οὖν τὸ περισσὸν τοῦ Ἰουδαίου, ἢ τίς ἡ ὠφέλεια τῆς περιτομῆς;Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Romans 3:1
- Romans 2:25For circumcision indeed is of value if you obey the law, but if you break the law, your circumcision becomes uncircumcision.
- Genesis 25:32Esau said, "I am about to die; of what use is a birthright to me?"
- Ecclesiastes 6:8For what advantage has the wise man over the fool? And what does the poor man have who knows how to conduct himself before the living?
- Isaiah 1:11"What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices? says the Lord; I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of well-fed beasts; I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of goats.
- Malachi 3:14You have said, 'It is vain to serve God. What is the profit of our keeping his charge or of walking as in mourning before the Lord of hosts?
- 1 Corinthians 15:32What do I gain if, humanly speaking, I fought with beasts at Ephesus? If the dead are not raised, "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die."
- Hebrews 13:9Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings, for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, which have not benefited those devoted to them.
Commentaries on Romans 3:1
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 1Jew. What advantage then hath the Jew? Or what profit is there of circumcision? - As if he had said: You lately allowed, ( Romans 2:25;), that circumcision verily profited; but if circumcision, or our being in covenant with God, raises us no higher in the Divine favor than the Gentiles; if the virtuous among them are as acceptable as any of us; nay, and condemn our nation too, as no longer deserving the Divine regards; pray tell me, wherein lies the…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1What advantage - The design of the first part of this chapter is to answer some of the objections which might be offered by a Jew to the statements in the last chapter. The first objection is stated in this verse. A Jew would naturally ask, if the view which the apostle had given were correct, what special benefit could the Jew derive from his religion? The objection would arise particularly from the position advanced Romans 2:25-26, that if a pagan…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 1Objections answered. (1-8) All mankind are sinners. (9-18) Both Jews and Gentiles cannot be justified by their own deeds. (19-20) It is owing to the free grace of God, through faith in the righteousness of Christ, yet the law is not done away. (21-31) Verses 1-8 The law could not save in or from sins, yet it gave the Jews advantages for obtaining salvation. Their stated ordinances, education in the knowledge of the true God and his service, and many…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1What, then, is the advantage of being a Jew?: Paul advances his argument by asking questions. After preaching the gospel (the good news about Jesus) for over twenty years, he knew what questions people would ask when they heard a specific teaching. His focus on the equality of Jews and non-Jews (Gentiles) before God (chapter 2) naturally invited people to ask if he was removing all Jewish privileges. The question-and-answer style follows the pattern of…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-81-2. What advantage then hath the Jew?--that is, "If the final judgment will turn solely on the state of the heart, and this may be as good in the Gentile without, as in the Jew within, the sacred enclosure of God's covenant, what better are we Jews for all our advantages?" Answer:Read the comment
Topics related to Romans 3:1
In the dictionaries
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
English Standard Version — © 2001 Crossway Bibles
Commentaries