New King James Version
Romans 3:4
4Certainly not! Indeed, let God be true but every man a liar. As it is written: “That You may be justified in Your words, And may overcome when You are judged.”
Romans 3:4 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.
- New International Version (NIV)Not at all! Let God be true, and every human being a liar. As it is written: “So that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge.”
- English Standard Version (ESV)By no means! Let God be true though every one were a liar, as it is written, "That you may be justified in your words, and prevail when you are judged."
- New Living Translation (NLT)Of course not! Even if everyone else is a liar, God is true. As the Scriptures say about him, “You will be proved right in what you say, and you will win your case in court.”
Context of Romans 3:4
2Much in every way! Chiefly because to them were committed the oracles of God. 3For what if some did not believe? Will their unbelief make the faithfulness of God without effect? Certainly not! Indeed, let God be true but every man a liar. As it is written: “That You may be justified in Your words, And may overcome when You are judged.” 5But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unjust who inflicts wrath? (I speak as a man.) 6Certainly not! For then how will God judge the world?
Read all of Romans 3Romans 3:4 word by word
μὴ γένοιτο.¶ Γινέσθω δὲ ὁ θεὸς ἀληθής, πᾶς δὲ ἄνθρωπος ψεύστης καθὼς γέγραπται· ὅπως ἂν δικαιωθῇς ἐν τοῖς λόγοις σου καὶ νικήσεις ἐν τῷ κρίνεσθαί σε.¶Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- ·ἄνan · ifG302
- God forbidμήmē · notG3361
- God forbidγίνομαιginomai · to beG1096
- yeaδέde · thenG1161
- Godθεόςtheos · GodG2316
- trueἀληθήςalēthēs · trueG227
- everyπᾶςpas · allG3956
- manἄνθρωποςanthrōpos · a humanG444
- a liarψεύστηςpseustēs · liarG5583
- asκαθώςkathōs · as/just asG2531
- it is writtenγράφωgraphō · to writeG1125
- Thatὅπωςhopōs · thatG3704
- thou mightest be justifiedδικαιόωdikaioō · to justifyG1344
- inἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
- thyσύsu · youG4771
- sayingsλόγοςlogos · wordG3056
- andκαίkai · andG2532
- mightest overcomeνικάωnikaō · to conquerG3528
- art judgedκρίνωkrinō · to judgeG2919
Cross-references for Romans 3:4
- Romans 3:6Certainly not! For then how will God judge the world?
- Romans 6:2Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?
- Romans 7:7What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, “You shall not covet.”
- Romans 9:14What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? Certainly not!
- Romans 11:1I say then, has God cast away His people? Certainly not! For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.
- Luke 20:16He will come and destroy those vinedressers and give the vineyard to others.” And when they heard it they said, “Certainly not!”
- 1 Corinthians 6:15Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? Certainly not!
- Galatians 2:17“But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is Christ therefore a minister of sin? Certainly not!
- Galatians 2:21I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain.”
- Galatians 6:14But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.
- Deuteronomy 32:4He is the Rock, His work is perfect; For all His ways are justice, A God of truth and without injustice; Righteous and upright is He.
- Job 40:8“Would you indeed annul My judgment? Would you condemn Me that you may be justified?
- Psalms 100:5For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations.
- Psalms 119:160The entirety of Your word is truth, And every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever.
- Psalms 138:2I will worship toward Your holy temple, And praise Your name For Your lovingkindness and Your truth; For You have magnified Your word above all Your name.
- Micah 7:20You will give truth to Jacob And mercy to Abraham, Which You have sworn to our fathers From days of old.
Commentaries on Romans 3:4
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4Apostle. God forbid - , Let it not be, far from it, by no means. Yea, let God be true, but every man a liar, etc. We must ever maintain that God is true, and that if, in any case, his promise appear to fail, it is because the condition on which it was given has not been complied with; which is the sense of what is written, Psalm 51:4; : I acknowledge my sin, and condemn myself that the truth of thy promise ( 2 Samuel 7:15, 2 Samuel 7:16;) to establish my…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4God forbid - Greek. Let not this be. The sense is, “let not this by any means be supposed.” This is the answer of the apostle, showing that no such consequence followed from his doctrines; and that “if” any such consequence should follow, the doctrine should be at once abandoned, and that every man, no matter who, should be rather esteemed false than God. The veracity of God was a great first principle, which was to be held, whatever might be the…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 4Certainly not!: The Greek phrase mē genoito is a strong way to say "no." Paul often uses this style of argument in other parts of Romans (see 3:6, 31; 6:2, 15; 7:7, 13; 9:14; 11:1, 11). As it is written: Paul quotes Psalm 51:4, where King David admitted his sin of committing adultery with Bathsheba (see 2 Samuel 11:1–27). God punished David, and David admitted that God was right to judge him. David accepted that God’s judgment was completely just. God…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 3-43-4. For what if some did not believe?--It is the unbelief of the great body of the nation which the apostle points at; but as it sufficed for his argument to put the supposition thus gently, he uses this word "some" to soften prejudice. shall their unbelief make the faith of God--or, "faithfulness of God." of none effect?--"nullify," "invalidate" it.Read the comment
Topics related to Romans 3:4
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
New King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
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