New King James Version
Romans 9:31
31but Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness, has not attained to the law of righteousness.
Romans 9:31 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness.
- New International Version (NIV)but the people of Israel, who pursued the law as the way of righteousness, have not attained their goal.
- English Standard Version (ESV)but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed in reaching that law.
- New Living Translation (NLT)But the people of Israel, who tried so hard to get right with God by keeping the law, never succeeded.
Context of Romans 9:31
29And as Isaiah said before: “Unless the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed, We would have become like Sodom, And we would have been made like Gomorrah.” 30What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness of faith; but Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness, has not attained to the law of righteousness. 32Why? Because they did not seek it by faith, but as it were, by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumbling stone. 33As it is written: “Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and rock of offense, And whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.”
Read all of Romans 9Romans 9:31 word by word
Ἰσραὴλ δὲ διώκων νόμον δικαιοσύνης εἰς νόμον οὐκ ἔφθασεν.Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Romans 9:31
- Romans 9:30What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness of faith;
- Romans 10:2For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.
- Galatians 3:21Is the law then against the promises of God? Certainly not! For if there had been a law given which could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by the law.
- Philippians 3:6concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.
- Romans 3:20Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
- Romans 4:14For if those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise made of no effect,
- Romans 11:7What then? Israel has not obtained what it seeks; but the elect have obtained it, and the rest were blinded.
- Galatians 3:10For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them.”
- Galatians 5:3And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law.
- James 2:10For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.
Commentaries on Romans 9:31
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 31But Israel, which followed after - But the Jews, who have hitherto been the people of God, though they have been industrious in observing a rule by which they supposed they could secure the blessings of God's peculiar kingdom, yet have not come up to the true and only rule by which those blessings can be secured.Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 30-33Verses 30-33 The Gentiles knew not their guilt and misery, therefore were not careful to procure a remedy. Yet they attained to righteousness by faith. Not by becoming proselytes to the Jewish religion, and submitting to the ceremonial law; but by embracing Christ, and believing in him, and submitting to the gospel. The Jews talked much of justification and holiness, and seemed very ambitious to be the favourites of God. They sought, but not in the right…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 31who pursued a law of righteousness: The phrase law of righteousness is an idiom. It means trying to become righteous by obeying the law. Paul is describing people who believed that careful law-keeping could put them in a right relationship with God.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 30-3130-31. What shall we say then?--"What now is the result of the whole?" The result is this--very different from what one would have expected. That the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, have attained--"attained" to righteousness, even the righteousness of faith--As we have seen that "the righteousness of faith" is the righteousness which justifies (see on Ro 3:22, &c.), this verse must mean that "the Gentiles, who while strangers to Christ…Read the comment
- Calvin’s Commentaries · v. 3131. But Israel, by pursuing, etc. Paul openly states what seemed incredible, — that it was no wonder that the Jews gained nothing by sedulously following after righteousness; for by running out of the way, they wearied themselves in vain. But in the first place it seems to me that the law of righteousness is here an instance of transposition, and means the righteousness of the law; (There seems to be no necessity for this transposition. “A law (not the…Read the comment
Topics related to Romans 9:31
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Romans 9
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- 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
Commentaries