Romans 3:11

There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.

King James Version · Read in your translation · Open the Explore console

Word by word — the Greek

Word	Greek	Strong’s	Meaning
is	ἐστί estí	G2076	he (she or it) is
none	οὐκ ouk	G3756	the absolute negative (compare G3361 (μή)) adverb · particle — negative
understandeth	συνίων, suniōn	G4920	to put together · verb — present active participle, nominative singular masculine
is	ἐστί estí	G2076	he (she or it) is
none	οὐκ ouk	G3756	the absolute negative (compare G3361 (μή)) adverb · particle — negative
after	ἐκζητῶν ekzētōn	G1567	to search out · verb — present active participle, nominative singular masculine
God	θεόν· theon	G2316	figuratively · noun — accusative singular masculine, a title

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Psalms 14:2-4 The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God.
Psalms 53:2 God looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, that did seek God.
Titus 3:3 For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful,…
Hosea 4:6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest t…
Romans 8:7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
Hosea 7:10 And the pride of Israel testifieth to his face: and they do not return to the LORD their God, nor seek him for all this.
Isaiah 31:1 Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help; and stay on horses, and trust in chariots, because they are many; and in horsemen, because they…
Isaiah 55:6 Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Romans 3:1-18

I. Here the apostle answers several objections, which might be made, to clear his way. No truth so plain and evident but wicked wits and corrupt carnal hearts will have something to say against it; but divine truths must be cleared from cavil. Object. 1. If Jew and Gentile stand so much upon the same level before God, what advantage then hath the Jew? Hath not God often spoken with a great deal of respect for the Jews, as a non-such people (Deu 33:29), a holy nation, a peculiar treasure, the seed of Abraham his friend: Did not he institute circumcision as a badge of their church-membership, and a seal of their covenant-relation to God? Now does not this levelling doctrine deny them all such…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Romans 3:10

As it is written, &c.-- (Psa 14:1-3; Psa 53:1-3). These statements of the Psalmist were indeed suggested by particular manifestations of human depravity occurring under his own eye; but as this only showed what man, when unrestrained, is in his present condition, they were quite pertinent to the apostle's purpose.

Adam Clarke on Romans 3:10

As it is written - See Psa 14:1-3; from which this and the two following verses are taken. There is none righteous - This is true, not only of the Jews, but of the Gentiles; of every soul of man, considered in his natural and practical state, previously to his receiving the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ. There is no righteous principle in them, and, consequently, no righteous act can be expected from them; see on Rom 3:12 (note). God himself is represented as looking down from heaven to see if there were any that feared and sought after him; and yet he, who cannot be deceived, could find none! And therefore we may safely conclude there was none to be found.

John Gill on Romans 3:11

There is none that understandeth,.... This is rightly concluded, from what the Psalmist says, Psalm 14:2, "The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men", on all the children of men, Jews and Gentiles, "to see if there were any that did understand"; and it appears, upon this survey of them, there was not one understanding person among them: man thinks himself a very wise and understanding creature, though he is born a very ignorant one: true indeed, he has not lost by sin the natural faculty of the understanding, so as to become like the horse and mule, which are without any; and it must be allowed, that natural men have some understanding of things natural, civil, and moral; tho…

The Church Fathers

Seek God. Do not be like Asa the king of Judah, who after receiving many blessings from God fell so far that when he suffered lameness in his feet he would not seek God even though there was a prophet present.
— Ambrosiaster, COMMENTARY ON PAUL'S EPISTLES

One who does not understand does not seek. Or perhaps it is that one does not understand because one does not seek. One seeks for God by enquiring after his will.… The sinner has not known the will of his master. "Know me, know my will," as the popular saying goes.
— Pelagius, PELAGIUS'S COMMENTARY ON ROMANS

And he added: “There is none that understands.” And indeed, since the Apostle himself says that he knows in part and understands in part, who will there be that may be called understanding? For however much a person may understand, he will be seen to understand in a mirror and in an enigma; because it is only after the laying aside of the earthly body that one is said to understand face to face. But now, as Scripture says: “The corruptible body weighs down the soul, and the earthly dwelling presses down the mind that ponders many things.” Hence it comes about that no one is “understanding,” nor “seeking after God.” For while we are occupied with the anxieties of the body and seek the things that are of human beings, we cannot seek God nor think upon the things that are of God.
— Origen of Alexandria, COMMENTARY ON THE EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Fall of man — An expression probably borrowed from the Apocryphal Book of Wisdom, to express the fact of the revolt of our first parents from God, and the consequent sin and misery in which they and all their…
Sin — Is “any want of conformity unto or transgression of the law of God” (1 John 3:4; Rom. 4:15), in the inward state and habit of the soul, as well as in the outward conduct of the life, whether by…
Bigotry · PAUL’S ARGUMENT AGAINST — PAUL’S ARGUMENT AGAINST
Boasting · SPIRITUAL — SPIRITUAL
Depravity Of Man · 7:17;12:34,35;15:19; — 7:17;12:34,35;15:19;
Fall Of Man, The · Man in consequence of: Without understanding — Man in consequence of: Without understanding
Godlessness · 2:32; — 2:32;
Life, Eternal · Cannot be inherited by works — Cannot be inherited by works
Seekers · 5:4-6,8,14;8:12; — 5:4-6,8,14;8:12;
Seeking God · None, by nature, are found to be engaged in — None, by nature, are found to be engaged in

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

Romans 3:11

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Romans 3:1-18

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Romans 3:10

Adam Clarke on Romans 3:10

John Gill on Romans 3:11

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Romans 3:11

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Romans 3:1-18

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Romans 3:10

Adam Clarke on Romans 3:10

John Gill on Romans 3:11

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

John Calvin on Romans 3:10-18

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Romans 3:10-18