Paul’s OT Quotes – Romans 3:20

The note in the NET lists no one is declared righteous before him as an Old Testament allusion rather than a quotation.

Paul

Blue Letter Bible (Septuagint)

NET Bible (Greek parallel text)

no one is declared righteous before him

Romans 3:20 (NET)

οὐ δικαιωθήσεται ἐνώπιόν σου πᾶς ζῶν

Psalm 143:2 Table

ου δικαιωθησεται πασα σαρξ ενωπιον αυτου

Romans 3:20

David, speaking to God in prayer, wrote what was translated into Greek in the Septuagint as ἐνώπιόν σου (before you [NET], in Your sight [NKJV]).  Paul, writing about God, wrote ενωπιον αυτου (before him [NET], in His sight [NKJV]).  Apparently it is the verb that is negated in Greek rather than the subject: not justified or not declared righteous are all living or all flesh.  David wrote πᾶς ζῶν (all living, translated no one alive [NET], no one living [NKJV]).  Paul changed it to πασα σαρξ (all flesh, translated no one [NET], no flesh [NKJV]).  The change is interesting considering what Paul had to say about the flesh (sarx, σάρξ) later in Romans 7 and 8.  But Paul himself used σαρξ (flesh) and ανθρωπος (man, human) interchangeably in Galatians 2:16.  First, ου δικαιουται ανθρωπος εξ εργων νομου (no one is justified by the works of the law),1 then, εξ εργων νομου ου δικαιωθησεται πασα σαρξ (by the works of the law no one will be justified).2


1 Galatians 2:16a (NET)

2 Galatians 2:16b (NET)

2 thoughts on “Paul’s OT Quotes – Romans 3:20

  1. Pingback: A Monotonous Cycle Revisited, Part 6 | The Gospel and the Religious Mind

  2. Pingback: Romans, Part 15 | The Gospel and the Religious Mind

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