Romans 3 · Verse 21

Romans 3:21

But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;
Romans 3:21, King James Version

Romans 3:21 in other translations

BSBBut now, apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been revealed, as attested by the Law and the Prophets.
WEBBut now apart from the law, a righteousness of God has been revealed, being testified by the law and the prophets;
ASVBut now apart from the law a righteousness of God hath been manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;
YLTAnd now apart from law hath the righteousness of God been manifested, testified to by the law and the prophets,
DARBYBut now without law righteousness of God is manifested, borne witness to by the law and the prophets;
BBEBut now without the law there is a revelation of the righteousness of God, to which witness is given by the law and the prophets;
WebsterBut now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being testified by the law and the prophets;

What does Romans 3:21 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Romans 3:21-23

Ro 3:21-26. God's Justifying Righteousness through Faith in Jesus Christ, Alike Adapted to Our Necessities and Worthy of Himself.

21-23. But now the righteousness of God--(See on Ro 1:17). without the law--that is, a righteousness to which our obedience to the law contributes nothing whatever (Ro 3:28; Ga 2:16). is manifested, being witnessed--attested. by the law and the prophets--the Old Testament Scriptures. Thus this justifying righteousness, though new, as only now fully disclosed, is an old righteousness, predicted and foreshadowed in the Old Testament.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Barnes' Notes
Verse 21. But now. The apostle, having shown the entire failure of all attempts to be justified by the law, whether among Jews or Gentiles, proceeds to state fully the plan of justification by Jesus Christ in the gospel. To do this was the main design of the epistle, Rom 1:17. He makes, therefore, in the close of this chapter, an explicit statement of the nature of the doctrine; and in the following parts of the epistle he fully-proves it, and illustrates its effects.

The righteousness of God. God's plan of justifying men. Rom 1:17.

Without the law. In a way different from personal obedience to the law. It does not mean that God abandoned his law; or that Jesus Christ did not regard the law, for he came to "magnify" it, Isa 42:21 or that sinners after they are justified have no regard to the law; but it means simply what the apostle had been endeavouring to show, that justification could not be accomplished by personal obedience to any law of Jew or Gentile, and that it must be accomplished in some other way.

Being witnessed. Being borne witness to. It was not a new doctrine; it was found in the Old Testament. The apostle makes this observation with special reference to the Jews. He does not declare any new thing, but that which was fully declared in their own sacred writings.

By the law. This expression here evidently denotes, as it did commonly among the Jews, the five books of Moses. And the apostle means to say that this doctrine was found in those books; not that it was in the ten commandments, or in the law, strictly so called. It is not a part of law to declare justification except by strict and perfect obedience. That it was found in those books the apostle shows by the case of Abraham, Rom 4. See also his reasoning on Lev 18:5, and De 30:12-14, in Rom 10:5-11; comp. Ex 34:6,7.

And the prophets. Generally, the remainder of the Old Testament. The phrase "the law and the prophets" comprehended the whole of the Old Testament, Mt 5:17, 11:13, 22:40, Acts 13:15, 28:23. That this doctrine was contained in the prophets, the apostle showed by the passage quoted from Hab 2:4, in Hab 1:17, "The just shall live by faith." The same thing he showed in Rom 10:11, from Isa 28:16, 49:23; and Rom 4:6-8, from Ps 22. The same thing is fully taught in Isa 53:11, Dan 9:24. Indeed, the general tenor of the Old Testament-- the appointment of sacrifices, etc.--taught that man was a sinner, and that he could not be justified by obedience to the moral law.

(z) "by the Law and the Prophets" Acts 26:22

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 21 But now the righteousness of God - God's method of saving sinners is now shown, by the Gospel, to be through his own mere mercy, by Christ Jesus; without the law - without any right or claim which might result from obedience to the law; and is evidently that which was intended by God from the beginning; for it is witnessed by the law and the prophets - the rites and ceremonies of the one, and the preachings and predictions of the others, all bearing testimony to the great design of God, and to the absolute necessity there was for the sacrifice and salvation which God has provided.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Romans 3:21-26
Must guilty man remain under wrath? Is the wound for ever incurable? No; blessed be God, there is another way laid open for us. This is the righteousness of God; righteousness of his ordaining, and providing, and accepting. It is by that faith which has Jesus Christ for its object; an anointed Saviour, so Jesus Christ signifies. Justifying faith respects Christ as a Saviour, in all his three anointed offices, as Prophet, Priest, and King; trusting in him, accepting him, and cleaving to him: in all these, Jews and Gentiles are alike welcome to God through Christ. There is no difference, his righteousness is upon all that believe; not only offered to them, but put upon them as a crown, as a robe. It is free grace, mere mercy; there is nothing in us to deserve such favours. It comes freely unto us, but Christ bought it, and paid the price. And faith has special regard to the blood of Christ, as that which made the atonement. God, in all this, declares his righteousness. It is plain that he hates sin, when nothing less than the blood of Christ would satisfy for it. And it would not agree with his justice to demand the debt, when the Surety has paid it, and he has accepted that payment in full satisfaction.

Matthew Henry, 1706 · public domain

Romans 3:21 in the original Greek

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

νυνὶnuniNowG3570
δὲdehoweverG1161
χωρὶςchōrisapart fromG5565
νόμουnomoulawG3551
δικαιοσύνηdikaiosunē[the] righteousnessG1343
θεοῦtheouof GodG2316
πεφανέρωταιpephanerōtaihas been revealedG5319
μαρτυρουμένηmarturoumenēbeing borne witness toG3140
ὑπὸhupobyG5259
τοῦtoutheG3588
νόμουnomouLawG3551
καὶkaiandG2532
τῶνtōntheG3588
προφητῶν,prophētōnProphets,G4396

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Romans 3:21

  • Acts 10:43

    To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.

  • Jeremiah 33:16

    In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely: and this is the name wherewith she shall be called, The Lord our righteousness.

  • Philippians 3:9

    And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

  • Jeremiah 23:5-6

    Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.

  • Galatians 3:8

    And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.

  • Isaiah 61:10

    I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.

  • Isaiah 51:8

    For the moth shall eat them up like a garment, and the worm shall eat them like wool: but my righteousness shall be for ever, and my salvation from generation to generation.

  • Hebrews 10:1-14

    For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. …

  • Romans 10:3-4

    For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.

  • Romans 5:19

    For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.

  • Isaiah 46:13

    I bring near my righteousness; it shall not be far off, and my salvation shall not tarry: and I will place salvation in Zion for Israel my glory.

  • Acts 15:11

    But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
righteousness.
1:17; 5:19,21; 10:3,4; Ge 15:6; Isa 45:24,25; 46:13; 51:8; 54:17
Isa 61:10; Jer 23:5,6; 33:16; Da 9:24; Ac 15:11; 1Co 1:30; 2Co 5:21
Ga 5:5; Php 3:9; Heb 11:4-40; 2Pe 1:1
being.
De 18:15-19; Lu 24:44; Joh 1:45; 3:14,15; 5:46,47; Ac 26:22
Heb 10:1-14
and the.
1:2; 16:26; Ac 3:21-25; 10:43; 28:23; Ga 3:8; 1Pe 1:10

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Romans 3:20

    Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

  • Romans 3:21

    But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;

  • Romans 3:22

    Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:

Read all of Romans 3

Romans 3:21 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Mas ahora, sin la ley, la justicia de Dios se ha manifestado, testificada por la ley y por los profetas:
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Mais maintenant, sans loi, la justice de Dieu est manifestée, témoignage lui étant rendu par la loi et par les prophètes,
German
Elberfelder 1871		Jetzt aber ist, ohne Gesetz, Gottes Gerechtigkeit geoffenbart worden, bezeugt durch das Gesetz und die Propheten:
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Nunc autem sine lege justitia Dei manifestata est: testificata a lege et prophetis.