Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Romans 3:12
They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
They have all gone out of the way – They have declined from the true path of piety and virtue.
They are together – They have at the same time; or they have equally become unprofitable. They are as one; they are joined, or united in this declension. The expression denotes union, or similarity.
Become unprofitable – This word in Hebrew means to become putrid and offensive, like fruit that is spoiled. In Arabic, it is applied to milk that becomes sour. Applied to moral subjects, it means to become corrupt and useless. They are of no value in regard to works of righteousness.
There is none … – This is taken literally from the Hebrew.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 12. They are all gone out of the way] , they have all diverged from the right way, they have either abandoned or corrupted the worship of God: the Jews, in forsaking the law and the prophets, and the Gentiles, in acting contrary to the law which God had written on their hearts. And the departure of both from the truth proves the evil propensity of human nature in general.
They are together become unprofitable] . They are useless, good for nothing; or, as the Hebrew has it, neelachu, they are putrid: he views the whole mass of mankind as slain and thrown together, to putrefy in heaps. This is what is termed the corruption of human nature; they are infected and infectious. What need of the mercy of God to save from such a state of degeneracy!
There is none that doeth good] In Ro 3:10 it is said, There is none righteous; here, There is none that doeth good: the first may refer to the want of a righteous principle; the second, to the necessary consequence of the absence of such a principle. If there be no righteousness within, there will be no acts of goodness without.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
They are all gone out of the way: viz. of truth, or life: see Psa 14:3; 36:4; 58:3. This doth illustrate thee former charge.
They are together become unprofitable; unuseful, and, which is more noisome, fit only for the dunghill, as the word signifies: this follows also in Psa 14:1-7 see Job 15:16.
There is none that doeth good, no, not one; the same as Rom 3:10, though more exactly according to the words of the Psalm, where also it is twice repeated: see Psa 14:1,3.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
They are all gone out of the way,…. In Ps 14:3; it is said, “they are all gone aside”; as persons in debt: man had a considerable stock of righteousness, holiness, knowledge, c. but he has run through all, has contracted large and numerous debts, has been obliged to hide himself, has been used as a bankrupt, and turned out of house and home: Christ indeed has undertook to pay, and he has paid all the debts of his people and has put them into a better state than ever Adam was in: in Ps 53:3, it is rendered, “everyone of them is gone back”; that is, from God; from his commands, and from their former state and condition: here the phrase is rendered by the apostle, “they are all gone out of the way”: that is, out of the way of God and his precepts, out of the way of holiness and righteousness, of light and life; into their own ways, the ways of sin, Satan, and the world of darkness, and of death: so Aben Ezra explains it, “out of the right way”; Kimchi and Ben Melech paraphrase it, “out of the good way: and so”
they are together become unprofitable; the word , in
Ps 14:3 and Ps 53:3; is translated, “they are become filthy”; which R. Aben Ezra interprets by , “they are corrupt”; and R. Solomon Jarchi by , “they are turned to corruption”; the metaphor is taken from stinking flesh, which is tainted and corrupted, and so good for nothing, hence here rendered “unprofitable”; for so men being corrupted by sin, are of no use, service, and advantage to God, to men, or to themselves; but, on the contrary, nauseous to God, and to all that are good, and hurtful to themselves and others: for
there is none that does good, no, not one; and therefore must be unprofitable. There is none that can do good in a spiritual manner, without the grace of God, strength from Christ, and the assistance of the Spirit; and there is not even a spiritual man, that can do good perfectly, and without sin.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
They are together become unprofitable ( ). First aorist passive indicative of . Late word in Polybius and Cilician inscription of first century A.D. Some MSS. read from , useless ( privative and , useful) as in Luke 17:10; Matt 25:30, but Westcott and Hort print as above from the rarer spelling . Only here in N.T. The Hebrew word means to go bad, become sour like milk (Lightfoot).
No, not so much as one ( ). “There is not up to one.”
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
They are together become unprofitable [ ] . Only here in the New Testament : Together carries forward the all. The Hebrew of the Psalm means have become corrupt. The Greek word is to become useless. Compare Joh 14:6.
Good [] . Only in Paul ‘s writings. The radical idea of the word is profitableness. Compare have become unprofitable. Hence it passes readily into the meaning of wholesomeness. See on, Mt 11:30. It is opposed by Paul ‘ to ajpotomia abruptness, severity (Rom 11:22). It is rendered kindness in Eph 2:7; Col 3:12; Gal 5:22. Paul, and he only, also uses ajgaqwsunh for goodness. The distinction as drawn out by Jerome is that ajgaqwsunh represents a sterner virtue, showing itself in a zeal for truth which rebukes, corrects, and chastises, as Christ when He purged the temple. Crhstothv is more gentle, gracious, and kindly Bishop Lightfoot defines it as a kindly disposition to one’s neighbor, not necessarily taking a practical form, while ajgaqwsunh energizes the crhstothv.
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
1) “They are gone out of the way,” (pantes Ekseklinan) “They are all turned away,” The going out of the way,” (of righteousness) is a fruit of their “being” out of righteousness by a sinful nature of natural birth, Psa 51:5; Psa 58:3; Jas 1:15; Eph 2:2-3; Isa 53:6.
2) “They are together become unprofitable,” (hama echreothesan) “Together they became unprofitable,” Jews and Gentiles as Paul considered the human race to be one or the other. All had a oneness (an affinity) of un profitableness, to God and to man, by natural birth, and moral and ethical practice of sin, Phm 1:11; Eph 2:12.
3) “There is none that doeth good,” (oulk estin ho poion chrestoteta) “There exists not (even) one actively doing kindness,” for each had selfishly turned to his own way,” Isa 53:6, “every man turned to his own way,” “that which was right in his own eyes,” became a law to himself, Jdg 21:25.
4) “No, not one,” (ouk estin heos enos) “Not (euen) so much as one;” There still is none born, lives, or dies with any goodness in his old nature, or any natural disposition to holiness, Psa 14:1-3.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
12. It is added, (99) There is no one who doeth kindness By this we are to understand, that they had put off every feeling of humanity. For as the best bond of mutual concord among us is the knowledge of God, (as he is the common Father of all, he wonderfully unites us, and without him there is nothing but disunion,) so inhumanity commonly follows where there is ignorance of God, as every one, when he despises others, loves and seeks his own good.
(99) This verse is literally the Septuagint, and as to meaning, a correct version of the Hebrew. “All have gone out of the way — πάντες ἐξέκλιναν” “is in Hebrew הכל סר, “the whole (or every one) has turned aside,” or revolted, or apostatized. Then, “they have become unprofitable” or useless, is נאלחו, “they are become putrid,” or Corrupted, like putrified fruit or meat, therefore useless, not fit for what they were designed — to serve God and to promote their own and the good of others. Idolatry was evidently this putrescence. — Ed.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(12) They are together become unprofitable.Here the adjective is used to express a state of moral corruption and depravity. Together means altogether; the whole mass of mankind, with one consent, has fallen to ruin.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
Ver. 12. Become unprofitable ] Or rotten, nasty, stinking, as the Hebrew hath it,Psa 14:3Psa 14:3 . The old world was grown so foul, that God was forced to wash it with a deluge.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Rom 3:12 . is the LXX rendering of , which means “to become sour,” “to turn” (of milk): one and all they have become good for nothing. usually signifies kindness, and so it is rendered in 2Co 6:6 , Eph 2:7 , Col 3:12 , Tit 3:4 ( cf. Rom 2:4 ; Rom 11:22 : goodness): here it answers to Hebrew and means “good”. , non est usque ad unum (Vulg.), which may be even more exactly given in the Scottish idiom: there is not the length of one.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
In Psalm 14 the Hebrew stands as in Authorized Version, but in the Septuagint (Alex. MS.) additional matter appears, word for word as in these verses: Rom 3:12-18. This is not found in Psa 53, a practical repetition of Psa 14.
They, &c. = All went.
gone . . . way. Greek. ekklino. Only here, Rom 16:17. 1Pe 3:11.
become unprofitable = are worthless. Greek. achreioomai. Only here.
good. Greek. chrestotes. App-184.
no, not one = there is not as far as (Greek. heos) one.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Rom 3:12. , they have turned aside) they have gone out of the way. Declension supposes, that all had formerly been in the right path.-, together) at the same time.-. They have become unprofitable) They have not the power of returning to do good. And on the contrary, in all these particulars they cling to what is evil, either secretly, or even openly. They have become unfit for any useful purpose (). The conjugate word presently after follows.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
Rom 3:12
Rom 3:12
They have all turned aside, they are together become unprofitable;-[Their understanding has become dark, and consequently they have turned aside from the way that leads to God. The result of their ignorance is that they have become useless, corrupt, good for nothing. They are of no value in regard to the works of righteousness.]
There is none that doeth good, no, not so much as one:- [There was universal corruption of morals as a consequence of apostasy from God. Their condition resembles a caravan which has strayed, and is moving in the direction opposite to the right one, and whose members can do nothing to help one another in their common misery.]
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
They are: Exo 32:8, Psa 14:3, Ecc 7:29, Isa 53:6, Isa 59:8, Jer 2:13, Eph 2:3, 1Pe 2:25
become: Gen 1:31, Gen 6:6, Gen 6:7, Mat 25:30, Phm 1:11
there is none: Psa 53:1, Ecc 7:20, Isa 64:6, Eph 2:8-10, Phi 2:12, Phi 2:13, Tit 2:13, Tit 2:14, Jam 1:16, Jam 1:17
Reciprocal: Psa 53:3 – none Jer 13:7 – it was Mar 10:18 – Why Luk 17:10 – General Act 25:2 – General
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Rom 3:12. They have all turned aside, etc. Accurately quoted from Psa 14:3 (LXX.).
Unprofitable. More literally, useless, worthless.
Not even one. There is not even unto one. The same form occurs in Rom 3:1 of the Psalm, from which Rom 3:10 here varies.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
They have all turned aside, they are together become unprofitable; There is none that doeth good, no, not so much as one [Psa 14:1-3; Psa 53:1-3]:
Fuente: McGarvey and Pendleton Commentaries (New Testament)
12. All have gone away from him, they have all together failed; there is no one that doeth good, no, not one. Man has been a failure in all dispensations. He failed in Eden, winding up with the fall. He failed in antediluvian times, swept away by the great flood. He failed in the patriarchal dispensation, going down into Egyptian slavery. He failed in the Jewish dispensation, culminating in the awful destruction of Jerusalem and the people by the Roman armies. He failed in the dispensation of our Saviors ministry, winding up with the disgraceful scene of Calvary. According to the prophecies, the Gentile dispensation, amid whose fugitive retreat we now live, is, like its predecessors, destined to wind up with the horrific tragedies of the great tribulation. Is not that very discouraging? Not to me. Man was never created an independency. Hence when left alone he has always failed, and always will. This is to us a most profitable lesson. Shall we not heed the warning of our ruined predecessors and all fly to God, who is the only success? Whosoever departs from God plunges into ruin, world without end.