Romans 3:20

Amplified Bible

For no person will be justified [freed of guilt and declared righteous] in His sight by [trying to do] the works of the Law. For through the Law we become conscious of sin [and the recognition of sin directs us toward repentance, but provides no remedy for sin].

Parallel Translations

Easy-to-Read Version
because no one can be made right with God by following the law. The law only shows us our sin.

Revised Standard Version
For no human being will be justified in his sight by works of the law, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
because that by ye dedes of the lawe shall no flesshe be iustified in the sight of God. For by the lawe commeth the knowledge of synne.

Hebrew Names Version
Because by the works of the law, no flesh will be justified in his sight. For through the law comes the knowledge of sin.

International Standard Version
Therefore, no human being will be justified in God'shis">[fn] sight by means of the works prescribed by the law, for through the law comes the full knowledge of sin.Psalm 143:2; Acts 13:39; Romans 7:7; Galatians 2:16; 3:11; Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5;">[xr]

New American Standard Bible
because by the works of the Law none of mankind will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes knowledge of sin.

New Century Version
because no one can be made right with God by following the law. The law only shows us our sin.

Update Bible Version
because by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified in his sight; for through the law [comes] the knowledge of sin.

Webster's Bible Translation
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.

English Standard Version
For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.

World English Bible
Because by the works of the law, no flesh will be justified in his sight. For through the law comes the knowledge of sin.

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
Therefore no flesh shall be justified in his sight by the works of the law; for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

Weymouth's New Testament
For on the ground of obedience to Law no man living will be declared righteous before Him. Law simply brings a sure knowledge of sin.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
For of the werkis of the lawe ech fleisch schal not be iustified bifor hym; for bi the lawe ther is knowyng of synne.

English Revised Version
because by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for through the law cometh the knowledge of sin.

Berean Standard Bible
Therefore no one will be justified in His sight by works of the law. For the law merely brings awareness of sin.

Contemporary English Version
God doesn't accept people simply because they obey the Law. No, indeed! All the Law does is to point out our sin.

American Standard Version
because by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified in his sight; for through the law cometh the knowledge of sin.

Bible in Basic English
Because by the works of the law no man is able to have righteousness in his eyes, for through the law comes the knowledge of sin.

Complete Jewish Bible
For in his sight no one alive will be considered righteous on the ground of legalistic observance of Torah commands, because what Torah really does is show people how sinful they are.

Darby Translation
Wherefore by works of law no flesh shall be justified before him; for by law [is] knowledge of sin.

Etheridge Translation
Because by the works of the law no flesh is justified before him; for from the law sin is known.

Murdock Translation
Wherefore, by the deeds of the law, no flesh is justified before him: for, by the law, sin is known.

King James Version (1611)
Therefore by the deedes of the Law, there shall no flesh be iustified in his sight: for by the Law is the knowledge of sinne.

New Living Translation
For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are.

New Life Bible
No person will be made right with God by doing what the Law says. The Law shows us how sinful we are.

New Revised Standard
For "no human being will be justified in his sight" by deeds prescribed by the law, for through the law comes the knowledge of sin.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Therefore by the woorkes of the Lawe shall no flesh be iustified in his sight: for by the Lawe commeth the knowledge of sinne.

George Lamsa Translation
For by the deeds of the law, no flesh shall be justified before his presence: for by means of the law, sin is known.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Inasmuch as, by works of law, shall no flesh be declared righteous before him, - through law, in fact, is discovery of sin.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Because by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified before him. For by the law is the knowledge of sin.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Because that by the deedes of the lawe, there shall no flesshe be iustified in his syght. For by the lawe, commeth the knowledge of sinne.

Good News Translation
For no one is put right in God's sight by doing what the Law requires; what the Law does is to make us know that we have sinned.

Christian Standard Bible®
For no one will be justified in his sight by the works of the law, because the knowledge of sin comes through the law.

King James Version
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.

Lexham English Bible
For by the works of the law no person will be declared righteous before him, for through the law comes knowledge of sin.

Literal Translation
Because by works of Law not one of all flesh will be justified before Him, for through Law is full knowledge of sin. Psa. 143:2

Young's Literal Translation
wherefore by works of law shall no flesh be declared righteous before Him, for through law is a knowledge of sin.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
because yt by ye dedes of the lawe no flesh maye be iustified in his sighte. For by the lawe commeth but the knowlege of synne.

Mace New Testament (1729)
for by the observation of the law no one shall be justified in his sight, since it is the law that takes cognizance of sin.

New English Translation
For no one is declared righteous before him by the works of the law, for through the law comes the knowledge of sin.

New King James Version
Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

Simplified Cowboy Version
No one is made right with God by following rules.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.

Legacy Standard Bible
because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.

Contextual Overview

¹⁹Now we know that whatever the Law [of Moses] says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that [the excuses of] every mouth may be silenced [from protesting] and that all the world may be held accountable to God [and subject to His judgment]. ²⁰For no person will be justified [freed of guilt and declared righteous] in His sight by [trying to do] the works of the Law. For through the Law we become conscious of sin [and the recognition of sin directs us toward repentance, but provides no remedy for sin].²¹But now the righteousness of God has been clearly revealed [independently and completely] apart from the Law, though it is [actually] confirmed by the Law and the [words and writings of the] Prophets. ²²This righteousness of God comes through faith in Jesus Christ for all those [Jew or Gentile] who believe [and trust in Him and acknowledge Him as God's Son]. There is no distinction, ²³since all have sinned and continually fall short of the glory of God, ²⁴and are being justified [declared free of the guilt of sin, made acceptable to God, and granted eternal life] as a gift by His [precious, undeserved] grace, through the redemption [the payment for our sin] which is [provided] in Christ Jesus, ²⁵whom God displayed publicly [before the eyes of the world] as a [life-giving] sacrifice of atonement and reconciliation (propitiation) by His blood [to be received] through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness [which demands punishment for sin], because in His forbearance [His deliberate restraint] He passed over the sins previously committed [before Jesus' crucifixion]. ²⁶It was to demonstrate His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the One who justifies those who have faith in Jesus [and rely confidently on Him as Savior]. ²⁷Then what becomes of [our] boasting? It is excluded [entirely ruled out, banished]. On what principle? On [the principle of good] works? No, but on the principle of faith. ²⁸For we maintain that an individual is justified by faith distinctly apart from works of the Law [the observance of which has nothing to do with justification, that is, being declared free of the guilt of sin and made acceptable to God].

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Therefore: Romans 3:28, Romans 2:13, Romans 4:13, Romans 9:32, Acts 13:39, Galatians 2:16, Galatians 2:19, Galatians 3:10-13, Galatians 5:4, Ephesians 2:8, Ephesians 2:9, Titus 3:5-7, James 2:9, James 2:10

no flesh: Job 25:4, Psalms 130:3, Psalms 143:2, James 2:20-26

in his sight: Job 15:15, Job 25:5

for by the: Romans 7:7-9, Galatians 2:19

Reciprocal: Genesis 3:11 - General Genesis 6:7 - General Leviticus 13:3 - shall look Deuteronomy 5:26 - all flesh Deuteronomy 27:26 - confirmeth Deuteronomy 31:26 - a witness 2 Kings 22:13 - great 2 Kings 23:24 - that he might 2 Chronicles 34:19 - the words Nehemiah 8:9 - all the people Nehemiah 13:3 - when they Job 9:2 - how Psalms 5:10 - Destroy Psalms 19:8 - enlightening Isaiah 59:6 - neither Isaiah 59:12 - our sins Ezekiel 18:25 - way Mark 10:19 - knowest Mark 12:34 - Thou Luke 15:29 - Lo Luke 16:15 - Ye Luke 18:14 - justified Luke 18:20 - knowest John 1:17 - the law John 5:45 - there John 16:9 - General Acts 24:25 - Felix Romans 2:12 - in the law Romans 4:2 - Abraham Romans 4:6 - without Romans 4:15 - Because Romans 5:18 - upon Romans 5:20 - the law Romans 6:14 - for ye Romans 7:5 - which Romans 7:9 - but Romans 8:3 - For what Romans 9:31 - hath 1 Corinthians 4:4 - yet 1 Corinthians 15:56 - the strength 2 Corinthians 3:6 - for Galatians 3:19 - It was added Galatians 3:21 - for Galatians 3:24 - the law Philippians 3:9 - which is of the 2 Timothy 1:9 - not Hebrews 7:19 - the law Hebrews 12:20 - For they James 2:21 - justified 1 John 3:4 - transgresseth

Cross-References

Genesis 2:20
And the man gave names to all the livestock, and to the birds of the air, and to every animal of the field; but for Adam there was not found a helper [that was] suitable (a companion) for him.

Genesis 2:23
Then Adam said, "This is now bone of my bones, And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man."

Genesis 5:29
He named him Noah, saying, "This one shall bring us rest and comfort from our work and from the [dreadful] toil of our hands because of the ground which the LORD cursed."

Genesis 16:11
The Angel of the LORD continued, "Behold, you are with child, And you will bear a son; And you shall name him Ishmael (God hears), Because the LORD has heard and paid attention to your persecution (suffering).

Genesis 35:18
And as her soul was departing, (for she died), she named him Ben-oni (son of my sorrow); but his father called him Benjamin (son of the right hand).

Exodus 2:10
And the child grew, and she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter and he became her son. And she named him Moses, and said, "Because I drew him out of the water."

1 Samuel 1:20
It came about in due time, after Hannah had conceived, that she gave birth to a son; she named him Samuel, saying, "Because I have asked for him from the LORD."

Matthew 1:21
"She will give birth to a Son, and you shall name Him Jesus (The LORD is salvation), for He will save His people from their sins."

Matthew 1:23
"BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD AND GIVE BIRTH TO A SON, AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL"—which, when translated, means, "GOD WITH US."

Acts 17:26
"And He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their lands and territories.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Therefore by the deeds of the law,.... Hence it most clearly appears, that there can be no justification before God by the law, since it stops the mouths of men, and pronounces them guilty: by "the deeds of the law" are meant, works done in obedience to it, as performed by sinful men, which are very imperfect; not as performed by Adam in innocence or by Christ in our nature whose works were perfect; but as performed by sinful men and of themselves, and not as performed in and by Christ for them who is the fulfilling end of the law for righteousness to all believers: now by such works as these whether wrought before or after conversion, with or without the strength and grace of Christ,

there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: that is, no one person: "flesh" designs men, and men as corrupt and carnal, in opposition to God, who is a Spirit pure and holy; and may have respect to the vain opinion of Jews and Gentiles, who were vainly puffed up in their fleshly mind; the one on account of their wisdom and learning, the other on account of their righteousness; and includes all the individuals of human nature:, the word "justified", does not signify being made righteous by the infusion of righteousness, for the infusion of a righteousness, or holiness, is sanctification, which is a work of the Spirit of God, is internal, and imperfect, and so not justifying; but it is a forensic word, or legal term, and stands opposed to a being condemned; and signifies to be acquitted, discharged, and made righteous in a legal sense, which can never be done by an imperfect obedience to the law: men may be justified hereby in their own sight, and in the sight of others, but not in "his sight"; in the sight of God, who is omniscient, and sees not as man seeth; who is pure, holy, and righteous, and whose judgment is according to truth: this is said in direct contradiction to the Jews z, who say,

"a man is not justified for ever, but by the words of the law:''

but in his sight none can be justified, but by the perfect obedience and righteousness of Christ. The reason for it is,

for by the law is the knowledge of sin; it discovers to a man, by the light of the Spirit of God, and as under his influence, and attended with his power, the sins both of his heart and life; and so he is convinced by it as a transgressor and finds himself guilty, and liable to condemnation and death; wherefore he can never hope for and expect justification by it. The Jews ascribe such an use as this to the law, which they suppose it performs in a very gentle manner;

"he that rises in the night (say they a), and studies in the law, אוריתא קא מודעא ליה חובה, "the law makes known to him his sin", but not in a way of judgment, but as a mother makes known to her son in tender language:''

but this is generally done in a rougher way, for the law works wrath.

z Zohar in Lev. fol. 33. 3. a Zohar in Lev. fol. 10. 2.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

By the deeds of the law - By works; or by such deeds as the Law requires. The word “Law” has, in the Scriptures, a great variety of significations. Its strict and proper meaning is, a rule of conduct prescribed by superior authority. The course of reasoning in these chapters shows the sense in which the apostle uses it here. He intends evidently to apply it to those rules or laws by which the Jews and Gentiles pretended to frame their lives; and to affirm that people could be justified by no conformity to those laws. He had shown Romans 1:0 that “the pagan, the entire Gentile world,” had violated the laws of nature; the rules of virtue made known to them by reason, tradition, and conscience. He had shown the same Rom. 2–3 in respect to the Jews. They had equally failed in rendering obedience to their Law. In both these cases the reference was, not to “ceremonial” or ritual laws, but to the moral law; whether that law was made known by reason or by revelation. The apostle had not been discussing the question whether they had yielded obedience to their ceremonial law, but whether they had been found holy, that is, whether they had obeyed the moral law. The conclusion was, that in all this they had failed, and that therefore they could not be justified by that Law. That the apostle did not intend to speak of external works only is apparent; for he all along charges them with a lack of conformity of the heart no less than with a lack of conformity of the life; see Romans 1:26, Romans 1:29-31; Romans 2:28-29. The conclusion is therefore a general one, that by no law, made known either by reason, conscience, tradition, or revelation, could man be justified; that there was no form of obedience which could be rendered, that would justify people in the sight of a holy God.

There shall no flesh - No man; no human being, either among the Jews or the Gentiles. It is a strong expression, denoting the absolute universality of his conclusion; see the note at Romans 1:3.

Be justified - Be regarded and treated as righteous. None shall be esteemed as having kept the Law, and as being entitled to the rewards of obedience; see the note at Romans 1:17.

In his sight - Before him. God sits as a Judge to determine the characters of people, and he shall not adjudge any to have kept the Law.

For by the law - That is, by all law. The connection shows that this is the sense. Law is a rule of action. The effect of applying a rule to our conduct is to show us what sin is. The meaning of the apostle clearly is, that the application of a law to try our conduct, instead of being a ground of justification, will be merely to show us our own sinfulness and departures from duty. A man may esteem himself to be very right and correct, until he compares himself with a rule, or law; so whether the Gentiles compared their conduct with their laws of reason and conscience, or the Jew his with his written law, the effect would be to show them how far they had departed. The more closely and faithfully it should be applied, the more they would see it. So far from being justified by it, they would be more and more condemned; compare Romans 7:7-10. The same is the case now. This is the way in which a sinner is converted; and the more closely and faithfully the Law is preached, the more will it condemn him, and show him that he needs some other plan of salvation.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 20. Therefore, by the deeds of the law — On the score of obedience to this moral law, there shall no flesh, ουπασασαρξ, no human being, be justified; none can be accepted in the sight of God. And why? Because by the law is the knowledge of sin: it is that which ascertains what sin is; shows how men have deviated from its righteous demands; and sentences them to death because they have broken it. Thus the law is properly considered as the rule of right; and, unless God had given some such means of discovering what SIN is, the darkened heart of man could never have formed an adequate conception of it. For, as an acknowledged straight edge is the only way in which the straightness or crookedness of a line can be determined, so the moral obliquity of human actions can only be determined by the law of God; that rule of right which proceeds from his own immaculate holiness.