Romans 3:6

New Living Translation

Of course not! If God were not entirely fair, how would he be qualified to judge the world?

Parallel Translations

Easy-to-Read Version
Of course not. If God could not punish us, how could he judge the world?

Revised Standard Version
By no means! For then how could God judge the world?

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
God forbid. For how then shall God iudge the worlde?

Hebrew Names Version
May it never be! For then how will God judge the world?

International Standard Version
Of course not! Otherwise, how could God judge the world?Genesis 18:25; Job 1:8:3; 34:17;">[xr]

New American Standard Bible
Far from it! For otherwise, how will God judge the world?

New Century Version
No! If God could not punish us, he could not judge the world.

Update Bible Version
God forbid: for then how shall God judge the world?

Webster's Bible Translation
By no means: for then how shall God judge the world?

English Standard Version
By no means! For then how could God judge the world?

World English Bible
May it never be! For then how will God judge the world?

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
I speak as a man. God forbid; for then how should God judge the world?

Weymouth's New Testament
No indeed; for in that case how shall He judge all mankind?)

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Aftir man Y seie. God forbede. Ellis hou schal God deme this world?

English Revised Version
God forbid: for then how shall God judge the world?

Berean Standard Bible
Certainly not! In that case, how could God judge the world?

Contemporary English Version
But the answer is, "No." Otherwise, how could God judge the world?

Amplified Bible
Certainly not! For otherwise, how will God judge the world?

American Standard Version
God forbid: for then how shall God judge the world?

Bible in Basic English
In no way: because if it is so, how is God able to be the judge of all the world?

Complete Jewish Bible
Heaven forbid! Else, how could God judge the world?

Darby Translation
Far be the thought: since how shall God judge the world?

Etheridge Translation
Not so; otherwise how shall Aloha judge the world ?

Murdock Translation
Far from it. Otherwise how will God judge the world?

King James Version (1611)
God forbid: for then how shall God iudge the world?

New Life Bible
No, not at all! If it were wrong for God to punish us, how could He judge the world?

New Revised Standard
By no means! For then how could God judge the world?

Geneva Bible (1587)
God forbid: els how shal God iudge ye world?

George Lamsa Translation
Far be it: for then how could God judge the world?

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Far be it! Else how shall God judge the world?

Douay-Rheims Bible
(I speak according to man.) God forbid! Otherwise how shall God judge this world?

Bishop's Bible (1568)
God forbyd. For howe then shall God iudge the worlde?

Good News Translation
By no means! If God is not just, how can he judge the world?

Christian Standard Bible®
Absolutely not! Otherwise, how will God judge the world?

King James Version
God forbid: for then how shall God judge the world?

Lexham English Bible
May it never be! For otherwise, how will God judge the world?

Literal Translation
Let it not be! Otherwise, how will God judge the world?

Young's Literal Translation
let it not be! since how shall God judge the world?

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
God forbyd. How mighte God the iudge ye worlde?

Mace New Testament (1729)
not at all: for then how could God judge the world?

THE MESSAGE
So what difference does it make who's a Jew and who isn't, who has been trained in God's ways and who hasn't? As it turns out, it makes a lot of difference—but not the difference so many have assumed. First, there's the matter of being put in charge of writing down and caring for God's revelation, these Holy Scriptures. So, what if, in the course of doing that, some of those Jews abandoned their post? God didn't abandon them. Do you think their faithlessness cancels out his faithfulness? Not on your life! Depend on it: God keeps his word even when the whole world is lying through its teeth. Scripture says the same: Your words stand fast and true; Rejection doesn't faze you. But if our wrongdoing only underlines and confirms God's rightdoing, shouldn't we be commended for helping out? Since our bad words don't even make a dent in his good words, isn't it wrong of God to back us to the wall and hold us to our word? These questions come up. The answer to such questions is no, a most emphatic No! How else would things ever get straightened out if God didn't do the straightening?

New English Translation
Absolutely not! For otherwise how could God judge the world?

New King James Version
Certainly not! For then how will God judge the world?

Simplified Cowboy Version
That's foolish talk. God is completely fair and the only one qualified to judge the whole world.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
May it never be! For otherwise, how will God judge the world?

Legacy Standard Bible
May it never be! For otherwise, how will God judge the world?

Contextual Overview

¹ Then what's the advantage of being a Jew? Is there any value in the ceremony of circumcision? ² Yes, there are great benefits! First of all, the Jews were entrusted with the whole revelation of God. ³ True, some of them were unfaithful; but just because they were unfaithful, does that mean God will be unfaithful? ⁴ Of course not! Even if everyone else is a liar, God is true. As the Scriptures say about him, "You will be proved right in what you say, and you will win your case in court." ⁵ "But," some might say, "our sinfulness serves a good purpose, for it helps people see how righteous God is. Isn't it unfair, then, for him to punish us?" (This is merely a human point of view.) ⁶ Of course not! If God were not entirely fair, how would he be qualified to judge the world? ⁷ "But," someone might still argue, "how can God condemn me as a sinner if my dishonesty highlights his truthfulness and brings him more glory?" ⁸ And some people even slander us by claiming that we say, "The more we sin, the better it is!" Those who say such things deserve to be condemned. ⁹ Well then, should we conclude that we Jews are better than others? No, not at all, for we have already shown that all people, whether Jews or Gentiles, are under the power of sin. ¹⁰ As the Scriptures say, "No one is righteous— not even one.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

God forbid: Romans 3:4

for then: Genesis 18:25, Job 8:3, Job 34:17-19, Psalms 9:8, Psalms 11:5-7, Psalms 50:6, Psalms 96:13, Psalms 98:9, Acts 17:31

Reciprocal: Genesis 12:13 - Say Genesis 18:23 - Wilt Joshua 7:8 - what shall Joshua 22:29 - God forbid Joshua 24:16 - General 1 Kings 21:3 - The Lord 2 Chronicles 19:7 - no iniquity Psalms 96:10 - judge Psalms 119:137 - General Psalms 145:17 - righteous Isaiah 10:22 - with Jeremiah 12:1 - Righteous Mark 16:16 - that believeth and Romans 2:16 - God Romans 9:14 - Is there unrighteousness 1 Corinthians 6:15 - God Galatians 2:17 - God Galatians 3:21 - God forbid

Cross-References

Genesis 3:1
The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the Lord God had made. One day he asked the woman, "Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?"

Genesis 3:2
"Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden," the woman replied.

Genesis 3:12
The man replied, "It was the woman you gave me who gave me the fruit, and I ate it."

Genesis 3:14
Then the Lord God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all animals, domestic and wild. You will crawl on your belly, groveling in the dust as long as you live.

Genesis 3:15
And I will cause hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel."

Genesis 3:17
And to the man he said, "Since you listened to your wife and ate from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat, the ground is cursed because of you. All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it.

Genesis 3:19
By the sweat of your brow will you have food to eat until you return to the ground from which you were made. For you were made from dust, and to dust you will return."

Genesis 6:2
The sons of God saw the beautiful women and took any they wanted as their wives.

Genesis 39:7
and Potiphar's wife soon began to look at him lustfully. "Come and sleep with me," she demanded.

Joshua 7:21
Among the plunder I saw a beautiful robe from Babylon, 200 silver coins, and a bar of gold weighing more than a pound. I wanted them so much that I took them. They are hidden in the ground beneath my tent, with the silver buried deeper than the rest."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

God forbid, for then how shall God judge the world?] חלילה, "far be it"; such a notion is detestable and abominable, nor can it be fairly deduced from what is asserted; for it is the unrighteousness of his own people, on whom he takes no vengeance personally, and not the unrighteousness of others, on whom he does take vengeance, which commends his righteousness; and supposing it was that of others, God cannot be unrighteous in performing his threatenings, in a way of righteousness: moreover, unrighteousness is sin, and does not of itself but by accident, illustrate the righteousness of God; wherefore God is not unjust in punishing it; for how should God "judge the world?" whereas nothing is more certain than that he will do it, and that this will be done in righteousness; which could not be, was he unrighteous in taking vengeance; which will be one considerable part of that righteous judgment.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

God forbid - Note, Romans 3:4.

For then - If it be admitted that it would be unjust for God to inflict punishment.

How shall God ... - How will it be right or consistent for him to judge the world.

Judge - To “judge” implies the possibility and the correctness of “condemning” the guilty; for if it were not right to condemn them, judgment would be a farce. This does not mean that God would condemn all the world; but that the fact of judging people implied the possibility and propriety of condemning those who were guilty. It is remarkable that the apostle does not attempt to explain how it could be that God could take occasion from the sins of people to promote his glory; nor does he even admit the fact; but he meets directly the objection. To understand the force of his answer, it must be remembered that it was an admitted fact, a fact which no one among the Jews would call in question, that God would judge the world. This fact was fully taught in their own writings, Genesis 18:25; Ecclesiastes 12:14; Ecclesiastes 11:9. It was besides an admitted point with them that God would condemn the pagan I world; and perhaps the term “world” here refers particularly to them.

But how could this be if it were not right for God to inflict punishment at all? The inference of the objector, therefore, could not be true; though the apostle does not tell us how it was consistent to inflict punishment for offences from which God took occasion to promote his glory. It may be remarked, however, that God will judge offences, not from what he may do in overruling them, but from the nature of the crime itself. The question is not, what good God may bring out of it, but what does the crime itself deserve? what is the character of the offender? what was his intention? It is not what God may do to overrule the offence when it is committed. The just punishment of the murderer is to be determined by the Law, and by his own desert; and not from any reputation for integrity and uprightness which the judge may manifest on his trial; or from any honor which may accrue to the police for detecting him; or any security which may result to the commonwealth from his execution; or from any honor which the Law may gain as a just law by his condemnation. Nor should any of these facts and advantages which may result from his execution, be pleaded in bar of his condemnation. So it is with the sinner under the divine administration. It is indeed a truth Psalms 76:10 that the wrath of man shall praise God, and that he will take occasion from people’s wickedness to glorify himself as a just judge and moral governor; but this will be no ground of acquittal for the sinner.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Romans 3:6. APOSTLE. God forbid — μη γενοιτο, by no means. God cannot be unjust; were he unjust, he could not be qualified to judge the world, nor inflict that punishment on the unfaithful Jews, to which I refer.