Romans 3:6

Simplified Cowboy Version

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

Parallel Translations

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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?

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?

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

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

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?

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]

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

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

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

English Revised Version
God forbid: for then how shall 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?

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?

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?

New Living Translation
Of course not! If God were not entirely fair, how would he be qualified to judge 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?

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?

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?

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?

Contextual Overview

¹What's so great about bein' a Jew and having your pickle clipped? ²Well, more than you might think! First off, God trusted them with his story. ³Now some of them didn't believe his story. But just because some of them turned their backs on God, doesn't mean he's gonna turn his back on us. ⁴God never screws up like we do. He don't screw up at all. The Good Book says, "You and truth are tied hard and fast. You are unfazed by rejection." ⁵But if our sorry ways go to show just how good God is, why would God punish us for making him look good? (That's just the cowpuncher in me talkin'.) ⁶That's foolish talk. God is completely fair and the only one qualified to judge the whole world. ⁷Still others will argue, "If my lies reveal God's honesty, what is wrong with that?" ⁸Others have gone on to twist our words and tell people we have said the more you sin the better it is for God. Those counterfeits will get what's comin' to 'em. ⁹Is it safe to say the Jews are better off than everyone else? Nope! Jews and outsiders (those who were not born Jews) are all under the power of sin. ¹⁰The Good Book says, "No one is good enough for God—not one single cowboy.

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

Matthew 5:28
But I'm tellin' you that even if you look at a girl and think about it, you've done the same thing in your heart.

1 Timothy 2:14
Eve was deceived by Satan, but even though Adam knew better, she convinced him to follow. The result is the sorry world we live in.

1 John 2:16
All this stuff most people cherish and hold on to—sinful desires, material things, and everything else like fame, fortune, and pride—none of it comes from God. Those are all worldly things and will get you destroyed.

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.