Romans 3:19

the law Here not the Pentateuch, but the O. T. as a whole. So John 10:34; John 15:25. The O. T. does indeed predict and reveal much of redeeming mercy; but its main characteristic work (apart from prophecy) is to reveal the preceptive willof God and the sin of man.

under the law Lit. in the law; within its precincts, its dominion. These persons are here the Jews, the primary objects of the O. T. message. The Gentiles are otherwiseconvicted; and the Jews being now also thus convicted (from the very title-deeds of their privileges) both of sin and of exposure to its doom, "the whole worldis found guilty." We must remember that the Apostle has had in view the Pharisaic prejudice that the only really endangered sinners were the "sinners of the Gentiles." See Appendix A.

guilty The original word occurs here only in N. T. A common classical meaning is "liable to legal process, actionable." Every human soul owes to God the awful forfeit for sin. Strong, indeed, is the language of this verse, but no conscience that ever really awoke to the holiness of God thought it at last too strong.