SIL Translator’s Notes on Romans 3:11

3:11a

who understands: Here this word probably refers to understanding of right and wrong. In some languages a literal translation would be too general. If that is true in your language, explain what it refers to here. For example:

who understands ⌊right and wrong
-or-
who discerns ⌊right from wrong

But it is also possible that the quoted poetic Hebrew line is meant to have a similar meaning to “no one seeks for God” (3:11b). In that case this verb refers to understanding who God is. For example:

Not one of them understands or even searches for God. (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
who understands ⌊God’s character

3:11b

no one who seeks God: This clause indicates that no one wants to know God, or have anything to do with God. The word seeks does not mean that God is lost. Here are other ways to translate this clause:

no one seeks to discover who God is
-or-
no one who seeks to know him
-or-
there is also no person who seeks for the true way going to God

© 2020 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.

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