There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.

ROMANS 3:11KJV
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Romans 3:11 (KJV)

What does Romans 3:11 mean?

Romans 3:11 states that no one truly understands or seeks after God on their own. This verse emphasizes the universal spiritual condition of humanity, showing that left to themselves, people do not naturally pursue or comprehend God.

Paul, the writer of Romans, is addressing both Jewish and non-Jewish readers in the city of Rome. He is building a case that all people, regardless of background, are in need of God’s help because no one is naturally righteous or spiritually insightful. Romans 3:11 is part of a larger argument that levels the playing field, showing that everyone stands in the same spiritual need.

The Greek behind Romans 3:11

  • οὐδείς (oudeis, "none"): This word means "not even one" or "no one at all." Paul uses it to stress the total absence of people who understand or seek God on their own.
  • συνίημι (syniēmi, "understandeth"): This Greek word means to comprehend or put things together in the mind. The verse is saying that no one truly grasps spiritual truth about God by their own ability.
  • ἐκζητέω (ekzēteō, "seeketh after"): This word means to search for diligently or to desire earnestly. Paul is highlighting that people do not actively and sincerely pursue God without His initiative.

Why Romans 3:11 matters

  • Romans 3:11 corrects the idea that some people are naturally inclined toward God or spiritual truth on their own; it insists that everyone needs God’s help to truly seek and understand Him.
  • This verse is part of Paul’s larger argument in Romans 3 that all people, regardless of their background or moral efforts, are in the same spiritual condition and need God’s grace.
  • By quoting from the Hebrew Scriptures, Paul shows that this is not a new idea but a consistent teaching throughout the Bible about the human heart.

Where else these words appear

“after” Greek G1567 · used in 7 verses

  • Luke 11:50 That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation;
  • Acts 15:17 That the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things.
  • Hebrews 12:17 For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.

“understandeth” Greek G4920 · used in 25 verses

  • Matthew 13:13 Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.
  • Matthew 17:13 Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist.
  • Luke 18:34 And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken.