Romans 4:3
New International Version
What does Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”

New Living Translation
For the Scriptures tell us, “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.”

English Standard Version
For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.”

Berean Standard Bible
For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”

Berean Literal Bible
For what does the Scripture say? "And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him for righteousness."

King James Bible
For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.

New King James Version
For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.”

New American Standard Bible
For what does the Scripture say? “ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.”

NASB 1995
For what does the Scripture say? “ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.”

NASB 1977
For what does the Scripture say? “AND ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.”

Legacy Standard Bible
For what does the Scripture say? “ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS COUNTED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.”

Amplified Bible
For what does the Scripture say? “ABRAHAM BELIEVED IN (trusted, relied on) GOD, AND IT WAS CREDITED TO HIS ACCOUNT AS RIGHTEOUSNESS (right living, right standing with God).”

Christian Standard Bible
For what does the Scripture say? Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
For what does the Scripture say? Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness.

American Standard Version
For what saith the scripture? And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned unto him for righteousness.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
For what do the Scriptures say? “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.”

Contemporary English Version
The Scriptures say, "God accepted Abraham because Abraham had faith in him."

Douay-Rheims Bible
For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was reputed to him unto justice.

English Revised Version
For what saith the scripture? And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned unto him for righteousness.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
What does Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and that faith was regarded by God to be his approval of Abraham."

Good News Translation
The scripture says, "Abraham believed God, and because of his faith God accepted him as righteous."

International Standard Version
For what does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness."

Literal Standard Version
for what does the writing say? “And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him for righteousness”;

Majority Standard Bible
For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”

New American Bible
For what does the scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”

NET Bible
For what does the scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness."

New Revised Standard Version
For what does the scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.”

New Heart English Bible
For what does the Scripture say? "And Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness."

Webster's Bible Translation
For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness.

Weymouth New Testament
For what says the Scripture? "And Abraham believed God, and this was placed to his credit as righteousness."

World English Bible
For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.”

Young's Literal Translation
for what doth the writing say? 'And Abraham did believe God, and it was reckoned to him -- to righteousness;'

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Abraham Justified by Faith
2If Abraham was indeed justified by works, he had something to boast about, but not before God. 3For what does the Scripture say? Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” 4Now the wages of the worker are not credited as a gift, but as an obligation.…

Cross References
Genesis 15:6
Abram believed the LORD, and it was credited to him as righteousness.

Romans 4:9
Is this blessing only on the circumcised, or also on the uncircumcised? We have been saying that Abraham's faith was credited to him as righteousness.

Romans 4:22
This is why "it was credited to him as righteousness."

Galatians 3:6
So also, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness."

James 2:23
And the Scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness," and he was called a friend of God.


Treasury of Scripture

For what said the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness.

what.

Romans 9:17
For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth.

Romans 10:11
For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

Romans 11:2
God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew. Wot ye not what the scripture saith of Elias? how he maketh intercession to God against Israel, saying,

Abraham.

Genesis 15:6
And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.

Galatians 3:6-8
Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness…

James 2:23
And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.

counted.

Romans 4:5,9,11,22-25
But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness…

Psalm 106:31
And that was counted unto him for righteousness unto all generations for evermore.

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Abraham Account Accounted Believe Believed Counted Credit Credited Faith Holy Placed Reckoned Righteousness Scripture Writing Writings
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Abraham Account Accounted Believe Believed Counted Credit Credited Faith Holy Placed Reckoned Righteousness Scripture Writing Writings
Romans 4
1. Abraham's faith was credited to him as righteousness;
10. before he was circumcised.
13. By faith only he and his seed received the promise.
16. Abraham is the father of all who believe.
24. Our faith also shall be credited to us as righteousness.














(3) The Apostle gives a proof of this from Scripture. Abraham was not justified by works, and therefore had nothing to boast of in God's sight. He was justified by faith. His righteousness was not real, but imputed. His faith was treated as if it had been equivalent to a righteousness of works. It met with the same acceptance in the sight of God that a righteousness of works would have done. But--the argument goes on--faith carries with it no such idea of merit or debt as works. It is met by a pure act of grace on the part of God.

Abraham believed God.--The quotation is taken from Genesis 15:6, where it appears as a comment upon Abraham's belief in the promise that he should have a numerous posterity. The same passage is elaborately commented upon by Philo and others, so that it would seem to have been a common topic in the Jewish schools. It should be noticed that the word "faith" is not used in quite the same sense in the original and in the application. In Abraham's case it was trust in the fulfilment of the divine promise, in St. Paul's sense it is rather enthusiastic adhesion to a person. This is part of the general enlargement and deepening of the Old Testament terminology by St. Paul. A writer of less profundity (though marked by striking and elevated qualities), the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews, applies the word more strictly. (See Hebrews 11:8 et seq.) In James 2:23 the word has the still thinner meaning of a merely intellectual assent. St Paul quotes the same passage in the same sense as here in Galatians 3:6. (See Excursus B: On the Meaning of the word Faith.)

It was counted unto him.--It should be observed that the same words are translated by the Authorised version here, "it was counted unto him;" in Romans 4:9, "faith was reckoned to Abraham;" in Romans 4:22, "it was imputed unto him;" in Galatians 3:6, "it was accounted to him;" in James 2:23, "it was imputed to him." A defect in the translation, which, however, hardly obscures the true meaning. . . .

Verse 3. - For what saith the Scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned Unto him for righteousness. This notable text (Genesis 15:6), declaring the ground of Abraham's acceptance, is similarly quoted in the cognate passage, Galatians 3:6. It has a peculiar cogency in the general argument from being in connection with, and with reference to, one of the Divine promises to Abraham of an unnumbered seed; so that it may be understood with an extended application to those who were to inherit the blessing, as well as to the "father of the faithful," and so declaring the principle of justification for all the "children of the promise." Further, it would be peculiarly telling as addressed to the Jews, who made such a point of their descent from Abraham as the root of all their position of privilege (cf. Psalm 105:6; Isaiah 41:8; Isaiah 51:2; Matthew 3:9; Luke 3:8; John 8:39). The two significant expressions in it are ἐπίστευσε (denoting faith, not works) and ἐλογίσθη εἰς The whole phrase, the apostle proceeds to say, implies that the reward spoken of was not earned, but granted.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
For
γὰρ (gar)
Conjunction
Strong's 1063: For. A primary particle; properly, assigning a reason.

what
τί (ti)
Interrogative / Indefinite Pronoun - Accusative Neuter Singular
Strong's 5101: Who, which, what, why. Probably emphatic of tis; an interrogative pronoun, who, which or what.

{does} the
(hē)
Article - Nominative Feminine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

Scripture
γραφὴ (graphē)
Noun - Nominative Feminine Singular
Strong's 1124: (a) a writing, (b) a passage of scripture; plur: the scriptures. A document, i.e. Holy Writ.

say?
λέγει (legei)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 3004: (a) I say, speak; I mean, mention, tell, (b) I call, name, especially in the pass., (c) I tell, command.

“Abraham
Ἀβραὰμ (Abraam)
Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 11: Abraham, progenitor of the Hebrew race. Of Hebrew origin; Abraham, the Hebrew patriarch.

believed
Ἐπίστευσεν (Episteusen)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 4100: From pistis; to have faith, i.e. Credit; by implication, to entrust.

God,
Θεῷ (Theō)
Noun - Dative Masculine Singular
Strong's 2316: A deity, especially the supreme Divinity; figuratively, a magistrate; by Hebraism, very.

and
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

it was credited
ἐλογίσθη (elogisthē)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Passive - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 3049: To reckon, count, charge with; reason, decide, conclude; think, suppose.

to him
αὐτῷ (autō)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Dative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 846: He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.

as
εἰς (eis)
Preposition
Strong's 1519: A primary preposition; to or into, of place, time, or purpose; also in adverbial phrases.

righteousness.”
δικαιοσύνην (dikaiosynēn)
Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 1343: From dikaios; equity; specially justification.


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NT Letters: Romans 4:3 For what does the Scripture say? Abraham (Rom. Ro)
Romans 4:2
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