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regarding His Son, who was a descendant of David according to the flesh,
Romans 1:3 · Berean Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB concerning his Son, who was born of the offspring of David according to the flesh,
  • KJV Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh;
  • NKJV concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh,
  • NASB concerning His Son, who was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh,
  • NLT The Good News is about his Son. In his earthly life he was born into King David’s family line,

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

The gospel concerns God's Son, who was truly human, descended from David according to the flesh. This affirms both Jesus' real humanity and His messianic, kingly lineage.

Overview

Paul defines the gospel's content as God's Son. 'Born of the offspring of David according to the flesh' affirms Jesus' genuine humanity and His descent from King David, fulfilling the promise that the Messiah would come from David's line (2 Samuel 7). This verse, paired with the next, presents a balanced confession of Christ as both truly human and the divine Son of God.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 40

  • Gal 4:4But when the time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law,
  • Matt 1:1This is the record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham:
  • Jer 23:5–6Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and He will reign wisely as King and will administer justice and righteousness in the land.
  • John 1:14The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
  • Luke 1:31–33Behold, you will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus.
  • Matt 1:20–23But after he had pondered these things, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to embrace Mary as your wife, for the One conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.
  • Amos 9:11“In that day I will restore the fallen tent of David. I will repair its gaps, restore its ruins, and rebuild it as in the days of old,
  • Isa 9:6–7For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government will be upon His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
  • 1 Jn 4:9–10This is how God’s love was revealed among us: God sent His one and only Son into the world, so that we might live through Him.
  • Ps 2:7I will proclaim the decree spoken to Me by the LORD: “You are My Son; today I have become Your Father.
  • Gen 3:15And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed. He will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”
  • John 1:49“Rabbi,” Nathanael answered, “You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”
  • Ps 89:36–37his offspring shall endure forever, and his throne before Me like the sun,
  • Luke 1:35The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the Holy One to be born will be called the Son of God.
  • 1 Th 1:10and to await His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead—Jesus our deliverer from the coming wrath.
  • Jer 33:26then I would also reject the descendants of Jacob and of My servant David, so as not to take from his descendants rulers over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. For I will restore them from captivity and will have compassion on them.”
  • John 20:28Thomas replied, “My Lord and my God!”
  • Matt 1:16and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.
  • John 10:30I and the Father are one.”
  • Jer 33:15–17In those days and at that time I will cause to sprout for David a righteous Branch, and He will administer justice and righteousness in the land.
  • Rom 9:5Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them proceeds the human descent of Christ, who is God over all, forever worthy of praise! Amen.
  • 2 Tim 2:8Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David, as proclaimed by my gospel,
  • 1 Cor 1:9God, who has called you into fellowship with His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.
  • John 20:31But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.
  • Acts 2:30But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that He would place one of his descendants on his throne.
  • John 5:25Truly, truly, I tell you, the hour is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.
  • Matt 15:22And a Canaanite woman from that region came to Him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is miserably possessed by a demon.”
  • Matt 12:23The crowds were astounded and asked, “Could this be the Son of David?”
  • Matt 22:42–45“What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is He?” “David’s,” they answered.
  • Matt 1:6and Jesse the father of David the king. Next: David was the father of Solomon by Uriah’s wife,
  • Matt 26:63But Jesus remained silent. Then the high priest said to Him, “I charge You under oath by the living God: Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God.”
  • Matt 9:27As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed Him, crying out, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!”
  • Matt 27:43He trusts in God. Let God deliver Him now if He wants Him. For He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’”
  • Matt 3:17And a voice from heaven said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased!”
  • John 10:36then what about the One whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world? How then can you accuse Me of blasphemy for stating that I am the Son of God?
  • Luke 1:69He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David,
  • Luke 2:4–6So Joseph also went up from Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, since he was from the house and line of David.
  • 1 Jn 5:1Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father also loves those born of Him.
  • 1 Jn 5:20And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true—in His Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.
  • Acts 8:36As they traveled along the road and came to some water, the eunuch said, “Look, here is water! What is there to prevent me from being baptized?”

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (2)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Romans videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Romans 1:3YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on RomansMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

Paul unfolds the gospel in full: Christ our righteousness received by faith, the second Adam in whom many are made righteous, in whose death and resurrection we are buried and raised.

How Romans 1:3 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.