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And art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the blind, a light of them which are in darkness,
Romans 2:19 · King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB and are confident that you yourself are a guide of the blind, a light to those who are in darkness,
  • BSB if you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light for those in darkness,
  • NKJV and are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness,
  • NASB and are confident that you yourself are a guide to people who are blind, a light to those in darkness,
  • NLT You are convinced that you are a guide for the blind and a light for people who are lost in darkness.

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

They are confident they can guide the blind and give light to those in darkness. They see themselves as spiritual leaders to others.

Overview

Paul describes the Jew's self-understanding as a guide to the blind and a light to those in darkness, reflecting Israel's calling to be a light to the nations (Isaiah 42:6). Such a role is honorable, but Paul highlights it to expose the gap between claiming to teach others and failing to obey oneself, which he will name directly in vv.21-23.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 21

  • Rev 3:17–18Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
  • 1 Cor 8:1–2Now as touching things offered unto idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth.
  • Isa 49:6And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.
  • Isa 5:21Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!
  • Isa 56:10His watchmen are blind: they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber.
  • Matt 6:23But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!
  • Prov 26:12Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit? there is more hope of a fool than of him.
  • John 9:40–41And some of the Pharisees which were with him heard these words, and said unto him, Are we blind also?
  • Matt 15:14Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.
  • 1 Cor 4:10We are fools for Christ’s sake, but ye are wise in Christ; we are weak, but ye are strong; ye are honourable, but we are despised.
  • John 9:34They answered and said unto him, Thou wast altogether born in sins, and dost thou teach us? And they cast him out.
  • Matt 5:14Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
  • Matt 4:16The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.
  • Isa 49:9–10That thou mayest say to the prisoners, Go forth; to them that are in darkness, Shew yourselves. They shall feed in the ways, and their pastures shall be in all high places.
  • Luke 1:79To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.
  • Matt 23:16–26Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor!
  • Mark 10:15Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein.
  • John 7:46–49The officers answered, Never man spake like this man.
  • Acts 26:18To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.
  • 1 Cor 3:18Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise.
  • Phil 2:15That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (4)

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 2:19YouTube · 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 2:19 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.