Thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law dishonourest thou God?
Parallel translations
- WEB You who glory in the law, through your disobedience of the law do you dishonor God?
- BSB You who boast in the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law?
- NKJV You who make your boast in the law, do you dishonor God through breaking the law?
- NASB You who boast in the Law, through your breaking the Law, do you dishonor God?
- NLT You are so proud of knowing the law, but you dishonor God by breaking it.
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
You who boast in the law dishonor God by breaking it. Disobedience turns one's boast into shame.
Overview
Paul names the heart of the problem: boasting in the law while breaking it actually dishonors the God who gave it. The very privilege that should lead to glorifying God becomes, through disobedience, a cause of His dishonor. This summarizes the indictment of the religious person and prepares for the Scripture citation that follows.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- Jas 4:16–17But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil.
- Rom 2:17Behold, thou art called a Jew, and restest in the law, and makest thy boast of God,
- John 5:45Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father: there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust.
- Rom 3:2Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of God.
- Rom 9:4Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises;
- Jer 8:8–9How do ye say, We are wise, and the law of the LORD is with us? Lo, certainly in vain made he it; the pen of the scribes is in vain.
- Jas 1:22–27But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
- John 9:28–29Then they reviled him, and said, Thou art his disciple; but we are Moses’ disciples.
- Luke 10:26–29He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou?
- Luke 18:11The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.
- Matt 19:17–20And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Commentaries & study tools
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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 2:23 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.