As it is written, “There is no one righteous; no, not one.
ExplanationCommentary
Verse 10. There is not any man just, that is by virtue either of the law of nature, or of the law of Moses; but only by faith and grace. Challoner.—The apostle here adduces a series of passages from the ancient Scripture, to convince both Jews and Gentiles, that not one amongst them was just, nor had any title to glory, on account of his good works. Not that a just man could not be found under the old law, or even before the law; an infinite number of passages of Scripture will shew the contrary: but he must be understood as speaking of man left to himself, as a son of Adam, conceived in sin, and brought forth a child of wrath. Calmet.—These crimes, enumerated by the apostle, are not mentioned as if found in each individual, but some of this black catalogue of crimes were found in one man; some in another; yet so that all had become infected with sin and iniquity, all had deserted the path of virtue. There was none just, none found, who feared or sought after God. Estius.—These texts of Scripture, though formerly, even before the times of S. Jerom and S. Augustin, they were found together in some Latin editions, that is Psalms 13 cannot be found united either in the Hebrew text, or Septuagint version, as S. Jerom affirms, in Præf. lib. xvi. commentar. in Isai. This, he says, all the Greek commentators allow. He says, that those who were ignorant of this apostle’s art in uniting together the texts of different pasts of Scripture, upon finding no part where they were all together, placed them, without any authority, in that psalm whence the first part of the citation is taken. The words, an open sepulchre, are taken from Psalms 13. (Hebrew text 14) the verse “Their throat is an open sepulchre, with their tongues they have dealt deceitfully,” from Psalms 5. “The venom of asps is under their lips,” from Psalms 139. “Whose mouth is full of curses and bitterness,” from Psalms 9. “Their feet are swift,” and so forth as far as, there is no fear, from Isai. ch. 59. “There is not the fear of God before their eyes,” from Psalms 35. Estius.