Romans 3:11 (ASV)

Passage

There is none that understandeth, There is none that seeketh after God;

Nearby Context

Romans 3:9 What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we before laid to the charge both of Jews and Greeks, that they are all under sin;

Romans 3:10 as it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one;

Romans 3:11 There is none that understandeth, There is none that seeketh after God;

Romans 3:12 They have all turned aside, they are together become unprofitable; There is none that doeth good, no, not, so much as one:

Romans 3:13 Their throat is an open sepulchre; With their tongues they have used deceit: The poison of asps is under their lips:

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "none", "understandeth", "seeketh", and "after". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "none" and "understandeth", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 10's "as it is written There is none..." into verse 12's "They have all turned aside they are...", so "none" and "understandeth" belong inside that flow. In Romans context, the local focus is righteousness by faith, union with Christ, life in the Spirit, and God's covenant faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "none" and "understandeth" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.