Romans 3:16 (DBY)

Passage

ruin and misery [are] in their ways,

Nearby Context

Romans 3:14 whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness;

Romans 3:15 swift their feet to shed blood;

Romans 3:16 ruin and misery [are] in their ways,

Romans 3:17 and way of peace they have not known:

Romans 3:18 there is no fear of God before their eyes.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "ruin", "misery", and "ways". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "ruin" and "misery", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 15's "swift their feet to shed blood..." into verse 17's "and way of peace they have not...", so "ruin" and "misery" 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 "ruin" and "misery" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.