3:10 it is written. Romans 3:10-12 is partly quoted, partly adapted, from Psalm 14:1-3, and Psalm 53:1-3, which are practically identical.

3:11 none that seeketh. This seems superficially contradictory to such Scriptures as Romans 2:7 and Hebrews 11:6, which speak of the vital importance of seeking God. The resolution of this paradox, as so often is the case, is in the inscrutable nature of the divine sovereignty. “The Son of man is come to seek and to save that which is lost” (Luke 19:10), and “the Father seeketh (the true worshippers) to worship Him” (John 4:23). Thus God is seeking men, before they seek Him, and “in every nation he that feareth Him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with Him” (Acts 10:35). The Holy Spirit is omnipresent in the world, convicting men and constraining them. Somehow, some men are moved by Him to begin to seek God for themselves, and God “is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6). Cornelius was evidently one such man, so God then led Peter to go to Cornelius to instruct Him concerning Christ (Acts 10).

3:13 open sepulchre. Paul draws on several Old Testament metaphors in Romans 3:13-18 to describe the implicit or explicit wickedness of men in their natural state. Psalm 5:9 likens the human tongue to “an open sepulchre” and Psalm 140:3 to “adders’ poison.”

3:14 cursing and bitterness. See Psalm 10:7.

3:15 shed blood. Isaiah 59:7-8 is referred to in Romans 3:15-17.

3:18 no fear of God. This quote is from Psalm 36:1.