Lexical Summary hupodikos: Guilty, under judgment Original Word: ὑπόδικος Strong's Exhaustive Concordance guilty. From hupo and dike; under sentence, i.e. (by implication) condemned -- guilty. see GREEK hupo see GREEK dike NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom hupo and diké Definition brought to trial, answerable to NASB Translation accountable (1). Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 5267: ὑπόδικοςὑπόδικος, ὑποδικον, equivalent to ὑπό δίκην ὤν, under judgment, one who has lost his suit; with a dative of the person debtor to one, owing satisfaction to: τῷ Θεῷ, i. e. liable to punishment from God, Romans 3:19 (see Morison, Critical Exposition of Romans Third, p. 147f). (Aeschylus, Plato, Andocides ( Topical Lexicon Meaning and Context in Romans 3:19 Romans 3:19 reads, “Now we know that whatever the Law says, it says to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God.” Here the word translated “held accountable” expresses the status of defendants who stand in court already proven liable. Paul employs it to end his catalogue of human sin (Romans 1:18–3:18), declaring that every person—Jew and Gentile alike—has no defense before the divine bench. Legal Imagery in Second Temple Judaism and Greco-Roman Courts Both Hebrew and Roman jurisdictions assumed that an accused party might be declared “under judgment” before final sentencing. In rabbinic debates, scriptural citations were marshaled to convict or acquit. Similarly, Roman courts used written charges (libelli) to render an accused liable even before a verdict. Paul draws on this shared legal background: once the Law speaks, humanity’s guilt is established; the trial is effectively over. The term therefore conveys not merely the possibility but the certainty of condemnation unless pardon is granted. The Universal Guilt of Humanity By placing the entire world “held accountable,” Paul removes any ethnic or moral distinction as a basis for boasting. Psalm 143:2 had already confessed, “no one living is righteous before You,” and Ecclesiastes 7:20 agrees that “there is not a righteous man on earth.” Romans 3:19 gathers such testimony into one decisive statement: sin is pervasive and personal, and every mouth is stopped. The silence envisioned is not merely the absence of rebuttal; it is the hush that falls when the verdict is clear and irreversible apart from divine intervention. Function of the Mosaic Law as a Prosecutor The Pentateuch served multiple purposes—instruction, covenantal identity, worship calibration—but here its prosecutorial role is highlighted. Like a skilled attorney, the Law confronts transgression, supplies evidence, and presses for judgment (Romans 7:7–13). James 2:10 echoes this logic: “Whoever keeps the whole Law yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.” Far from providing a ladder to ascend to righteousness, the Law acts as a mirror exposing failure and thus drives the sinner to seek mercy outside himself. Connection with Justification by Faith Immediately after declaring the world “held accountable,” Paul unveils the righteousness of God apart from the Law, “to which the Law and the Prophets testify” (Romans 3:21). The guilty status established by ὑπόδικος becomes the dark backdrop against which justification by grace shines. Because all stand condemned, all must be “justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:24). The word therefore serves as a hinge: it closes the door on self-righteousness and opens the door to faith. Pastoral and Evangelistic Implications 1. Evangelism: A clear grasp of universal liability underscores the necessity of the gospel. Proclamation that ignores guilt tends to produce superficial conversions; proclamation that highlights guilt prepares hearts for grace (Acts 2:37–38). Related Biblical Themes • Divine Judgment: “For God will bring every deed into judgment” (Ecclesiastes 12:14). Historical Reception in the Church Early Fathers like Chrysostom appealed to Romans 3:19 to dismantle claims of inherent virtue. Augustine used the verse against Pelagian assertions of moral capacity. During the Reformation, Martin Luther cited it to argue that the Law’s primary office is to convict, not to justify. Modern evangelical preaching manuals continue to treat it as foundational for the doctrine of total depravity. Summary Strong’s Greek 5267 encapsulates the legal standing of every sinner: irrevocably guilty before a holy God. By announcing this verdict, Scripture clears the stage for the only remedy—justification through faith in Jesus Christ. The term thus anchors a biblical theology of sin, shapes historic preaching, and remains essential for faithful ministry today. Forms and Transliterations υποδικος υπόδικος ὑπόδικος υποδύτην υποδύτου hypodikos hypódikos upodikosLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts |
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