Romans 3:10-18
The context
Paul has indicted Gentiles in chapter 1 and Jews in chapter 2, and in chapter 3 he answers objections. Verses 10-18 are a chain of quotations from the Psalms and Isaiah, assembled to make one point before the argument turns to justification. The catena ends with the image of feet swift to shed blood.
What it establishes
It establishes that Paul read the Old Testament as a unified testimony to universal human failure, and that he states the conclusion without exception: none righteous, none who seeks God. The quotations are gathered rather than argued, which is how the passage carries its force.
What it does not establish
It does not establish that every individual is as bad as possible. The catena describes a pattern of ruin, and Paul goes on to speak of conscience and of Gentiles who do what the law requires. Nor does it erase distinctions among the crimes named.
Short note, first pass, October 2026. Corrections welcome.
Cited in these answers
Part of Scripture, Opened — the exegetical layer behind every citation on this site. Scripture quotations are from the ESV.