For Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that the person who does the commandments shall live by them.
English Standard Version (ESV)
It's easy to read this verse as simply stating the obvious: if you follow the rules, you'll be rewarded. But Paul is actually highlighting a subtle but crucial point: Moses wasn't just listing rules; he was describing a whole system where doing the commandments was the condition for life. This sets up a stark contrast with the righteousness that comes through faith, where life is received as a gift, not earned by our actions.
For Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that the person who does the commandments shall live by them.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Paul is demonstrating that true righteousness doesn't come from perfectly obeying the Law, but from faith in Christ. He quotes Moses from Leviticus 18:5, highlighting that the Law promises life to those who keep its commands. This sets up a contrast for the righteousness that comes through faith, which Paul will explain next.
Ever wonder what it really takes to earn God's favor by following rules? Paul points us back to Moses to find out.
Paul quotes Moses from Leviticus 18:5 to describe the 'righteousness of the law.' The core message from Moses is simple: If you perfectly obey every single command, then you will live.
The Promise of Life
This wasn't just about a comfortable life on Earth, though that was part of it. The ultimate promise, understood even by ancient Jewish interpreters, was eternal life. The law presented a clear pathway: perfect obedience leads to life.
The Impossibility of Perfection
But here’s the crucial, often missed, part. While Moses stated the condition for life, he didn't claim anyone had ever met it. The scholars point out that the law prescribes this perfect obedience as the condition, but the writings elsewhere (and our own experience!) show that no one has achieved it. The law sets a standard, but it doesn't provide the power to meet it.
Why would God give a law that seems impossible to follow? Paul reveals a deeper, life-giving purpose.
The law, as described by Moses, wasn't designed to be a trap. Instead, Paul understood its ultimate purpose was to act as a guide, pointing people toward Christ.
Revealing Our Need
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By setting an impossibly high standard ('do these things and live'), the law serves to reveal our sinfulness and our inability to save ourselves. It shows us where we fall short, driving us to recognize our need for a Savior.
A Stepping Stone
Instead of being the end goal, the law becomes a tutor or a signpost. It highlights our own inadequacy, making us receptive to the 'righteousness from God' that comes through faith in Jesus. It prepares the way, not for self-righteousness, but for humble dependence on God's grace.
Understand the original words
entolē · Greek Noun
Authoritative divine instructions or moral requirements; they represent God's will for conduct and highlight the need for obedience, which none can fulfill perfectly apart from grace.
Paul uses Moses' own words from Leviticus to show that the Law promised life for perfect obedience. Since no one could perfectly keep the Law, it ultimately pointed away from self-righteousness toward the righteousness found through faith in Christ.
~1400 BC
Mosaic Law Given
God gives the Law through Moses, outlining statutes, judgments, and commandments for the Israelites, promising life for obedience.
c. 586 BC
Fall of Jerusalem
Jerusalem falls to the Babylonians, marking the end of the Southern Kingdom of Judah and the exile of its people.
c. 538 BC
Return from Exile
Some Jewish exiles are permitted to return to Judah and rebuild the Temple, but the nation remains under foreign rule.
c. 20 BC - AD 30
Life of Jesus
Jesus lives and ministers in Judea, teaching a righteousness that goes beyond outward observance of the Law.
c. AD 30-33
Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus
Jesus is crucified and rises from the dead, fulfilling the Law and offering salvation through faith.
c. AD 57-60— this verse
Paul writes Romans
Paul, imprisoned or under house arrest in Rome, writes his letter to the church there, explaining the gospel of God's righteousness.
This is the direct source text Paul is quoting and interpreting. It states the principle that obedience to God's commands leads to life, setting the stage for Paul's argument about the inadequacy of law-based righteousness.
Deuteronomy 30:11-14Paul alludes to this passage later in Romans 10 (vv. 6-8) to contrast the accessibility of righteousness through faith with the perceived difficulty of attaining righteousness through the Law. It highlights that God's commands are not impossibly distant.
Galatians 3:12This passage also discusses the Law's requirement of doing and its inability to grant life, emphasizing that 'the person who does them shall live by them' highlights the demand for perfect obedience, which no one can achieve.
This Old Testament passage echoes the principle that life comes through obedience to God's statutes and ordinances, reinforcing the theme that the Law presented life as a reward for perfect adherence.
cambridgeRomans 10:5: "For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them."
5 . For ] The connexion is that the Law led up to Christ both by prescribing a condemnatory standard as its own, and by mysteriously suggesting the nearness and freeness of the Gospel. describeth ] Lit. writeth . That the man , &c.] Leviticus 18:5 . Cp. Deuteronomy 27:26 ; Jeremiah 11:1-10 ; and, as a commentary, Galatians 3:10-13 , and the rest of that chapter.
meyerRomans 10:5: "For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them."
Romans 10:5 . Now follows, as far as Romans 10:10 , the proof of Romans 10:4 , and that from Moses himself . γράφει τὴν δικ .] writes concerning righteousness , John 1:46 ; Hermann, ad Eur. Phoen . 574. As to the use of the present tense, comp. the frequent λέγει in scriptural citations. The passage introduced by the recitative ὅτι is Leviticus 18:5 , almost exact…
It's easy to read this verse as simply stating the obvious: if you follow the rules, you'll be rewarded. But Paul is actually highlighting a subtle but crucial point: Moses wasn't just listing rules; he was describing a whole system where doing the commandments was the condition for life. This sets up a stark contrast with the righteousness that comes through faith, where life is received as a gift, not earned by our actions.
Paul is demonstrating that true righteousness doesn't come from perfectly obeying the Law, but from faith in Christ. He quotes Moses from Leviticus 18:5, highlighting that the Law promises life to those who keep its commands. This sets up a contrast for the righteousness that comes through faith, which Paul will explain next.
Paul is demonstrating that true righteousness doesn't come from perfectly obeying the Law, but from faith in Christ. He quotes Moses from Leviticus 18:5, highlighting that the Law promises life to those who keep its commands. This sets up a contrast for the righteousness that comes through faith, which Paul will explain next.
"For Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that the person who does the commandments shall live by them." — It's easy to read this verse as simply stating the obvious: if you follow the rules, you'll be rewarded. But Paul is actually highlighting a subtle but crucial point: Moses wasn't just listing rules;…
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Last reviewed October 2026