Romans 3:1-2

Paul asked four rhetorical questions in this section (Romans 3:1-8), questions that could have been in the mind of a Jewish objector. Probably Paul was simply posing these questions and objections to himself to clarify his view for his readers. This is, again, the diatribe style of rhetoric. "Then what" (Gr. ti oun) appears in Romans to raise questions about what Paul has taught to advance his argument (cf. Romans 3:9; Romans 4:1; Romans 6:1; Romans 6:15; Romans 7:7; Romans 8:31; Romans 9:14; Romans 9:19; Romans 9:30; Romans 11:7).

We could paraphrase the first question as follows. If Jews and Gentiles are both guilty before God, what advantage is there in being a Jew? Particularly, what advantage is there in being circumcised? The Old Testament regarded being a Jew and circumcision as privileges.

There are many advantages to being a circumcised Jew. Paul only gave the most important one here (Romans 3:2), but later he referred to others (Romans 9:4-5). The phrase "oracles of God" refers to special revelation. The word "oracles" (Gr. logia) stresses the fact that the Old Testament, and the Mosaic Law in particular, was the very utterance of God preserved and handed down by earlier generations (cf. Acts 7:38; Hebrews 5:12; 1 Peter 4:11). [Note: Cf. Sanday and Headlam pp. 70-71; and Harrison, p. 35.] "Entrusted" highlights Israel’s responsibility to guard and to propagate what she had received as a treasure.