Romans 10:3

For. This verse explains why the zeal of the Jews was “not according to knowledge.” Had they been willing to obey God’s will, they would have come to an understanding of the truth (see John 7:17). But they refused to submit.

Being ignorant of. Paul later shows that this ignorance was inexcusable, for the Jews had had every opportunity to become enlightened (Rom. 10:14-21; cf. John 5:39, 40).

God's righteousness. See on ch. 1:17.

Going about. Gr. zeted, literally, “to seek,” “to strive.”

To establish. Gr. histemi, “to set up.” The word suggests the element of pride in the endeavor the Jews put forth to set up their own righteousness. In their professed zeal for God the Jews were really working for self. Compare Hosea’s description, “Israel is an empty vine, he bringeth forth fruit unto himself” (Hosea 10:1). Instead of seeking for God’s righteousness in God’s way, the Jews self-righteously relied on their own works (cf. Phil. 3:9). They came to regard the mere performance of the sacrifices and ordinances as righteousness in itself, instead of looking to the righteousness of the One to whom all these things pointed. Thus their religion degenerated into a self-sufficient, self-glorifying formalism. And the more the Jews lost sight of God’s righteousness, the more rigorous they became in the observance of these forms for establishing their own righteousness.

Submitted. Gr. hupotasso, a common verb meaning “to put oneself under orders,” “to obey” (cf. James 4:7; 1 Peter 2:13; 5:5). The form of the verb here found is better translated “did submit.” The passage would then read “did not submit themselves.” The Jews prided themselves upon their knowledge of God and the divine law (Rom. 2:17-20) but in actuality they were refusing to conform to God’s will. Confident in their own righteousness, they would not yield their hearts to a plan that required them to come confessing that they had no acceptable righteousness of their own (Isa. 64:6) and that their salvation depended upon the merits of another. No obstacle to salvation by grace is so great as the self-righteousness of a sinner. By their unwillingness to submit to God’s commandment “that we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ” (1 John 3:23), the Jews revealed that their professed faith in God was but empty lip service, for the essence of faith is trusting obedience. This unwillingness to submit was the cause, not only of their ignorance, but also of their rejection as the chosen people.