πάντας (pantas) in Romans 3:22: Adjective Accusative Plural Masculine
πάντας (pantas) in Romans 3:22
Textual Witness
The Textus Receptus of Romans 3:22 reads πάντας twice in the clause εἰς πάντας καὶ ἐπὶ πάντας τοὺς πιστεύοντας.
How The Form Affects Interpretation
The form reinforces a sweeping, inclusive sense in the phrase, while leaving the exact scope anchored in the clause about those who believe.
How To Communicate It
It can be explained as language of total reach: the righteousness described here is presented as extending to all the believers named in context.
What Not To Say
- Grammatical form should serve context, not override it.
- Accusative plural masculine here marks phrasing and scope, not a separate theological category by itself.
- Read πάντας with the surrounding prepositions and participle, since the clause determines the referents.
What Does The Label Mean?
Adjective: the word describes or qualifies a noun, here marking totality rather than naming a separate thing.
Accusative: the form commonly marks an object or other accusative relation, and here it works with the preposition to frame the reach being described.
Plural: the form points to more than one referent in this occurrence, so the scope is collective rather than singular.
Masculine: the form is masculine in agreement, which follows the nearby nouns and does not by itself make a theological claim about gender.
What The Form Does In This Verse
The first occurrence attaches to εἰς and the second to ἐπὶ, both within the phrase εἰς πάντας καὶ ἐπὶ πάντας τοὺς πιστεύοντας.
The prepositions help govern the phrase, and the article plus participle further identify the people in view. The adjective's form signals breadth, but the clause still determines who is meant.
It describes the extent of the persons in view, expressing inclusion and total reach within the group of believers.
It does not create a new subject, and it does not by itself prove a separate category beyond the people identified in context.
How Much The Form Matters Here
High: The repeated adjective marks the inclusive reach of righteousness toward all who believe in a major justification passage.
Accusative plural substantive adjective governed by prepositions. marks the reach toward and upon all those identified as believing. Attached to εἰς πάντας καὶ ἐπὶ πάντας τοὺς πιστεύοντας. Governed by εἰς and ἐπί. The participial phrase identifies the people in view, so the repeated all should be read with those who believe.
To whom does the righteousness reach in this phrase? The repeated adjective marks all those believing as the people in view.
Direct: The form directly affects renderings such as to all and upon all who believe.
The repeated all is inclusive, but the participial phrase in context identifies the group as those who believe.
All proves a scope outside the believing phrase: The adjective marks totality within the phrase; those who believe identifies the referents in context.
How The Interpretation Is Derived
The Textus Receptus of Romans 3:22 reads πάντας twice in the clause εἰς πάντας καὶ ἐπὶ πάντας τοὺς πιστεύοντας.
The lemma πᾶς regularly means all, every, or the whole, so the form here carries the sense of totality or inclusiveness.
Because the adjective stands with prepositions and before τοὺς πιστεύοντας, it shapes the reach of the phrase rather than standing alone. The grammar points to a broad application to the believing group, without isolating a separate class.
In this verse, the phrase communicates that the righteousness of God is directed broadly and without distinction to all who believe.
This fits Paul's immediate statement that there is no distinction, so the grammar supports an inclusive reading that matches the verse's own contrast.
For readers and teachers, the form helps show that the verse is speaking about extent and inclusion, not about narrowing the promise.
Do not derive from the masculine plural form any claim about male gender, and do not treat the adjective as overriding the participle that identifies the actual referents.