Greek Form Guide

πεφανέρωται, (pephanerotai) in Romans 3:21: Verb Third Person Singular Perfect Passive Indicative

πεφανέρωται, (pephanerotai) in Romans 3:21

Textual Witness

πεφανέρωται, pephanerotai Verb Third Person Singular Perfect Passive Indicative

The witness reads πεφανέρωται in Romans 3:21, and the surrounding clause links it with δικαιοσύνη Θεοῦ and the witness of law and prophets.

How The Form Affects Interpretation

The form strengthens the verse's claim that God's righteousness is not merely announced as an idea but stands as a completed revelation now in view.

How To Communicate It

In context, the grammar helps readers hear the statement as a present, enduring disclosure that supports Paul's larger argument.

What Not To Say

  • Grammatical form should serve context, not override it.
  • Perfect passive indicates present result, but the clause and passage determine what is being revealed.
  • Do not make verbal voice, tense, or mood carry more meaning than the sentence and context can support.

What Does The Label Mean?

Part of Speech

Verb: the form names an action or state and here presents what has been made manifest.

Tense / Aspect

Perfect: presents a completed action or state with continuing relevance where the context supports it.

Voice

Passive: presents the subject as receiving or being affected by the action.

Mood

Indicative: presents the verbal idea as an assertion or statement in the clause.

Person

Third person: the form speaks about someone or something rather than directly as I/we or you.

Case

Not applicable: this verb form is not using noun case to mark its sentence role.

Number

Singular: the form is singular and agrees with a singular verbal subject in this sentence.

Gender

Not applicable: this verb form does not use grammatical gender to make its point.

What The Form Does In This Verse

Attached To

δικαιοσύνη Θεοῦ

Governed By

The verb is part of the clause stating that God's righteousness has now been made manifest apart from law.

Role In The Phrase

It presents the righteousness of God as something already disclosed in the present moment of the passage.

What It Is Not Doing

It does not by itself define the content of righteousness, replace the noun, or say how every detail of that disclosure works.

How Much The Form Matters Here

Interpretive Weight

High: The perfect passive indicative carries Paul's statement that the righteousness of God now stands manifest.

Syntax Profile

Perfect passive indicative as main disclosure verb. presents God's righteousness as disclosed and presently in view. Attached to the righteousness of God in Romans 3:21. Governed by Paul's now statement apart from law. The perfect passive form matters for present result, but the verse and argument define what has been manifested.

Reader Question

What is now true about God's righteousness? The verb says it has been made manifest and now stands disclosed in Paul's argument.

Translation Effect

Direct: The perfect passive form directly supports a rendering such as 'has been manifested' or 'has been made known.'

Where Caution Is Needed

Perfect aspect can signal present result, but the passage decides the force of that result. Passive voice does not by itself explain every agency detail or the whole doctrine of righteousness.

Fallacies To Avoid

Perfect tense proves the whole theology of revelation: The perfect form supports present disclosure, while Romans 3 supplies the theological argument. passive voice alone names the actor: Passive voice shapes the clause but does not replace the surrounding context.

How The Interpretation Is Derived

Textual Witness

The witness reads πεφανέρωται in Romans 3:21, and the surrounding clause links it with δικαιοσύνη Θεοῦ and the witness of law and prophets.

Lexical Identity

The lemma φανερόω means to make visible, clear, manifest, or known, so the form points to disclosure rather than concealment.

Grammar In Context

Perfect passive indicative supports a settled present reality: what God has done in revealing his righteousness remains in effect now.

Passage Meaning

The verse says that God's righteousness has now been made manifest apart from law and is attested by the law and the prophets.

Canonical Fit

This fits the wider biblical theme of God's saving self-disclosure, where what was promised or anticipated is now publicly revealed.

Communication Use

For teaching and translation, the form can be rendered with an English perfect sense such as has been manifested or has been made known.

Do Not Derive

Do not derive a separate doctrine from tense alone, and do not force the grammar to settle every theological question beyond the verse's own claim.