A.T. Robertson Commentary Romans 9:31

"but Israel, following after a law of righteousness, did not arrive at [that] law." — Romans 9:31 (ASV)

Did not arrive at that law (εις νομον ουκ εφθασεν). First aorist active indicative of φθανω, old verb to anticipate (1 Thessalonians 4:15), now just to arrive as here and 2 Corinthians 10:14. The word "that" is not in the Greek. Legal righteousness Israel failed to reach, because to do that one had to keep perfectly all the law.