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V. Jews and Gentiles in God’s Plan[a]

Chapter 9

Paul’s Love for Israel.[b] I speak the truth in Christ, I do not lie; my conscience joins with the holy Spirit in bearing me witness(A) that I have great sorrow and constant anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and separated from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kin according to the flesh.(B) They are Israelites; theirs the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises;(C) theirs the patriarchs, and from them, according to the flesh, is the Messiah. God who is over all[c] be blessed forever. Amen.(D)

God’s Free Choice. But it is not that the word of God has failed. For not all who are of Israel are Israel,(E) nor are they all children of Abraham because they are his descendants; but “It is through Isaac that descendants shall bear your name.”(F) This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as descendants.(G) For this is the wording of the promise, “About this time I shall return and Sarah will have a son.”(H) 10 And not only that,(I) but also when Rebecca had conceived children by one husband, our father Isaac[d] 11 before they had yet been born or had done anything, good or bad, in order that God’s elective plan might continue, 12 not by works but by his call—she was told, “The older shall serve the younger.”(J) 13 As it is written:(K)

“I loved Jacob
    but hated Esau.”[e]

14 [f]What then are we to say? Is there injustice on the part of God? Of course not!(L) 15 For he says to Moses:

“I will show mercy to whom I will,
    I will take pity on whom I will.”(M)

16 So it depends not upon a person’s will or exertion, but upon God, who shows mercy.(N) 17 For the scripture says to Pharaoh, “This is why I have raised you up, to show my power through you that my name may be proclaimed throughout the earth.”(O) 18 Consequently, he has mercy upon whom he wills,(P) and he hardens whom he wills.[g]

19 [h]You will say to me then, “Why [then] does he still find fault? For who can oppose his will?”(Q) 20 But who indeed are you, a human being, to talk back to God?(R) Will what is made say to its maker, “Why have you created me so?” 21 Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for a noble purpose and another for an ignoble one? 22 What if God, wishing to show his wrath and make known his power, has endured with much patience the vessels of wrath made for destruction?(S) 23 This was to make known the riches of his glory to the vessels of mercy, which he has prepared previously for glory, 24 namely, us whom he has called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles.

Witness of the Prophets. 25 As indeed he says in Hosea:

“Those who were not my people I will call ‘my people,’
    and her who was not beloved[i] I will call ‘beloved.’(T)
26 And in the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’
    there they shall be called children of the living God.”(U)

27 (V)And Isaiah cries out concerning Israel, “Though the number of the Israelites were like the sand of the sea, only a remnant will be saved; 28 for decisively and quickly will the Lord execute sentence upon the earth.” 29 And as Isaiah predicted:

“Unless the Lord of hosts had left us descendants,
    we would have become like Sodom
    and have been made like Gomorrah.”(W)

Righteousness Based on Faith.[j] 30 What then shall we say? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have achieved it, that is, righteousness that comes from faith;(X) 31 but that Israel, who pursued the law of righteousness, did not attain to that law?(Y) 32 Why not? Because they did it not by faith, but as if it could be done by works.(Z) They stumbled over the stone that causes stumbling,[k] 33 as it is written:

“Behold, I am laying a stone in Zion
    that will make people stumble
    and a rock that will make them fall,
and whoever believes in him shall not be put to shame.”(AA)

Chapter 10

[l]Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God on their behalf is for salvation.(AB) I testify with regard to them that they have zeal for God, but it is not discerning.(AC) For, in their unawareness of the righteousness that comes from God and their attempt to establish their own [righteousness], they did not submit to the righteousness of God.(AD) For Christ is the end[m] of the law for the justification of everyone who has faith.(AE)

[n]Moses writes about the righteousness that comes from [the] law, “The one who does these things will live by them.”(AF) But the righteousness that comes from faith says,(AG) “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will go up into heaven?’ (that is, to bring Christ down) [o]or ‘Who will go down into the abyss?’ (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).”(AH) But what does it say?

“The word is near you,
    in your mouth and in your heart”(AI)

(that is, the word of faith that we preach), for, if you confess[p] with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.(AJ) 10 For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved. 11 For the scripture says, “No one who believes in him will be put to shame.”(AK) 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all, enriching all who call upon him.(AL) 13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”(AM)

14 [q]But how can they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how can they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone to preach?(AN) 15 And how can people preach unless they are sent? As it is written,(AO) “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring [the] good news!”[r] 16 But not everyone has heeded the good news; for Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what was heard from us?”(AP) 17 Thus faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the word of Christ.(AQ) 18 But I ask, did they not hear? Certainly they did; for

“Their voice has gone forth to all the earth,
    and their words to the ends of the world.”(AR)

19 But I ask, did not Israel understand?(AS) First Moses says:

“I will make you jealous of those who are not a nation;
    with a senseless nation I will make you angry.”

20 (AT)Then Isaiah speaks boldly and says:

“I was found [by] those who were not seeking me;
    I revealed myself to those who were not asking for me.”

21 But regarding Israel he says, “All day long I stretched out my hands to a disobedient and contentious people.”

Chapter 11

The Remnant of Israel.[s] I ask, then, has God rejected his people? Of course not!(AU) For I too am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.(AV) God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. Do you not know what the scripture says about Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel? “Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have torn down your altars, and I alone am left, and they are seeking my life.”(AW) But what is God’s response to him? “I have left for myself seven thousand men who have not knelt to Baal.”(AX) So also at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace.(AY) But if by grace, it is no longer because of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.(AZ) What then? What Israel was seeking it did not attain, but the elect attained it; the rest were hardened,(BA) as it is written:

“God gave them a spirit of deep sleep,
    eyes that should not see
    and ears that should not hear,
down to this very day.”(BB)

And David says:(BC)

“Let their table become a snare and a trap,
    a stumbling block and a retribution for them;
10 let their eyes grow dim so that they may not see,
    and keep their backs bent forever.”

The Gentiles’ Salvation. 11 [t]Hence I ask, did they stumble so as to fall? Of course not! But through their transgression salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make them jealous.(BD) 12 Now if their transgression is enrichment for the world, and if their diminished number is enrichment for the Gentiles, how much more their full number.

13 Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I glory in my ministry(BE) 14 in order to make my race jealous and thus save some of them. 15 For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? 16 [u]If the firstfruits are holy, so is the whole batch of dough; and if the root is holy, so are the branches.(BF)

17 But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, a wild olive shoot, were grafted in their place and have come to share in the rich root of the olive tree,(BG) 18 do not boast against the branches. If you do boast, consider that you do not support the root; the root supports you.(BH) 19 Indeed you will say, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” 20 That is so. They were broken off because of unbelief, but you are there because of faith. So do not become haughty, but stand in awe.(BI) 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, [perhaps] he will not spare you either.(BJ) 22 See, then, the kindness and severity of God: severity toward those who fell, but God’s kindness to you, provided you remain in his kindness; otherwise you too will be cut off.(BK) 23 And they also, if they do not remain in unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again.(BL) 24 For if you were cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated one, how much more will they who belong to it by nature be grafted back into their own olive tree.

God’s Irrevocable Call.[v] 25 I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers, so that you will not become wise [in] your own estimation: a hardening has come upon Israel in part, until the full number of the Gentiles comes in,(BM) 26 and thus all Israel will be saved,(BN) as it is written:(BO)

“The deliverer will come out of Zion,
    he will turn away godlessness from Jacob;
27 and this is my covenant with them
    when I take away their sins.”(BP)

28 In respect to the gospel, they are enemies on your account; but in respect to election, they are beloved because of the patriarchs.(BQ) 29 For the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable.(BR)

Triumph of God’s Mercy. 30 [w]Just as you once disobeyed God but have now received mercy because of their disobedience, 31 so they have now disobeyed in order that, by virtue of the mercy shown to you, they too may [now] receive mercy. 32 For God delivered all to disobedience, that he might have mercy upon all.(BS)

33 [x]Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How inscrutable are his judgments and how unsearchable his ways!(BT)

34 “For who has known the mind of the Lord[y]
    or who has been his counselor?”(BU)
35 [z]“Or who has given him anything(BV)
    that he may be repaid?”

36 For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.(BW)

Footnotes

  1. 9:1–11:36 Israel’s unbelief and its rejection of Jesus as savior astonished and puzzled Christians. It constituted a serious problem for them in view of God’s specific preparation of Israel for the advent of the Messiah. Paul addresses himself here to the essential question of how the divine plan could be frustrated by Israel’s unbelief. At the same time, he discourages both complacency and anxiety on the part of Gentiles. To those who might boast of their superior advantage over Jews, he warns that their enjoyment of the blessings assigned to Israel can be terminated. To those who might anxiously ask, “How can we be sure that Israel’s fate will not be ours?” he replies that only unbelief can deprive one of salvation.
  2. 9:1–5 The apostle speaks in strong terms of the depth of his grief over the unbelief of his own people. He would willingly undergo a curse himself for the sake of their coming to the knowledge of Christ (Rom 9:3; cf. Lv 27:28–29). His love for them derives from God’s continuing choice of them and from the spiritual benefits that God bestows on them and through them on all of humanity (Rom 9:4–5).
  3. 9:5 Some editors punctuate this verse differently and prefer the translation, “Of whom is Christ according to the flesh, who is God over all.” However, Paul’s point is that God who is over all aimed to use Israel, which had been entrusted with every privilege, in outreach to the entire world through the Messiah.
  4. 9:10 Children by one husband, our father Isaac: Abraham had two children, Ishmael and Isaac, by two wives, Hagar and Sarah, respectively. In that instance Isaac, although born later than Ishmael, became the bearer of the messianic promise. In the case of twins born to Rebecca, God’s elective procedure is seen even more dramatically, and again the younger, contrary to Semitic custom, is given the preference.
  5. 9:13 The literal rendering, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated,” suggests an attitude of divine hostility that is not implied in Paul’s statement. In Semitic usage “hate” means to love less; cf. Lk 14:26 with Mt 10:37. Israel’s unbelief reflects the mystery of the divine election that is always operative within it. Mere natural descent from Abraham does not ensure the full possession of the divine gifts; it is God’s sovereign prerogative to bestow this fullness upon, or to withhold it from, whomsoever he wishes; cf. Mt 3:9; Jn 8:39. The choice of Jacob over Esau is a case in point.
  6. 9:14–18 The principle of divine election does not invite Christians to theoretical inquiry concerning the nonelected, nor does this principle mean that God is unfair in his dealings with humanity. The instruction concerning divine election is a part of the gospel and reveals that the gift of faith is the enactment of God’s mercy (Rom 9:16). God raised up Moses to display that mercy, and Pharaoh to display divine severity in punishing those who obstinately oppose their Creator.
  7. 9:18 The basic biblical principle is: those who will not see or hear shall not see or hear. On the other hand, the same God who thus makes stubborn or hardens the heart can reconstruct it through the work of the holy Spirit.
  8. 9:19–29 The apostle responds to the objection that if God rules over faith through the principle of divine election, God cannot then accuse unbelievers of sin (Rom 9:19). For Paul, this objection is in the last analysis a manifestation of human insolence, and his “answer” is less an explanation of God’s ways than the rejection of an argument that places humanity on a level with God. At the same time, Paul shows that God is far less arbitrary than appearances suggest, for God endures with much patience (Rom 9:22) a person like the Pharaoh of the Exodus.
  9. 9:25 Beloved: in Semitic discourse means “preferred” or “favorite” (cf. Rom 9:13). See Hos 2:1.
  10. 9:30–33 In the conversion of the Gentiles and, by contrast, of relatively few Jews, the Old Testament prophecies are seen to be fulfilled; cf. Rom 9:25–29. Israel feared that the doctrine of justification through faith would jeopardize the validity of the Mosaic law, and so they never reached their goal of righteousness that they had sought to attain through meticulous observance of the law (Rom 9:31). Since Gentiles, including especially Greeks and Romans, had a great regard for righteousness, Paul’s statement concerning Gentiles in Rom 9:30 is to be understood from a Jewish perspective: quite evidently they had not been interested in “God’s” righteousness, for it had not been revealed to them; but now in response to the proclamation of the gospel they respond in faith.
  11. 9:32 Paul discusses Israel as a whole from the perspective of contemporary Jewish rejection of Jesus as Messiah. The Old Testament and much of Jewish noncanonical literature in fact reflect a fervent faith in divine mercy.
  12. 10:1–13 Despite Israel’s lack of faith in God’s act in Christ, Paul does not abandon hope for her salvation (Rom 10:1). However, Israel must recognize that the Messiah’s arrival in the person of Jesus Christ means the termination of the Mosaic law as the criterion for understanding oneself in a valid relationship to God. Faith in God’s saving action in Jesus Christ takes precedence over any such legal claim (Rom 10:6).
  13. 10:4 The Mosaic legislation has been superseded by God’s action in Jesus Christ. Others understand end here in the sense that Christ is the goal of the law, i.e., the true meaning of the Mosaic law, which cannot be correctly understood apart from him. Still others believe that both meanings are intended.
  14. 10:5–6 The subject of the verb says (Rom 10:6) is righteousness personified. Both of the statements in Rom 10:5, 6 derive from Moses, but Paul wishes to contrast the language of law and the language of faith.
  15. 10:7 Here Paul blends Dt 30:13 and Ps 107:26.
  16. 10:9–11 To confess Jesus as Lord was frequently quite hazardous in the first century (cf. Mt 10:18; 1 Thes 2:2; 1 Pt 2:18–21; 3:14). For a Jew it could mean disruption of normal familial and other social relationships, including great economic sacrifice. In the face of penalties imposed by the secular world, Christians are assured that no one who believes in Jesus will be put to shame (Rom 10:11).
  17. 10:14–21 The gospel has been sufficiently proclaimed to Israel, and Israel has adequately understood God’s plan for the messianic age, which would see the gospel brought to the uttermost parts of the earth. As often in the past, Israel has not accepted the prophetic message; cf. Acts 7:51–53.
  18. 10:15 How beautiful are the feet of those who bring [the] good news: in Semitic fashion, the parts of the body that bring the messenger with welcome news are praised; cf. Lk 11:27.
  19. 11:1–10 Although Israel has been unfaithful to the prophetic message of the gospel (Rom 10:14–21), God remains faithful to Israel. Proof of the divine fidelity lies in the existence of Jewish Christians like Paul himself. The unbelieving Jews, says Paul, have been blinded by the Christian teaching concerning the Messiah.
  20. 11:11–15 The unbelief of the Jews has paved the way for the preaching of the gospel to the Gentiles and for their easier acceptance of it outside the context of Jewish culture. Through his mission to the Gentiles Paul also hopes to fill his fellow Jews with jealousy. Hence he hastens to fill the entire Mediterranean world with the gospel. Once all the Gentile nations have heard the gospel, Israel as a whole is expected to embrace it. This will be tantamount to resurrection of the dead, that is, the reappearance of Jesus Christ with all the believers at the end of time.
  21. 11:16–24 Israel remains holy in the eyes of God and stands as a witness to the faith described in the Old Testament because of the firstfruits (or the first piece baked) (Rom 11:16), that is, the converted remnant, and the root that is holy, that is, the patriarchs (Rom 11:16). The Jews’ failure to believe in Christ is a warning to Gentile Christians to be on guard against any semblance of anti-Jewish arrogance, that is, failure to recognize their total dependence on divine grace.
  22. 11:25–29 In God’s design, Israel’s unbelief is being used to grant the light of faith to the Gentiles. Meanwhile, Israel remains dear to God (cf. Rom 9:13), still the object of special providence, the mystery of which will one day be revealed.
  23. 11:30–32 Israel, together with the Gentiles who have been handed over to all manner of vices (Rom 1), has been delivered…to disobedience. The conclusion of Rom 11:32 repeats the thought of Rom 5:20, “Where sin increased, grace overflowed all the more.”
  24. 11:33–36 This final reflection celebrates the wisdom of God’s plan of salvation. As Paul has indicated throughout these chapters, both Jew and Gentile, despite the religious recalcitrance of each, have received the gift of faith. The methods used by God in making this outreach to the world stagger human comprehension but are at the same time a dazzling invitation to abiding faith.
  25. 11:34 The citation is from the Greek text of Is 40:13. Paul does not explicitly mention Isaiah in this verse, nor Job in Rom 11:35.
  26. 11:35 Paul quotes from an old Greek version of Jb 41:3a, which differs from the Hebrew text (Jb 41:11a).