English · KJV

Romans 11

Listen to this chapter
0:00 0:00

God Has Not Rejected Israel 1–10

1
I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. ​
2
God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew. Wot ye not what the scripture saith of Elias? how he maketh intercession to God against Israel, saying, ​
3
Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down thine altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life.
4
But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal. ​
5
Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace. ​
6
And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work. ​
7
What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded ​
8
(According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day. ​
9
And David saith, Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumblingblock, and a recompence unto them:
10
Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their back alway.

Israel’s Stumble and Gentile Salvation 11–16

11
I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy. ​
12
Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness? ​
13
For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office: ​
14
If by any means I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh, and might save some of them.
15
For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead? ​
16
For if the firstfruit be holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root be holy, so are the branches. ​

The Olive Tree Analogy 17–24

17
And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree; ​
18
Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee. ​
19
Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be graffed in.
20
Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear: ​
21
For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee.
22
Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off. ​
23
And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be graffed in: for God is able to graff them in again.
24
For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert graffed contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be graffed into their own olive tree? ​

The Mystery of Israel’s Restoration 25–32

25
For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. ​
26
And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: ​
27
For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.
28
As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers' sakes. ​
29
For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. ​
30
For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief:
31
Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy.
32
For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all. ​

Doxology: Praise to God’s Wisdom 33–36

33
O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! ​
34
For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor?
35
Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again?
36
For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen. ​

Bible text: King James Version (1769 Blayney text) · Public domain

Study Notes for Romans 11

Verse 1

I also am an Israelite — Paul answers his own question with himself: 'of the tribe of Benjamin' (Phil 3:5; cf. 2 Cor 11:22). 'God forbid' is the refusal he gives ten times in Romans (3:4, 3:6, 3:31, 6:2, 6:15, 7:7, 7:13, 9:14, here and v.11), and 'cast away' is the verb of v.2, 'God hath not cast away his people'.

Verse 2

which he foreknew — Proginosko, the verb of 8:29, 'For whom he did foreknow'. The refusal rests on Ps 94:14, 'the LORD will not cast off his people, neither will he forsake his inheritance'. Elias is Elijah, whose complaint 'I, even I only, am left' (1 Kings 19:10) is the case Paul takes up next.

Verse 4

seven thousand men — The LORD's answer to Elijah, 'Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel' (1 Kings 19:18). 'The answer of God' is chrematismos, a divine reply, found only here in the New Testament. Paul's 'reserved to myself' keeps the point of 'I have left me': the number was kept by God's own act.

Verse 5

a remnant according to the election of grace — Leimma, what is left over, occurs only here in the New Testament. It is the 'remnant' of Isaiah's word quoted in 9:27, 'a remnant shall be saved'. 'Election' (eklogē) is joined to 'grace', and v.6 explains the pairing; the same 'election' is named again in vv.7 and 28.

Verse 6

no more of works — Rom 4:4 already marks the line: 'to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.' Here it is drawn from both sides. Grace that took works into account would cease to be grace, and work paid as a gift would cease to be work. Eph 2:8–9 says the same: 'Not of works, lest any man should boast.'

Verse 7

the election hath obtained it — What Israel 'seeketh for' (epizeteo) is the 'law of righteousness' of 9:31–32, followed 'as it were by the works of the law'. 'The election' is the remnant of v.5. 'Blinded' is poroo, to harden, the verb rendered 'hardened' in John 12:40, 'He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart'.

Verse 8

the spirit of slumber — Paul joins two Old Testament passages: Deut 29:4, 'the LORD hath not given you an heart to perceive, and eyes to see, and ears to hear, unto this day', and Isa 29:10, 'the spirit of deep sleep'. Katanyxis, a deep stupor, occurs only here in the New Testament. The Isaiah verse adds that the LORD 'hath closed your eyes'.

Verse 11

Have they stumbled that they should fall? — Two verbs: 'stumbled' (ptaio) and 'fall' (pipto). The question is whether the stumbling is a fall past recovery, and 'God forbid' answers it. 'Provoke… to jealousy' (parazeloo) is Moses' word quoted in 10:19, 'I will provoke you to jealousy by them that are no people' (Deut 32:21). Paul and Barnabas had turned to the Gentiles in Acts 13:46.

Verse 12

their fulness — Pleroma, completeness, the word that returns in v.25 for 'the fulness of the Gentiles'. 'Diminishing' (hettema) occurs only here and in 1 Cor 6:7, where it is 'a fault'. The argument runs from the lesser to the greater: if their 'fall' brought 'riches' to the world, 'how much more their fulness?'

Verse 13

I magnify mine office — 'Magnify' is doxazo, to glorify, and 'office' is diakonia, a ministry or service. The Lord had said of Paul, 'he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles' (Acts 9:15); Gal 2:7–9 records the same commission. Magnifying it serves the aim of v.14, to 'save some of them' that are his own flesh.

Verse 15

life from the dead — 'Casting away' is apobole, found only here and in Acts 27:22, where it is 'loss'. 'Reconciling' (katallage) is the word of 5:11 and 2 Cor 5:18–19, 'reconciling the world unto himself'. 'Receiving' (proslepsis) occurs only here. 'Life from the dead' has been read as the resurrection at the end, and as new life for the world.

Verse 16

the firstfruit… the root — 'Of the first of your dough ye shall give unto the LORD an heave offering' (Num 15:21). The 'firstfruit' (aparche) is that first portion, and when it is holy the 'lump' (phyrama, the dough) is holy with it. A second picture follows: the 'root' and the 'branches', which opens the figure of the olive tree in v.17.

Verse 17

a wild olive tree — Agrielaios, found only here and in v.24. The LORD had called Israel 'A green olive tree, fair, and of goodly fruit' (Jer 11:16), whose 'branches… are broken'. The Gentile is 'graffed in' (enkentrizo, used only in this chapter) and shares the 'fatness' (piotes, here only) of the root.

Verse 18

the root thee — 'Boast' is katakauchaomai, to exult over; the other uses are James 2:13 and 3:14. The Gentile is told that the branches were there first: 'thou bearest not the root, but the root thee'. A like warning is given to anyone sure of his footing: 'let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall' (1 Cor 10:12).

Verse 20

thou standest by faith — Standing is by faith, as in 2 Cor 1:24, 'for by faith ye stand'. 'Highminded' (hypselophroneo, to think high things) is found elsewhere only in 1 Tim 6:17. The remedy Paul gives is 'fear', the other side of the 'Mind not high things' of Rom 12:16.

Verse 22

goodness and severity — Chrestotes, kindness, is the 'goodness' that 'leadeth thee to repentance' (Rom 2:4). Apotomia, 'severity', occurs only here, twice in this verse. 'If thou continue' sets the condition, as Col 1:23 does with 'If ye continue in the faith'. 'Cut off' (ekkopto) is the verb of 'cut it down' in Luke 13:7, 9.

Verse 24

contrary to nature — 'Good olive tree' is kallielaios, here only; the 'wild' olive is agrielaios as in v.17. Paul argues from the harder case: the Gentile was cut from a tree 'wild by nature' and grafted 'contrary to nature' into a good one, so 'how much more' can the 'natural branches' be graffed into 'their own olive tree'.

Verse 25

this mystery — Mysterion, a thing hidden until it is made known (Rom 16:25, 'the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began'). What is made known is a limit: 'blindness' (porosis, the noun of the verb in v.7) 'in part' lasts 'until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in'. 'Be not wise in your own conceits' returns in Rom 12:16 (cf. Prov 3:7).

Verse 26

all Israel shall be saved — 'And so' (houtos) means 'in this way'. Paul cites Isa 59:20, 'the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob', and v.27 draws on Isa 27:9, 'to take away his sin'. Christians have read 'all Israel' as the nation turning to Christ at the end, and as the whole company of the saved from Jew and Gentile.

Verse 28

beloved for the fathers' sakes — 'Enemies' and 'beloved' stand side by side: the first 'as concerning the gospel… for your sakes', the second 'as touching the election'. The ground of the love is the oath to the fathers: 'because the LORD loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers' (Deut 7:8). 'Election' (eklogē) is the word of vv.5 and 7.

Verse 29

without repentance — Ametameletos, not to be regretted, occurs only here and in 2 Cor 7:10. It is said of God's own gifts and rests on Num 23:19, 'God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent'. The 'gifts' (charisma) and 'calling' (klesis) are Israel's, the adoption, covenants and promises of 9:4.

Verse 32

concluded them all in unbelief — Synkleio, to shut up together, as a net does (Luke 5:6, 'inclosed') and as in Gal 3:22, 'the scripture hath concluded all under sin'. The 'all' are the Gentiles and Jews of vv.30–31: 'ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief'. The purpose named is mercy (eleeo) for 'all'.

Verse 33

unsearchable — Anexereunetos, that cannot be searched out, occurs only here. 'Past finding out' (anexichniastos, that cannot be tracked) occurs only here and in Eph 3:8, 'the unsearchable riches of Christ'. Job asks the same: 'Canst thou by searching find out God?' (Job 11:7). The 'wisdom and knowledge' are the treasures 'hid' in Christ (Col 2:3).

Verse 36

of him, and through him, and to him — Three prepositions (ek, dia, eis) trace all things to God as source, means and end. 1 Cor 8:6 says it of the Father and the Son: 'of whom are all things… by whom are all things'. 'To whom be glory for ever. Amen' answers 9:5, 'God blessed for ever. Amen', and closes the argument of chapters 9–11.