Romans 11
Berean Standard Bible · Compare translations · AD 56 – AD 57 · The early church · Tap a verse to copy, share or highlight ·
36 verses · 759 words · ~4 min read · ~5 min listen
A Remnant Chosen by Grace
1I ask then, did God reject His people? Certainly not! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin. 2God did not reject His people, whom He foreknew. Do you not know what the Scripture says about Elijah, how he appealed to God against Israel: 3“Lord, they have killed Your prophets and torn down Your altars. I am the only one left, and they are seeking my life as well”?
4And what was the divine reply to him? “I have reserved for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.”
5In the same way, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. 6And if it is by grace, then it is no longer by works. Otherwise, grace would no longer be grace.
7What then? What Israel was seeking, it failed to obtain, but the elect did. The others were hardened, 8as it is written:
9And David says:
The Ingrafting of the Gentiles
11I ask then, did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Certainly not! However, because of their trespass, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel jealous. 12But if their trespass means riches for the world, and their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their fullness bring!
13I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry 14in the hope that I may provoke my own people to jealousy and save some of them. 15For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? 16If the first part of the dough is holy, so is the whole batch; if the root is holy, so are the branches.
17Now if some branches have been broken off, and you, a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others to share in the nourishment of the olive root, 18do not boast over those branches. If you do, remember this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you.
19You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in.” 20That is correct: They were broken off because of unbelief, but you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but be afraid. 21For if God did not spare the natural branches, He will certainly not spare you either.
22Take notice, therefore, of the kindness and severity of God: severity to those who fell, but kindness to you, if you continue in His kindness. Otherwise you also will be cut off. 23And if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. 24For if you were cut from a wild olive tree, and contrary to nature were grafted into one that is cultivated, how much more readily will these, the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree!
All Israel Will Be Saved
25I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you will not be conceited: A hardening in part has come to Israel, until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. 26And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written:
28Regarding the gospel, they are enemies on your account; but regarding election, they are loved on account of the patriarchs. 29For Godʼs gifts and His call are irrevocable.
30Just as you who formerly disobeyed God have now received mercy through their disobedience, 31so they too have now disobeyed, in order that they too may now receive mercy through the mercy shown to you. 32For God has consigned everyone to disobedience so that He may have mercy on everyone.
A Hymn of Praise
Footnotes (11)
- a v3 1 Kings 19:10, 14
- b v4 1 Kings 19:18
- c v6 BYZ and TR include But if it is by works, then it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work.
- d v8 See Deuteronomy 29:4and Isaiah 29:10.
- e v10 Psalms 69:22–23(see also LXX)
- f v11 Or did they stumble so as to lose their share? Literally did they stumble that they might fall?
- g v21 Or He will perhaps not; SBL, NE, and WH He will not
- h v27 Isaiah 27:9and Isaiah 59:20–21; see also LXX
- i v31 Literally may now receive mercy through your mercy; BYZ and TR may receive mercy through your mercy
- j v34 Isaiah 40:13(see also LXX)
- k v35 Job 41:11
Study notes on this chapter · 5
God answers Job from the whirlwind
After chapters of debate about why the righteous suffer, God answers Job not with an explanation but with a tour of creation's wildness — sea, stars, Leviathan — pressing the question of who governs it. Job repents of demanding an account; God restores him without endorsing his friends' theory that suffering always means sin.
When: Set in patriarchal times; the book's date is unknown.
Ways people read this (2)
- Many readers see the point as trust in God's wisdom rather than answers to why.
- Others stress the ending's restoration as a sign that lament is heard, not punished.
Editorial note by BibleWay. Interpretations vary; dates are approximate scholarly estimates.
A remnant will return
Isaiah says that though Israel is as numerous as the sand, only a remnant will return. Paul quotes this, and Elijah's story of the seven thousand who did not bow to Baal, to argue that God has always preserved a remnant, and that there is now a remnant chosen by grace.
When: Isaiah, c. 700 BC; Elijah, c. 860 BC; Romans, c. AD 57.
Editorial note by BibleWay. Interpretations vary; dates are approximate scholarly estimates.
The second gathering of the remnant
Isaiah says that in that day the Lord will a second time recover the remnant of his people from Assyria, Egypt, Cush and the islands of the sea. Ezekiel and Jeremiah also promise a regathering from all the nations. Readers disagree about whether these promises were fulfilled in the return from Babylon, are being fulfilled now, or have a spiritual fulfillment.
When: Isaiah, c. 740–700 BC; Ezekiel, c. 586–570 BC; returns from exile from 538 BC.
Ways people read this (4)
- Fulfilled in the return from Babylonian exile and scattered communities during the Persian and later periods.
- Being fulfilled in the gathering of Jewish people in modern times, or awaiting a future gathering (some dispensational and other readings).
- Fulfilled spiritually in the gathering of Jews and Gentiles into the church (covenant theology readings).
- Jewish tradition sees it as the ingathering of the exiles in the messianic age, and many see modern Israel in that light while others do not.
Editorial note by BibleWay. Interpretations vary; dates are approximate scholarly estimates.
All Israel will be saved
Paul says a hardening has come on part of Israel until the full number of the Gentiles comes in, and that in this way 'all Israel will be saved', quoting Isaiah's promise of a Redeemer who comes to Zion. The meaning of 'all Israel' and 'in this way' is among the most disputed questions in Romans.
When: Isaiah, c. 700–540 BC; Romans, c. AD 57.
Ways people read this (4)
- A future large-scale turning of ethnic Israel to Christ, at or before his return.
- The whole people of God, Jews and Gentiles together, are the 'Israel' that is saved.
- The elect remnant of ethnic Israel gathered in throughout the age, in addition to the Gentiles.
- The 'in this way' describes a process: Gentile inclusion provokes Israel to jealousy, and some Jews are continually saved.
Editorial note by BibleWay. Interpretations vary; dates are approximate scholarly estimates.
Many days without king or prince
Hosea is told to live a long time with an unfaithful woman as a picture of Israel, who will live 'many days' without king, prince, sacrifice, or idol, and afterward will return and seek the LORD and David their king in the latter days. The period of deprivation and the return are interpreted differently.
When: Hosea, c. 750–722 BC.
Ways people read this (4)
- The Assyrian and Babylonian exiles and the return that followed.
- The whole period from the exile to Christ, after which Israel 'seeks David their king' in the Messiah.
- The long dispersion of the Jewish people, with a future turning in the last days.
- The text is literary: a prophecy of exile and restoration in general terms.
Editorial note by BibleWay. Interpretations vary; dates are approximate scholarly estimates.