Romans 11:32

For God, &c. Lit. For God did shut up the all together into disobedience, that He may compassionate the all. We give this literal version, though barbarous as English, to elucidate the exact reference of the Greek. "The all" are "all the persons in question"; Gentiles and Jews alike, who by turns have occupied the position of aliens from the enjoyment of salvation. The Divine Sovereign has permitted each great class in turn thus to develope its own sin of rebellious unbelief, ("shutting them up into it," as into a cage, or trap, into which they have leapt,) in order to the complete display of mercy, and only mercy, wholly apart from privilege or merit, in the salvation both of Gentiles and of Jews. Here again mercyis the emphatic idea. "Did shut up:" i.e. when He "cut off" the Jews: for this completed, as it were, the process of that developement of unbelief which was to bring out into clear light the equal sovereignty of mercy in all cases.

" All" must manifestly be taken here, as so often elsewhere, (see on ch. Romans 5:18,) with limitation. St Paul is contemplating not the whole race, but the whole Churchin its two great elements Gentile and Jewish. See Romans 2:8-9, for his distinct warning of a "judgment without mercy" on the impenitent and unbelieving, Gentiles and Jews alike.