Romans 9:23

Here God is presented to us as the potter, laboring to form the vessels of honor.

How are we to construe the proposition: And that He might make known? The most forced construction is that of Ewald, Hofmann, and Schott, who find here the principal clause on which depends the subordinate: Now, if God, willing...ver. 22. The sense would in that case be: “Now, if God, willing to show..., endured..., He also (καί) acted that (ἵνα).” Such an ellipsis seems inadmissible.

Calvin, Grotius, Meyer, Lange leave nothing to be understood, but make the καὶ ἵνα, and that, directly dependent on the: He endured, in the preceding sentence: “If, willing to show His wrath..., God endured..., and also that ”...Here on this view would be a second aim in God's long-suffering, added by Paul as subsidiary to the first. The principal proposition on which the if depends would remain understood, as we said in the outset; it would be: “What can be said? Canst thou find fault?” The meaning is nearly the same as in the previous construction; only the grammatical form is a little more flowing. But it is difficult to believe that God's dealing with the vessels of honor should be given as a mere appendix, supplementary to His dealing with the vessels of wrath. The two things ought at least to be put on an equal footing, as in Romans 9:21.

Beza, Rückert, and Beyschlag make the that dependent on κατηρτισμένα, fitted to: “Vessels of wrath fitted to destruction, and also that (καὶ ἵνα) God might make known the riches of His grace.” But how make the idea of the manifestation of grace, which is one of the two fundamental ideas of the whole passage, dependent on an expression so subordinate as this participle?

There remains only one possible construction, that of some ancients, and of Philippi, Reuss, and others, that is, to understand here the εἰ, if, of Romans 9:22, and to make Romans 9:23 a proposition parallel to the preceding: “If willing...God endured...and [if] that”...But where, in this case, is the verb dependent on this second if and parallel to He endured? Either there must be held to be a new ellipsis to be added to that of the principal verb, which is very clumsy or this verb must be found in the ἐκάλεσεν, He called, of Romans 9:24. Undoubtedly the relative pronoun οὕς, whom, “ whom He called,” seems to be opposed to this solution. But we have already seen and it is a turn of expression not unusual in Greek that Paul sometimes connects with a dependent proposition a member of the sentence which properly belonged to the principal proposition; comp. Romans 3:8, and especially Galatians 2:4-5: “ to whom we did not give place,” for: “we gave not place to them. ” It is precisely for this reason, no doubt, that he here adds to the relative οὕς, whom, the pronoun ἡμᾶς, us, this apposition being, as it were, the last remnant of the regular construction which had been abandoned. And why this incorrectness? Is it a piece of negligence? By no means. By this relative οὕς, whom, as well as by the καί, also, added to the verb He called, Romans 9:24, the apostle means to bring out the close bond which connects with one another the two acts of preparing beforehand, Romans 9:23, and calling, Romans 9:24; comp. Romans 8:30, where the same relation of ideas is expressed under the same form: “Whom He did predestinate, them He also called. ” Our translation has rendered (Romans 9:24) this turn of the original as exactly as our language permits.

By the words: to make known the riches of His glory, Paul alludes to the example of Moses, Romans 9:15, who had asked God to show him His glory, exactly as by the expression of Romans 9:22 he had reminded his readers of those relative to Pharaoh. These riches of glory are the manifestation of His mercy which heaps glory on the vessels of honor, as the manifestation of wrath brings down perdition on the vessels that are worthless. Glory is here particularly the splendor of divine love.

Vessels of mercy: Vessels that are to be filled with salvation by mercy.

Which He prepared beforehand, ἃ προητοίμασε. This expression means more than the ready or fitted for of the previous verse; it was God Himself who had beforehand prepared everything to make those beings the objects of His grace. This saying is explained by the analogous expressions Romans 8:29-30; comp. the πρό, beforehand, which enters into the composition of the verb, as into that of the two verbs Romans 8:29; then the relation of the verbs prepared beforehand and call, which is the same as that between the verbs predestinate and call, Romans 9:30; and, finally, the καί, also, before ἐκάλεσε, called, which reproduces that of Romans 8:30. Jesus expresses an idea analogous to this, Matthew 25:34: “Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world;” with this difference, that in this saying it is the kingdom which is prepared in advance for believers, whereas here it is believers who are so for the kingdom. In this term: prepared beforehand, there are contained the two ideas of foreknowledge (prevision of faith) and predestination (destination to glory), expounded Romans 8:29. Let us further remark these four striking differences between this expression and the corresponding term of the preceding verse (κατηρτισμένα): 1. The preposition πρό, beforehand, is wanting in the participle of Romans 9:22; Romans 9:2. There the passive form, instead of the active used here. 3. Here the aorist, referring to the eternal act, as in Romans 8:29, instead of the perfect (Romans 9:22), which denoted the present fact. 4. Here the verb ἑτοιμάζειν, to prepare, which indicates the beginning of the development, instead of that of Romans 9:21, which indicated its result. These four differences are not accidental, and leave no doubt as to the apostle's view.