Romans 11:17

Romans 11:17. But if some of the branches were broken off. This was the fact, and the Gentiles are warned against a wrong inference from it. ‘Some' does not of itself indicate whether there were many or few; it was, however, probably chosen ‘in order not to promote Gentile-Christian self-exaltation; Romans 11:18 ' (Meyer). The term ‘broken off' is that used of the removing of barren twigs.

And thou, emphatic and addressed to the individual Gentile believer, being, although thou art, a wild olive, i.e., a branch of the wild olive tree, since the word here used may be regarded as an adjective. The reference to the ‘tree' is objectionable, for the Gentiles are addressed not as a whole, but as individuals.

Wast grafted in among them, or, ‘n their place.' Either view is grammatically admissible, but the former is preferable, especially because of the word ‘fellow partaker' which follows, and because, ‘them' points to ‘the branches,' referring to the Jews in general. It is quite improbable that Paul alludes to the custom of renewing the fertility of olive trees by grafting upon them shoots of the wild olive. There is no evidence that he knew of this custom; nor is the illustration furthered by the thought thus suggested. The Gentile scion was to receive, not to impart, fertility. Moreover Romans 11:24 shows that the Apostle conceives of the matter as taking place through grace and contrary to nature.

And became fellow partaker, i.e., in common with the natural branches, of the root of the fatness of the olive tree. Some of our best manuscripts omit ‘and,' thus giving the sense as above; but the other reading is also well supported. The former presents the ‘root' as the source of the ‘fatness,' the vitality and fertility; the latter indicates that the graft is partaker of both. The ideas are substantially identical. As regards the application: it is historically true that the Roman and Greek civilization, already decaying in Paul's time, was preserved during the succeeding centuries mainly by the new religious life from the patriarchal root. The unity of the church in both dispensations is plainly asserted, and this overthrows all the assumptions of an antagonism between Paul and the Twelve, in regard to the relative position of the Jewish and Gentile Christians.