ISRAEL'S REJECTION NOT FINAL. A WARNING TO THE GENTILES In this chapter St. Paul brings to an end his great exposition of God's dealings with the Jews. He has shown in Romans 9 that God is free to choose or reject individuals or nations as the instruments of His purpose; and, in Romans 10, that the... [ Continue Reading ]
CAST AWAY] cp. Psalms 94:14; 1 Samuel 12:22. BENJAMIN] the tribe which, with Judah, followed the house of David, and in whose territory Jerusalem stood.... [ Continue Reading ]
PEOPLE] i.e. the nation as a whole. FOREKNEW] see on Romans 8:29 and Romans 11:29. WOT] i.e. know. OF ELIAS] lit. 'in Elijah'; i.e. in the section of the Scriptures concerning Elijah: cp. Mark 12:26; (RV).... [ Continue Reading ]
LORD, etc.] from 1 Kings 19:10.... [ Continue Reading ]
RESERVED TO] RV 'left for.' TO _the image of_ BAAL] RV 'to Baal.'... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT IF _IT BE_ OF WORKS, etc.] RV omits this latter half of the v.... [ Continue Reading ]
ELECTION] i.e. the chosen remnant who have believed in Christ. BLINDED] RV 'hardened,' i.e. by God, in punishment: see next v. Those who will not, at last cannot.... [ Continue Reading ]
From Deuteronomy 29:4; Isaiah 29:10. THE SPIRIT OF SLUMBER] RV 'a spirit of stupor.' UNTO THIS DAY] part of the quotation from Deuteronomy.... [ Continue Reading ]
From Psalms 69:22.... [ Continue Reading ]
BOW DOWN THEIR BACK] i.e. in weakness and dejection.... [ Continue Reading ]
STUMBLED] cp. Romans 9:32. FALL] i.e. so as not to rise again. _Come_ UNTO THE GENTILES] It was only when the Jews rejected the gospel that the Apostle turned to the Gentiles: cp. Acts 13:45.; Acts 28:28. A Church nationally Jewish would probably have been a hindrance to the complete evangelisation... [ Continue Reading ]
DIMINISHING] RV 'loss.' As a defeated army suffers loss in battle, so the majority of the Jews had fallen away into unbelief. St. Paul anticipates great blessing to the world when the ' fulness,' i.e. the entire nation, of the Jews believes.... [ Continue Reading ]
RV 'But I speak to you that are Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle of Gentiles, I glorify my ministry.' As the Jews have been spoken of in the third person, we infer that the Roman Christians were chiefly Gentiles.... [ Continue Reading ]
ST. Paul now addresses the Gentiles. They should hope for the restoration of Israel, because of the blessing it will bring the world, and because Israel still bears God's name (Romans 11:13). They should not despise Israel (Romans 11:17), nor boast of preference (Romans 11:19), for, if unfaithful, t... [ Continue Reading ]
EMULATION] RV 'jealousy': cp. Romans 11:11; Romans 10:19.... [ Continue Reading ]
RECONCILING OF THE WORLD] In the bringing in of the Gentiles, the world began to enjoy that reconciliation which Christ gained for it by dying for all mankind: cp. 2 Corinthians 5:19; Ephesians 2:13.... [ Continue Reading ]
FIRSTFRUIT] metaphor from Numbers 15:19. The 'firstfruit' and 'root' represent the patriarchs: cp. Romans 11:28; Romans 9:5. HOLY] i.e. separated as God's people for His purposes. No reference to the salvation of individuals: cp. Matthew 3:9.... [ Continue Reading ]
The Church of God, both before and after Christ, regarded by St. Paul as one and the same, is here likened to an olive tree: cp. Jeremiah 11:16; Hosea 14:6. GRAFFED IN] The usual practice would be to graft the cultivated olive upon the wild stock. St. Paul reverses the process in his allegory, to en... [ Continue Reading ]
BOAST.. BOAST] RV 'glory.. gloriest.'... [ Continue Reading ]
See on Romans 11:11; Romans 11:15.... [ Continue Reading ]
HOW MUCH MORE] We may see indications of the purpose of God for the Jews in the permanence of their race and in their devoted adherence to the God of their fathers. 25-36. That Israel will be converted has been directly revealed by God (Romans 11:25). God's purpose of favour to them has not changed... [ Continue Reading ]
MYSTERY] Among the Greeks, a'mystery' meant a secret of religion revealed only to the initiated. St. Paul uses the word to express a truth once hidden, but now revealed by God: cp. Romans 16:25; 1 Corinthians 2:7; 1 Corinthians 2:10; Ephesians 1:9; Ephesians 3:4. BLINDNESS] RV 'a hardening': cp. Rom... [ Continue Reading ]
ALL ISRAEL] i.e. the Jewish race will enter the Christian Church. THERE SHALL COME, etc.] from Isaiah 59:20.... [ Continue Reading ]
From Isaiah 27:9.... [ Continue Reading ]
CALLING] cp. Romans 1:6.; Romans 8:30. WITHOUT REPENTANCE] i.e. God's promises are changeless, because He could never do that for which afterwards He was sorry. He is sometimes said, in OT., to 'repent,' e.g. Genesis 6:6; Joel 2:13. What is meant in such passages is, not that He changes His purposes... [ Continue Reading ]
HAVE NOT BELIEVED] RV 'were disobedient to.' UNBELIEF] RV 'disobedience.'... [ Continue Reading ]
NOT BELIEVED] RV 'been disobedient.' YOUR MERCY] RV 'the mercy shewn to you.'... [ Continue Reading ]
CONCLUDED] RV 'shut up,' i.e. without power of escape: cp. Galatians 3:22. IN UNBELIEF] RV 'unto disobedience': cp. Romans 2:7. UPON ALL] i.e. who do not reject His mercy.... [ Continue Reading ]
From Isaiah 40:13.... [ Continue Reading ]
From Job 41:11.... [ Continue Reading ]
TO HIM] RV 'unto him'; i.e. all things are created to serve and praise God.... [ Continue Reading ]