Romans 9
Summary for Rom 9:1-11:32: 9:1–11:36 a In this section, Paul takes up the problem raised by the unbelief of so many Jews. If God had promised salvation to Israel yet so few Jews were being saved, how could Jesus truly be the fulfillment of God’s plan (9:1-5 b)? In his response to this objection, Paul cites the Old Testament as evidence that God had always intended to save only a remnant of Israel (9:6-29 c), and he faults the Jews for refusing to embrace Christ (9:30–10:21 d). Paul then shows that God has not discarded Israel from his plan of salvation. Many Jews have already believed in Christ (11:1-10 e), and many more will believe in the future (11:12-26 f).Summary for Rom 9:2-3: 9:2-3 g Paul does not explicitly say why he has such bitter sorrow for his Jewish brothers and sisters. Yet his willingness to become cursed on their behalf if that would save them makes clear that the failure of most Jews to respond to Jesus and be saved stimulated his agony (see also 10:1 h).
9:3 i I would be willing to be forever cursed (Greek anathema): Anathema is used in the Greek Old Testament to translate a Hebrew expression that means “set apart for God,” which usually has the negative sense of something destined to be destroyed as an offering to God (see Lev 27:28-29 j; Josh 6:17-18 k; 7:1 l, 11-13 m; 22:20 n; 1 Sam 15:3 o; 1 Chr 2:7 p). Paul knows that he cannot, in fact, be cut off from Christ. Paul is echoing the offer of Moses, who pled with God to kill him but to spare the people (Exod 32:30-32 q).
9:4 r Up to this point in Romans, Paul has called the Jewish people Jews. His shift to people of Israel, here and throughout most of chs 9–11 s, is significant. Jew connotes national identity, but Israel emphasizes the covenant relationship of the people with God.
• chosen to be God’s adopted children: The Old Testament called Israel God’s son or child to emphasize that God had selected Israel to be his own people (e.g., Exod 4:22 t; Jer 3:19 u; 31:9 v; Hos 11:1 w). Israel’s adopted status meant that they received God’s blessing and promises, not that they were necessarily saved.
• covenants: The Old Testament includes several covenants between God and the people of Israel: one with Abraham (Gen 17 x), one with the nation through Moses at Mount Sinai (Exod 19–24 y), and one with David (2 Sam 7:8-16 z; 23:5 aa).
9:5 ab Christ came from the people of Israel, and God first made his promises of salvation to them.
9:6 ac are truly members of God’s people (literally are Israel): “Israel” can refer to the people of Israel in a biological sense, i.e., everyone descended from Jacob. But in the latter part of the Old Testament and in Judaism, the idea of a “righteous remnant” within Israel developed (see Isa 11:10-16 ad). On at least one occasion in the New Testament, Israel refers to everyone, Jew and Gentile, who belongs to God in a spiritual sense (Gal 6:16 ae). Paul is stating that there is now an “Israel within Israel,” a community consisting of both Jews and Gentiles who truly believe (cp. Rom 11:16-17 af; Gal 6:16 ag).
9:7 ah This quotation is from Gen 21:12 ai, which God spoke to Abraham when he was reluctant to follow Sarah’s advice to banish his son Ishmael, who was born to the slave woman Hagar. God assured Abraham that Sarah’s child, Isaac, was the son through whom God’s promises would be fulfilled.
Summary for Rom 9:10-11: 9:10-11 aj she gave birth to twins: No human circumstances differentiated Isaac’s sons, Jacob and Esau. Not only were they born to the same mother, but they were also conceived at the same time. Instead, Paul argues, the difference between them was of God’s choosing.
9:12 ak “Your older son will serve your younger son”: God spoke these words to Rebekah before the twins were born (Gen 25:23 al). As the older of the twins, Esau was Isaac’s natural heir. But Esau sold his birthright to Jacob and ceded his position to his brother in fulfillment of God’s promise.
9:13 am “I loved Jacob, but I rejected (literally hated) Esau”: Paul quotes Mal 1:2-3 an, where Jacob, whose other name is Israel (Gen 32:28 ao), stands for the nation of Israel, and Esau stands for Edom. Here, Paul is referring to them as individuals. Just as love can sometimes express a choice, so hate can express rejection. The story of Jacob and Esau illustrates how the sovereign God chooses his own people.
Summary for Rom 9:14-16: 9:14-16 ap God’s choice is not unfair because he owes nothing to his sinful creatures (see study note on 4:4-5).
9:15 aq This quotation from Exod 33:19 ar focuses on God’s nature: God is free from obligation or constraint in bestowing mercy on people.
9:17 as God told Pharaoh: At God’s direction, Moses had asked Pharaoh to let the people of Israel leave Egypt for their own land (Exod 9:16 at). When Pharaoh stubbornly refused, God displayed miracle after miracle to convince Israel, Pharaoh, and the Egyptians of God’s power and authority (see Exod 6:7 au; 7:5 av; 9:14-16 aw; 14:31 ax).
9:18 ay he chooses to harden the hearts of others so they refuse to listen: Pharaoh refused to let Israel go because his heart was hardened. God hardened Pharaoh’s heart (Exod 9:12 az), and Pharaoh hardened his own heart (Exod 8:15 ba).
Summary for Rom 9:20-21: 9:20-21 bb See Isa 29:16 bc; 45:9-10 bd.
Summary for Rom 9:24-26: 9:24-26 be God was free to select people from the Jews who would have a true spiritual relationship with him; similarly, he was also free to choose some from the Gentiles to be saved as well. Paul uses the prophecy of Hosea to reinforce his point. Hosea predicted that God would renew his mercy to the ten northern tribes that had rebelled against God and were under his judgment. Paul saw a principle that applies to Gentiles as well.
• Those who were not my people: See study note on 10:19.
Summary for Rom 9:27-28: 9:27-28 bf only a remnant will be saved: So many Israelites had turned from God that the Old Testament prophets spoke of a true spiritual Israel within the larger nation of Israel (see Isa 11:10-16 bg). The remnant would receive salvation, while the rest of the Israelites would suffer condemnation.
9:29 bh The destruction of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen 19 bi) is a poignant illustration of the reality and severity of God’s judgment.
9:31 bj who tried so hard to get right with God by keeping the law (literally who pursued the law of righteousness): Law of righteousness is an idiom that means “righteousness through the law.”
Summary for Rom 9:32-33: 9:32-33 bk The great rock in their path is Christ. People either build on him by putting their faith in him, or they stumble over his message that faith, and not human works, is the key to getting right with God.
9:33 bl This quotation is from Isa 8:14 bm; 28:16 bn. These two texts, along with Ps 118:22 bo, are also quoted together in 1 Pet 2:6-8 bp. The early church likely had a collection of messianic “stone” quotations from the Old Testament that they used to illuminate the significance of Christ (see also Matt 21:42 bq).
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