Net English TranslationRomans 9 =
Israel’s Rejection Considered1
9

1 I am telling the truth in Christ (I am not lying!), for my conscience assures me2 in the Holy Spirit – 2 I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart.3 3 For I could wish4 that I myself were accursed – cut off from Christ – for the sake of my people,5 my fellow countrymen,6 4 who are Israelites. To them belong7 the adoption as sons,8 the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the temple worship,9 and the promises. 5 To them belong the patriarchs,10 and from them,11 by human descent,12 came the Christ,13 who is God over all, blessed forever!14 Amen.

6 It is not as though the word of God had failed. For not all those who are descended from Israel are truly Israel,15 7 nor are all the children Abraham’s true descendants; rather “through Isaac will your descendants be counted.”16 8 This means17 it is not the children of the flesh18 who are the children of God; rather, the children of promise are counted as descendants. 9 For this is what the promise declared:19 “About a year from now20 I will return and Sarah will have a son.”21 10 Not only that, but when Rebekah had conceived children by one man,22 our ancestor Isaac – 11 even before they were born or had done anything good or bad (so that God’s purpose in election23 would stand, not by works but by24 his calling)25 – 12 26 it was said to her, “The older will serve the younger,”27 13 just as it is written: “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”28

14 What shall we say then? Is there injustice with God? Absolutely not! 15 For he says to Moses: “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”29 16 So then,30 it does not depend on human desire or exertion,31 but on God who shows mercy. 17 For the scripture says to Pharaoh:32 “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may demonstrate my power in you, and that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth.”33 18 So then,34 God35 has mercy on whom he chooses to have mercy, and he hardens whom he chooses to harden.36

19 You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For who has ever resisted his will?” 20 But who indeed are you – a mere human being37 – to talk back to God?38 Does what is molded say to the molder, “Why have you made me like this?”39 21 Has the potter no right to make from the same lump of clay40 one vessel for special use and another for ordinary use?41 22 But what if God, willing to demonstrate his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience the objects42 of wrath43 prepared for destruction?44 23 And what if he is willing to make known the wealth of his glory on the objects45 of mercy that he has prepared beforehand for glory – 24 even us, whom he has called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles? 25 As he also says in Hosea:

“I will call those who were not my people, ‘My people,’ and I will call her who was unloved,46 ‘My beloved.’”47

26 “And in the very place48 where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’

there they will be called ‘sons of the living God.’”49

27 And Isaiah cries out on behalf of Israel, “Though the number of the children50 of Israel are as the sand of the sea, only the remnant will be saved, 28 for the Lord will execute his sentence on the earth completely and quickly.”51 29 Just52 as Isaiah predicted,

“If the Lord of armies53 had not left us descendants,

we would have become like Sodom,

and we would have resembled Gomorrah.”54

Israel’s Rejection Culpable

30 What shall we say then? – that the Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness obtained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith, 31 but Israel even though pursuing55 a law of righteousness56 did not attain it.57 32 Why not? Because they pursued58 it not by faith but (as if it were possible) by works.59 They stumbled over the stumbling stone,60 33 just as it is written,

“Look, I am laying in Zion a stone that will cause people to stumble

and a rock that will make them fall,61

yet the one who believes in him will not be put to shame.”62

1sn Rom 9:1–11:36. These three chapters are among the most difficult and disputed in Paul’s Letter to the Romans. One area of difficulty is the relationship between Israel and the church, especially concerning the nature and extent of Israel’s election. Many different models have been constructed to express this relationship. For a representative survey, see M. Barth, The People of God (JSNTSup), 22-27. The literary genre of these three chapters has been frequently identified as a diatribe, a philosophical discussion or conversation evolved by the Cynic and Stoic schools of philosophy as a means of popularizing their ideas (E. Käsemann, Romans, 261 and 267). But other recent scholars have challenged the idea that Rom 9–11 is characterized by diatribe. Scholars like R. Scroggs and E. E. Ellis have instead identified the material in question as midrash. For a summary and discussion of the rabbinic connections, see W. R. Stegner, “Romans 9.6-29 – A Midrash,” JSNT 22 (1984): 37-52. 2tn Or “my conscience bears witness to me.” 3tn Grk “my sorrow is great and the anguish in my heart is unceasing.” 4tn Or “For I would pray.” The implied condition is “if this could save my fellow Jews.” 5tn Grk “brothers.” See BDAG 18-19 s.v. ἀδελφός 2.b. 6tn Grk “my kinsmen according to the flesh.” 7tn Grk “of whom.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation. 8tn The Greek term υἱοθεσία (Juioqesia) was originally a legal technical term for adoption as a son with full rights of inheritance. BDAG 1024 s.v. notes, “a legal t.t. of ‘adoption’ of children, in our lit., i.e. in Paul, only in a transferred sense of a transcendent filial relationship between God and humans (with the legal aspect, not gender specificity, as major semantic component).” Although some modern translations remove the filial sense completely and render the term merely “adoption” (cf. NAB, ESV), the retention of this component of meaning was accomplished in the present translation by the phrase “as sons.” 9tn Or “cultic service.” 10tn Grk “of whom are the fathers.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation. 11tn Grk “from whom.” Here the relative pronoun has been replaced by a personal pronoun. 12tn Grk “according to the flesh.” 13tn Or “Messiah.” (Both Greek “Christ” and Hebrew and Aramaic “Messiah” mean “one who has been anointed.”) 14tn Or “the Christ, who is over all, God blessed forever,” or “the Messiah. God who is over all be blessed forever!” or “the Messiah who is over all. God be blessed forever!” The translational difficulty here is not text-critical in nature, but is a problem of punctuation. Since the genre of these opening verses of Romans 9 is a lament, it is probably best to take this as an affirmation of Christ’s deity (as the text renders it). Although the other renderings are possible, to see a note of praise to God at the end of this section seems strangely out of place. But for Paul to bring his lament to a crescendo (that is to say, his kinsmen had rejected God come in the flesh), thereby deepening his anguish, is wholly appropriate. This is also supported grammatically and stylistically: The phrase ὁ ὢν (Jo wn, “the one who is”) is most naturally taken as a phrase which modifies something in the preceding context, and Paul’s doxologies are always closely tied to the preceding context. For a detailed examination of this verse, see B. M. Metzger, “The Punctuation of Rom. 9:5,” Christ and the Spirit in the New Testament, 95-112; and M. J. Harris, Jesus as God, 144-72. 15tn Grk “For not all those who are from Israel are Israel.” 16tn Grk “be called.” The emphasis here is upon God’s divine sovereignty in choosing Isaac as the child through whom Abraham’s lineage would be counted as opposed to Ishmael.sn A quotation from Gen 21:12. 17tn Grk “That is,” or “That is to say.” 18tn Because it forms the counterpoint to “the children of promise” the expression “children of the flesh” has been retained in the translation.sn The expression the children of the flesh refers to the natural offspring. 19tn Grk “For this is the word of promise.” 20tn Grk “About this time I will return.” Since this refers to the time when the promised child would be born, it would be approximately a year later. 21sn A quotation from Gen 18:10, 14. 22tn Or possibly “by one act of sexual intercourse.” See D. Moo, Romans (NICNT), 579. 23tn Grk “God’s purpose according to election.” 24tn Or “not based on works but based on…” 25tn Grk “by the one who calls.”sn The entire clause is something of a parenthetical remark. 26sn Many translations place this verse division before the phrase “not by works but by his calling” (NA27/UBS4, NIV, NRSV, NLT, NAB). Other translations place this verse division in the same place that the translation above does (NASB, KJV, NKJV, ASV, RSV). The translation has followed the latter to avoid breaking the parenthetical statement. 27sn A quotation from Gen 25:23. 28sn A quotation from Mal 1:2-3. 29sn A quotation from Exod 33:19. 30sn There is a double connective here that cannot be easily preserved in English: “consequently therefore,” emphasizing the conclusion of what he has been arguing. 31tn Grk “So then, [it does] not [depend] on the one who desires nor on the one who runs.” 32sn Paul uses a typical rabbinic formula here in which the OT scriptures are figuratively portrayed as speaking to Pharaoh. What he means is that the scripture he cites refers (or can be applied) to Pharaoh. 33sn A quotation from Exod 9:16. 34sn There is a double connective here that cannot be easily preserved in English: “consequently therefore,” emphasizing the conclusion of what he has been arguing. 35tn Grk “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity. 36tn Grk “So then, he has mercy on whom he desires, and he hardens whom he desires.” 37tn Grk “O man.” 38tn Grk “On the contrary, O man, who are you to talk back to God?” 39sn A quotation from Isa 29:16; 45:9. 40tn Grk “Or does not the potter have authority over the clay to make from the same lump.” 41tn Grk “one vessel for honor and another for dishonor.” 42tn Grk “vessels.” This is the same Greek word used in v. 21. 43tn Or “vessels destined for wrath.” The genitive ὀργῆς (orghs) could be taken as a genitive of destination. 44tn Or possibly “objects of wrath that have fit themselves for destruction.” The form of the participle could be taken either as a passive or middle (reflexive). ExSyn 417-18 argues strongly for the passive sense (which is followed in the translation), stating that “the middle view has little to commend it.” First, καταρτίζω (katartizw) is nowhere else used in the NT as a direct or reflexive middle (a usage which, in any event, is quite rare in the NT). Second, the lexical force of this verb, coupled with the perfect tense, suggests something of a “done deal” (against some commentaries that see these vessels as ready for destruction yet still able to avert disaster). Third, the potter-clay motif seems to have one point: The potter prepares the clay. 45tn Grk “vessels.” This is the same Greek word used in v. 21. 46tn Grk “and her who was not beloved, ‘Beloved.’” 47sn A quotation from Hos 2:23. 48tn Grk “And it will be in the very place.” 49sn A quotation from Hos 1:10. 50tn Grk “sons.” 51tc In light of the interpretive difficulty of this verse, a longer reading seems to have been added to clarify the meaning. The addition, in the middle of the sentence, makes the whole verse read as follows: “For he will execute his sentence completely and quickly in righteousness, because the Lord will do it quickly on the earth.” The shorter reading is found largely in Alexandrian mss (Ì46 א* A B 6 1506 1739 1881 pc co), while the longer reading is found principally in Western and Byzantine mss (א2 D F G Ψ 33 Ï lat). The longer reading follows Isa 10:22-23 (LXX) verbatim, while Paul in the previous verse quoted the LXX loosely. This suggests the addition was made by a copyist trying to make sense out of a difficult passage rather than by the author himself.tn There is a wordplay in Greek (in both the LXX and here) on the phrase translated “completely and quickly” (συντελῶν καὶ συντέμνων, suntelwn kai suntemnwn). These participles are translated as adverbs for smoothness; a more literal (and more cumbersome) rendering would be: “The Lord will act by closing the account [or completing the sentence], and by cutting short the time.” The interpretation of this text is notoriously difficult. Cf. BDAG 975 s.v. συντέμνω.sn A modified quotation from Isa 10:22-23. Since it is not exact, it has been printed as italics only. 52tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style. 53tn Traditionally, “Lord of hosts”; Grk “Lord Sabaoth,” which means “Lord of the [heavenly] armies,” sometimes translated more generally as “Lord Almighty.” 54sn A quotation from Isa 1:9. 55tn Or “who pursued.” The participle could be taken adverbially or adjectivally. 56tn Or “a legal righteousness,” that is, a righteousness based on law. This translation would treat the genitive δικαιοσύνης (dikaiosunh") as an attributed genitive (see ExSyn 89-91). 57tn Grk “has not attained unto the law.” 58tn Grk “Why? Because not by faith but as though by works.” The verb (“they pursued [it]”) is to be supplied from the preceding verse for the sake of English style; yet a certain literary power is seen in Paul’s laconic style. 59tc Most mss, especially the later ones (א2 D Ψ 33 Ï sy), read νόμου (nomou, “of the law”) here, echoing Paul’s usage in Rom 3:20, 28 and elsewhere. The qualifying phrase is lacking in א* A B F G 6 629 630 1739 1881 pc lat co. The longer reading thus is weaker externally and internally, being motivated apparently by a need to clarify.tn Grk “but as by works.” 60tn Grk “the stone of stumbling.” 61tn Grk “a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.” 62sn A quotation from Isa 28:16; 8:14.
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