sn 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.

tn Or “my conscience bears witness to me.”

tn Grk “my sorrow is great and the anguish in my heart is unceasing.”

tn Or “For I would pray.” The implied condition is “if this could save my fellow Jews.”

tn Grk “brothers.” See BDAG 18–19 s.v. ἀδελφός 2.b.

tn Grk “my kinsmen according to the flesh.”

tn Grk “of whom.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

tn The Greek term υἱοθεσία (huiothesia) 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.”

tn Or “cultic service.”

tn 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.

tn Grk “from whom.” Here the relative pronoun has been replaced by a personal pronoun.

tn Grk “according to the flesh.”

tn Or “Messiah.” (Both Greek “Christ” and Hebrew and Aramaic “Messiah” mean “one who has been anointed.”)

tn 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 (ho ōn, “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.

tn Grk “For not all those who are from Israel are Israel.”

tn 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.

tn Grk “That is,” or “That is to say.”

tn 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.

tn Grk “For this is the word of promise.”

tn 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.

sn A quotation from Gen 18:10, 14.

tn Or possibly “by one act of sexual intercourse.” See D. Moo, Romans (NICNT), 579.

tn Grk “God’s purpose according to election.”

tn Or “not based on works but based on …”

tn Grk “by the one who calls.”

sn The entire clause is something of a parenthetical remark.

sn 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.

sn A quotation from Gen 25:23.

sn A quotation from Mal 1:2–3.

sn A quotation from Exod 33:19.

sn There is a double connective here that cannot be easily preserved in English: “consequently therefore,” emphasizing the conclusion of what he has been arguing.

tn Grk “So then, [it does] not [depend] on the one who desires nor on the one who runs.”

sn 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.

sn A quotation from Exod 9:16.

sn There is a double connective here that cannot be easily preserved in English: “consequently therefore,” emphasizing the conclusion of what he has been arguing.

tn Grk “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

tn Grk “So then, he has mercy on whom he desires, and he hardens whom he desires.”

tn Grk “O man.”

tn Grk “On the contrary, O man, who are you to talk back to God?”

sn A quotation from Isa 29:16; 45:9.

tn Grk “Or does not the potter have authority over the clay to make from the same lump.”

tn Grk “one vessel for honor and another for dishonor.”

tn Grk “vessels.” This is the same Greek word used in v. 21.

tn Or “vessels destined for wrath.” The genitive ὀργῆς (orgēs) could be taken as a genitive of destination.

tn 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 (katartizō) 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.

tn Grk “vessels.” This is the same Greek word used in v. 21.

tn Grk “and her who was not beloved, ‘Beloved.’ ”

sn A quotation from Hos 2:23.

tn Grk “And it will be in the very place.”

sn A quotation from Hos 1:10.

tn Grk “sons.”

tc 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 (𝔓46 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 𝔐 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, suntelōn kai suntemnōn). 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.

tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

tn Traditionally, “Lord of hosts”; Grk “Lord Sabaoth,” which means “Lord of the [heavenly] armies,” sometimes translated more generally as “Lord Almighty.”

sn A quotation from Isa 1:9.

tn Or “who pursued.” The participle could be taken adverbially or adjectivally.

tn Or “a legal righteousness,” that is, a righteousness based on law. This translation would treat the genitive δικαιοσύνης (dikaiosunēs) as an attributed genitive (see ExSyn 89–91).

tn Grk “has not attained unto the law.”

tn 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.

tc Most mss, especially the later ones (א2 D Ψ 33 𝔐 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.”

tn Grk “the stone of stumbling.”

tn Grk “a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.”

sn A quotation from Isa 28:16; 8:14.

tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:13.

tn Grk “on behalf of them”; the referent (Paul’s fellow Israelites) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

tn Grk “they have a zeal for God.”

tn Grk “in accord with knowledge.”

sn Their zeal is not in line with the truth means that the Jews’ passion for God was strong, but it ignored the true righteousness of God (v. 3; cf. also 3:21).

sn A quotation from Lev 18:5.

sn A quotation from Deut 9:4.

sn A quotation from Deut 30:12.

sn A quotation from Deut 30:13.

sn A quotation from Deut 30:14.

tn Or “the Lord.” The Greek construction, along with the quotation from Joel 2:32 in v. 13 (in which the same “Lord” seems to be in view) suggests that κύριον (kurion) is to be taken as “the Lord,” that is, Yahweh. Cf. D. B. Wallace, “The Semantics and Exegetical Significance of the Object-Complement Construction in the New Testament,” GTJ 6 (1985): 91–112.

tn Grk “believes to righteousness.”

tn Grk “confesses to salvation.”

sn A quotation from Isa 28:16.

sn A quotation from Joel 2:32.

tn Grk “preaching”; the words “to them” are supplied for clarification.

tn The word in this context seems to mean “coming at the right or opportune time” (see BDAG 1103 s.v. ὡραῖος 1); it may also mean “beautiful, attractive, welcome.”

tn Grk “the feet.” The metaphorical nuance of “beautiful feet” is that such represent timely news.

sn A quotation from Isa 52:7; Nah 1:15.

sn A quotation from Isa 53:1.

tn The Greek term here is ῥῆμα (rhēma), which often (but not exclusively) focuses on the spoken word.

tc Most mss (א1 A D1 Ψ 33 1881 𝔐 sy) have θεοῦ (theou) here rather than Χριστοῦ (Christou; found in 𝔓46vid א* B C D* 6 81 629 1506 1739 pc lat co). External evidence strongly favors the reading “Christ” here. Internal evidence is also on its side, for the expression ῥῆμα Χριστοῦ (rhēma Christou) occurs nowhere else in the NT; thus scribes would be prone to change it to a known expression.

tn The genitive could be understood as either subjective (“Christ does the speaking”) or objective (“Christ is spoken about”), but the latter is more likely here.

tn That is, Israel (see the following verse).

tn Grk “they have not ‘not heard,’ have they?” This question is difficult to render in English. The basic question is a negative sentence (“Have they not heard?”), but it is preceded by the particle μή (mē) which expects a negative response. The end result in English is a double negative (“They have not ‘not heard,’ have they?”). This has been changed to a positive question in the translation for clarity. See BDAG 646 s.v. μή 3.a.; D. Moo, Romans (NICNT), 666, fn. 32; and C. E. B. Cranfield, Romans (ICC), 537, for discussion.

tn Here the particle μενοῦνγε (menounge) is correcting the negative response expected by the particle μή (mē) in the preceding question. Since the question has been translated positively, the translation was changed here to reflect that rendering.

sn A quotation from Ps 19:4.

tn Grk “Israel did not ‘not know,’ did he?” The double negative in Greek has been translated as a positive affirmation for clarity (see v. 18 above for a similar situation).

sn A quotation from Deut 32:21.

sn A quotation from Isa 65:1.

sn A quotation from Isa 65:2.

sn A quotation from 1 Kgs 19:10, 14.

tn Grk “the revelation,” “the oracle.”

tn The Greek term here is ἀνήρ (anēr), which only exceptionally is used in a generic sense of both males and females. In this context, it appears to be a generic usage (“people”) since when Paul speaks of a remnant of faithful Israelites (“the elect,” v. 7), he is not referring to males only. It can also be argued, however, that it refers only to adult males here (“men”), perhaps as representative of all the faithful left in Israel.

sn A quotation from 1 Kgs 19:18.

tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

sn A quotation from Deut 29:4; Isa 29:10.

sn A quotation from Ps 69:22–23.

tn Grk “that they might fall.”

tn Grk “them”; the referent (Israel, cf. 11:7) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

tn Or “full inclusion”; Grk “their fullness.”

tn Grk “firstfruits,” a term for the first part of something that has been set aside and offered to God before the remainder can be used.

sn Most interpreters see Paul as making use of a long-standing metaphor of the olive tree (the root … the branches) as a symbol for Israel. See, in this regard, Jer 11:16, 19. A. T. Hanson, Studies in Paul’s Technique and Theology, 121–24, cites rabbinic use of the figure of the olive tree, and goes so far as to argue that Rom 11:17–24 is a midrash on Jer 11:16–19.

tn Grk “became a participant of.”

tn Grk “well!“, an adverb used to affirm a statement. It means “very well,” “you are correct.”

tn Greek emphasizes the contrast between these two clauses more than can be easily expressed in English.

tn Grk “if you continue in (the) kindness.”

tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:13.