Romans 9 is the ninth chapter of the

Epistle to the Romans The Epistle to the Romans is the sixth book in the New Testament, and the longest of the thirteen Pauline epistles. Biblical scholars agree that it was composed by Paul the Apostle to explain that Salvation (Christianity), salvation is offered ...

in the

New Testament The New Testament (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus, as well as events relating to Christianity in the 1st century, first-century Christianit ...

of the

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

Bible The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...

. It is authored by

Paul the Apostle Paul, also named Saul of Tarsus, commonly known as Paul the Apostle and Saint Paul, was a Apostles in the New Testament, Christian apostle ( AD) who spread the Ministry of Jesus, teachings of Jesus in the Christianity in the 1st century, first ...

, while he was in

Corinth Corinth ( ; , ) is a municipality in Corinthia in Greece. The successor to the ancient Corinth, ancient city of Corinth, it is a former municipality in Corinthia, Peloponnese (region), Peloponnese, which is located in south-central Greece. Sin ...

in the mid-50s AD, with the help of an ''

amanuensis An amanuensis ( ) ( ) or scribe is a person employed to write or type what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another. It may also be a person who signs a document on behalf of another under the latter's authority. In some aca ...

'' (secretary), Tertius, who adds his own greeting in Romans 16:22. This chapter is concerned with Paul's vindication of "the faithfulness of God". The reformer

Martin Luther Martin Luther ( ; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, Theology, theologian, author, hymnwriter, professor, and former Order of Saint Augustine, Augustinian friar. Luther was the seminal figure of the Reformation, Pr ...

stated that "in chapters 9, 10 and 11, St. Paul teaches us about the eternal providence of God. It is the original source which determines who would believe and who wouldn't, who can be set free from sin and who cannot". Methodist writer

Joseph Benson Joseph Benson (26 January 1749 – 16 February 1821) was an early English Methodist minister, one of the leaders of the movement during the time of Methodism's founder John Wesley. Life The son of John Benson and Isabella Robinson, his wife, he ...

summarises this chapter:

Text

The original text was written in

Koine Greek Koine Greek (, ), also variously known as Hellenistic Greek, common Attic, the Alexandrian dialect, Biblical Greek, Septuagint Greek or New Testament Greek, was the koiné language, common supra-regional form of Greek language, Greek spoken and ...

. This chapter is divided into 33 verses.

Textual witnesses

Some early

manuscripts A manuscript (abbreviated MS for singular and MSS for plural) was, traditionally, any document written by hand or typewritten, as opposed to mechanically printed or reproduced in some indirect or automated way. More recently, the term has c ...

containing the text of this chapter are: *

Papyrus 40 Papyrus 40 (in the Gregory-Aland numbering), designated by 𝔓40, is an early copy of the New Testament in Greek. The manuscript paleographically has been assigned to the 3rd century. Description It is a papyrus manuscript of the Epistle to ...

(~250; extant verses 16–17, 27) * Papyrus 27 (3rd century; extant verses 3, 5–9) *

Codex Vaticanus The Codex Vaticanus ( The Vatican, Bibl. Vat., Vat. gr. 1209), is a manuscript of the Greek Bible, containing the majority of the Old Testament and the majority of the New Testament. It is designated by siglum B or 03 in the Gregory-Aland numb ...

(325–350) *

Codex Sinaiticus The Codex Sinaiticus (; Shelfmark: London, British Library, Add MS 43725), also called the Sinai Bible, is a fourth-century Christian manuscript of a Greek Bible, containing the majority of the Greek Old Testament, including the deuterocanonica ...

(330–360) *

Codex Alexandrinus The Codex Alexandrinus (London, British Library, Royal MS 1. D. V-VIII) is a manuscript of the Greek Bible,The Greek Bible in this context refers to the Bible used by Greek-speaking Christians who lived in Egypt and elsewhere during the early ...

(400–440) *

Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus The Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus (Paris, National Library of France, Greek 9) is a manuscript of the Greek Bible, written on parchment. It is designated by the siglum C or 04 in the Biblical manuscript#Gregory-Aland, Gregory-Aland numbering of New ...

(~450; complete)

Old Testament references

* Romans 9:7 references Genesis 21:12 * Romans 9:9 references Genesis 18:10,14 * Romans 9:12 references Genesis 25:23 * Romans 9:13 references Malachi 1:2,3 * Romans 9:15 references Exodus 33:19 * Romans 9:17 references Exodus 9:16 * references , and

Wisdom Wisdom, also known as sapience, is the ability to apply knowledge, experience, and good judgment to navigate life’s complexities. It is often associated with insight, discernment, and ethics in decision-making. Throughout history, wisdom ha ...

15:7 * Romans 9:25 references Hosea 2:23 * Romans 9:26 references Hosea 1:10 * Romans 9:27 references Isaiah 10:22,23 * Romans 9:29 references Isaiah 1:9 * Romans 9:33 references Isaiah 8:14 and Isaiah 28:16

New Testament references

* references * references

Paul's lament over Israel (verses 1–5)

The remarks in verses 1–5 seem to mirror Exodus 32:30–34, when Moses offered to be "blotted out of the book" for the Israelites, who had "sinned a great sin" for worshiping the

golden calf According to the Torah, the Bible, and the Quran, the golden calf () was a cult image made by the Israelites when Moses went up to Mount Sinai (bible), Mount Sinai. In Hebrew, the incident is known as "the sin of the calf" (). It is first mentio ...

Mount Sinai Mount Sinai, also known as Jabal Musa (), is a mountain on the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt. It is one of several locations claimed to be the Mount Sinai (Bible), biblical Mount Sinai, the place where, according to the sacred scriptures of the thre ...

. This incident may also underline Paul's description of human idolatry and rebellion in Romans 1:18–32 and Paul explicitly contrasting his ministry with that of Moses in 2 Corinthians 3:4–11. Therefore, Paul speaks of the 'Israelites' (verse 4 and more generally in chapters 9–11) instead of the 'Jews'.

Verses 1-2

Craig Hill likens the transition from exultation at the end of

Romans 8 Romans 8 is the eighth chapter of the Epistle to the Romans in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It was authored by Paul the Apostle, while he was in Corinth in the mid-50s AD, with the help of an amanuensis (secretary), Tertius, w ...

- from '' eitherheight nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord'' to ''great sorrow and unceasing anguish'' at the beginning of chapter 9 - to "walking off a precipice ... ntothe shadowy depths".

Verse 3

Alexander Kirkpatrick, in the Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges, associates Paul's willingness to be "cursed and cut off from Christ" for the sake of his brethren with

Moses In Abrahamic religions, Moses was the Hebrews, Hebrew prophet who led the Israelites out of slavery in the The Exodus, Exodus from ancient Egypt, Egypt. He is considered the most important Prophets in Judaism, prophet in Judaism and Samaritani ...

' prayer for the forgiveness of his wayward people ("forgive their sin – but if not, I pray, blot me out of Your book which You have written") and with

King David David (; , "beloved one") was a king of ancient Israel and Judah and the third king of the United Monarchy, according to the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament. The Tel Dan stele, an Aramaic-inscribed stone erected by a king of Aram-Damas ...

's mourning on the death of his son

Absalom Absalom ( , ), according to the Hebrew Bible, was an Israelite prince. Born to David and Maacah, who was from Geshur, he was the only full sibling of Tamar. He is described in the Hebrew Bible as being exceptionally beautiful, as is his siste ...

, "O my son Absalom – my son, my son Absalom – if only I had died in your place! O Absalom my son, my son!".

God's consistency evident in the election of true Israel (verses 6–29)

In asserting "the faithfulness of God", Paul first "clear the way", by defining the true limits of God's promise. "It was not really to all Israel that the promise was given, but only to a particular section of Israel", namely those who were descended from Abraham through

Isaac Isaac ( ; ; ; ; ; ) is one of the three patriarchs (Bible), patriarchs of the Israelites and an important figure in the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and the Baháʼí Faith. Isaac first appears in the Torah, in wh ...

Verse 6

The divine promises to Abraham were fulfilled, even though "only a portion of Abraham's natural descendants" were elected.

Verse 7

Verse 7 cites Genesis 21:12. The failure of Ishmael and Esau to obtain their natural birthright does not hinder the fulfillment of God's promises, because it is through the second born, Isaac and Jacob, the true "children of promise", that God's plan was fulfilled.

Verse 13

Verse 13 cites Malachi 1:2– 3.

Verses 14-24

Verses 14-24 speak about the doctrine of

unconditional election Unconditional election (also called sovereign election or unconditional grace) is a Calvinist doctrine relating to predestination that describes the actions and motives of God prior to his creation of the world, when he predestined some people t ...

, while citing Exodus 9:16.

Verse 27

Verse 27 cites Isaiah 10:22 –23.Note on Romans 9:27–28 in MEV

Verse 28

Verse 28 cites Isaiah 10:22–23.

Israel's failure explained (verses 30–33)

In the passage that continues until Romans 10:21, Paul gives statements on Israel's response and responsibility regarding the proclamation of Christ. After providing a view "from above" in verses 6–29, that is, from the perspective of God's purpose and election of Israel, the subsequent verses provide a view "from below", that is, from the perspective of the Jews, "who had worked diligently to be righteous, have rejected faith in Christ, the only thing able to make them truly righteous", whereas some Gentiles effortlessly believe in Christ.

Verse 33

Verse 33 cites Isaiah 8:14 and Isaiah 28:16;Note on Romans 9:33 in MEV cross reference 1 Peter 2:6 ,8.

References

Bibliography

* *

External links

* King James Bible - Wikisource
English Translation with Parallel Latin Vulgate''Online Bible'' at GospelHall.org
(ESV, KJV, Darby, American Standard Version, Bible in Basic English)
Multiple bible versions at ''Bible Gateway''
(NKJV, NIV, NRSV etc.)
On Romans 9:5
{{Epistle to the Romans 09