Romans 9:1-29

1 I say truth in Christ Jesus, I lie not, for my conscience beareth witnessing to me in the Holy Ghost, [I say truth in Christ Jesus, I lie not, my conscience bearing witness to me in the Holy Ghost,]

2 for great heaviness is to me, and continual sorrow to my heart.

3 For I myself desired to be separated from Christ for my brethren [Forsooth I myself desired to be cursed, or parted, from Christ for my brethren], that be my cousins after the flesh,

4 that be men of Israel [that be Israelites]; whose is adoption of sons, and glory, and testament, and giving of the law, and service, and promises;

5 whose be the fathers, and of which is Christ after the flesh [+and of whom is Christ after the flesh], that is God above all things, blessed into worlds. Amen.

6 But not that the word of God hath fallen down [Soothly not that the word of God hath fallen down, or failed unfulfilled]. For not all that be of Israel, these be Israelites.

7 Neither they that be [the] seed of Abraham, all be sons; but in Isaac the seed shall be called to thee;

8 that is to say, not they that be sons of the flesh, be sons of God, but they that be sons of [the] promise be deemed in the seed.

9 For why this is the word of promise, After this time I shall come, and a son shall be to Sarah.

10 And not only she, but also Rebecca had two sons of one lying-by of Isaac, our father. [Forsooth not only she, but and Rebecca, of one lying-by, or of one knowing of man, having two sons of Isaac, our father.]

11 And when they were not yet born, neither had done any thing of good either evil [or evil], that the purpose of God should dwell by election [that the purpose of God should dwell after election], not of works, but of God calling,

12 it was said to him, That the more should serve the less, [it is said to her, For the more shall serve to the less,]

13 as it is written, I loved Jacob, but I hated Esau. [as it is written, I loved Jacob, forsooth Esau I had in hate.]

14 What therefore shall we say? Whether wickedness be with God? God forbid [Far be it].

15 For he saith to Moses, I shall have mercy on whom I shall have mercy; and I shall give mercy on whom I shall have mercy.

16 Therefore it is not neither of man willing [Therefore it is not neither of a man willing], neither running, but of God having mercy.

17 And the scripture saith to Pharaoh [Forsooth the scripture saith to Pharaoh], For to this thing I have stirred thee, that I show in thee my virtue, and that my name be told in all [the] earth.

18 Therefore of whom God will, he hath mercy; and whom he will, he endureth [and whom he will, he endureth, or hardeneth].

19 Then sayest thou to me, What is sought yet [What thing is yet sought]? for who withstandeth his will?

20 O! man, who art thou, that answerest to God? Whether a made thing saith to him that made it, What hast thou made me so?

21 Whether a potter of clay hath not power to make of the same gobbet one vessel into honour, another into despite? [Whether a potter of clay hath not power of the same gobbet to make soothly one vessel into honour, another forsooth into despite, or low office?]

22 And if God willing to show his wrath, and to make his power known, hath suffered in great patience vessels of wrath able into death, [That if God willing to show wrath, and to make his power known, sustained in great patience the vessels of wrath able into perdition, or damnation,]

23 to show the riches of his glory [that he should show the riches of his glory] into vessels of mercy, which he made ready into glory.

24 Which also he called [us,] not only of the Jews, but also of heathen men,

25 as he saith in Osee, I shall call not my people my people, and not my loved my loved, and not getting mercy getting mercy [and not having mercy having mercy];

26 and it shall be in the place, where it is said to them, Not ye my people, there they shall be called the sons of living God.

27 But Esaias crieth for Israel [Forsooth Esaias crieth for Israel], If the number of children of Israel shall be as [the] gravel of the sea, the remnants [the reliefs] shall be made safe.

28 Forsooth a word making an end, and abridging in equity, for the Lord shall make a word abridged on all the earth [+for the Lord shall make a word abridged, or made short, upon earth].

29 And as Esaias before-said, But God of hosts had left to us seed, we had been made as Sodom, and we had been like as Gomorrha.

Romans 9:1-29 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO ROMANS 9

The apostle having discoursed of justification and sanctification, and of the privileges of justified and sanctified ones, proceeds to treat of predestination, the source and spring of all the blessings of grace; and to observe how this distinguishing act of God's sovereign will has taken place, both among Jews and Gentiles; in treating of which, he knew he should go contrary to the sense of his countrymen the Jews, who have a notion that all Israel shall have a part in, or inherit the world to come {q}: and that the Gentiles will be for ever miserable; and nothing was more disagreeable to them, than to talk of their rejection of God, and the calling of the Gentiles; wherefore that it might be manifest, that it was not out of pique and ill will to them, that the apostle said the things hereafter related; he expresses the most cordial affection to them imaginable, and which he introduces in Ro 9:1, by way of appeal to Christ, who knew the truth of what he was about to say, and who could, together with the Spirit of God and his own conscience, testify for him that it was no lie: the thing he appeals for the truth of, is in Ro 9:2, that the salvation of the Jews lay near his heart; that it was no pleasure to him to think or speak of their rejection, but was what gave him continual pain and uneasiness: and his great desire for their good is expressed in a very strong and uncommon manner, Ro 9:3, the reasons of it are partly the relation they stood in to him, being his brethren and kinsmen; and partly the many privileges they had been favoured with of God; an enumeration of which is given, Ro 9:4,5, and foreseeing an objection, he prevents it, which might be made, that if the Jews were cast off, the promise of God to that people that he would be their God, would become void, and the preaching the Gospel of Christ to them of no effect; to which he answers by distinguishing between Israel and Israel, or the elect of God among them, and those that were not; wherefore though the latter were rejected according to the purpose of God, the promise and preaching of the word had their effect in the former, Ro 9:6, and that there was such a distinction, he proves from the two sons of Abraham, Isaac and Ishmael, who were both Abraham's seed; yet one was a child of promise, and the other a child of the flesh, and were emblematical of the children of the promise, and the children of the flesh among that people; Ro 9:7-10, and further confirms this by the instance of Jacob and Esau, who were born of the same parents, and were twins; and yet one was in the favour of God, and the other not; and that this was owing not to works, but to the sovereign will of God in election, he proves by observing that this was before good or evil were done by either of them, Ro 9:11, and that this was notified to Rebekah before, Ro 9:12, as appears from a passage in Ge 25:23, and by another passage in Mal 1:2,3, which is cited, Ro 9:13, then an objection is started, Ro 9:14, that if God loves one, and hates another, both being in equal circumstances, as Jacob and Esau were, he must be guilty of unrighteousness; which he answers and removes, first by a detestation of such a charge against God, and then by producing testimonies out of the books of Moses, proving both election and reprobation, as being not of the works of men, but of the will of God; the former of these he proves, Ro 9:15, from Ex 33:19, by which it appears, that the choice of men to salvation is not according to the will of man, but according to the grace and love of God, Ro 9:16, the latter he proves by the case of Pharaoh, Ro 9:17, and the Scripture relating to that, Ex 9:16, and from both testimonies concludes, Ro 9:18, that God's having mercy on one, and hardening another, are according to his sovereign will and pleasure; then another objection rises, up, if so, God has no reason to find fault with men that are hardened in sin, since they are according to his will, and in sinning do but fulfil it, and which no man resists; and this objection is formed in a very pert and sneering manner, and insinuates that God is cruel and acts unreasonably, Ro 9:19, to which he answers, by putting the objector in mind that he was a man, a mere creature that started it, and that it was God against whom it was made; and by observing the folly and madness of replying against God, and the absurdity of such a procedure, taken from the consideration of the one being a creature, and the other the Creator, Ro 9:20, and by instancing in the case of the potter, who has power over his clay, to form it in what shape, and for what use he pleases, Ro 9:21, and accommodates this, both to the affair of election and reprobation, and to the business of the latter first, Ro 9:22, where he observes the end of God in it to show forth his power and wrath, and describes the subjects of it, which clears him from injustice, and points at the patience of God towards them, which frees him from the charge of cruelty, Ro 9:22, and then proceeds to apply the metaphor before used, to the objects of election styled vessels of mercy, and the end of the Lord to manifest the riches of his glory in them, and the method he takes to bring them to eternal happiness, by preparing them for it by grace, Ro 9:23, which is done in the effectual calling, the objects of which are both Jews and Gentiles, Ro 9:24, That it is the will of God that the Gentiles should be called, he proves, Ro 9:25,26, from some passages in Hosea, Ho 2:23, 1:10, and that God had chosen, and so would call some among the Jews, he clearly makes appear, Ro 9:27-29, from some prophecies of Isaiah, Isa 10:22,23, 1:10, and then he concludes the chapter by observing the free and distinguishing grace of God, in the calling of the Gentiles, and the justification of them by the righteousness of Christ; that such who were far off from it, and sought not after it, should enjoy it, Ro 9:30, when the Israelites, who were diligent and zealous in seeking after a righteousness to justify them before God, yet did not arrive to one, Ro 9:31, the reasons of which are given, Ro 9:32, because it was not the righteousness of faith, or the righteousness of Christ received by faith they sought; but a legal one, and by works which can never be attained by sinful men: they sought after a wrong righteousness, and in a wrong way, because they stumbled at Christ, and rejected him and his righteousness; and this removes an objection which is suggested in the two preceding verses, that God is unrighteous in calling the Gentiles, who never sought after righteousness, and in rejecting the Jews that followed after one: and that they did stumble at Christ and his righteousness, is no other than what was foretold in Isa 8:14, and that whoever believes in Christ, whether Jew or Gentile, shall be saved, he suggests is a doctrine agreeably to Isa 28:16, which passages are referred to, Ro 9:33.

{q} Misn. Sanhedrin, c. 11. sect. 1.