Brethren, my heart's desire
The apostle having suggested, that a few of the Jews only should
be called and saved; that the far greater part should be
rejected; that the Israelites who sought for righteousness did
not attain it when the Gentiles did, but stumbled and fell at
Christ, and would be ashamed and confounded; and knowing the
prejudices of that people against him, therefore lest what he had
said, or should say upon this subject, should be thought to arise
from hatred and ill will to them, he judged it proper, as before,
to express his trouble and sorrow on their account; so now his
great love and affection to them, and which he signifies by
calling them "brethren": for not the Roman believers are here
addressed, as if he was telling them how much he loved his own
nation; but either the Jews in general, whom he looked upon and
loved as his brethren, according to the flesh; and whatever they
thought of him, he considered them in such a relation to him,
which obliged him to a concern for their good and welfare; or
rather the believing Jews, that were members of the church at
Rome, whom, besides using the common style of the Jewish nation,
who were wont to call all of their country brethren, he could
speak to, as being such in a spiritual relation, being children
of the same father, partakers of the same grace and privileges,
and heirs of the same glory. Now he declares to these persons,
that the "desire [of his] heart" was towards Israel, he bore a
good will to them, his mind was well disposed and affected
towards them, he had a cordial, sincere, and hearty respect for
them; and so far was he from being their enemy, that he
continually bore them upon his mind at the throne of grace: and
his
prayer to God for Israel [was], that they might be
saved;
not only that they might be saved in a temporal sense, from these
grievous calamities and sore judgments he saw were coming upon
them, which he had reason to believe would issue in the
destruction of them, as a nation and church; but that they might
be spiritually converted, turned from their evil ways, and
brought to believe in Christ, whom they had despised and
rejected, and so be saved in the Lord with an everlasting
salvation: this he might desire not only from a natural affection
for them, but as a minister of the Gospel, who cannot but wish
that all that hear him might be converted and saved; and as a
believer in Christ he might pray for this in submission to the
will of God; and especially as he knew there was a seed, a
remnant according to the election of grace, at that present time
among them, that should be saved, though the larger number of
them were cast off. The Alexandrian copy, and some others, read
"for them", instead of "for Israel"; not naming them, being
easily understood; and so the Vulgate Latin and Syriac versions.