So then faith comes by hearing
That is, by preaching; for the word hearing is used in the same
sense as in the preceding verse; and designs the report of the
Gospel, or the preaching of the word, which is the means God
makes use of, to convey faith into the hearts of his people; for
preachers are ministers, or instruments, by whom others believe:
and hearing by the word of God;
or "of Christ", as some copies read, and so do the Vulgate Latin
and Ethiopic versions; and intends either the holy Scriptures,
which have God for their author, and Christ for the subject of
them; and which furnish the men of God, or ministers of the
Gospel, with proper materials to preach; and so hearing or
preaching is by them, or else the command of God or Christ, which
(rhma) more properly
signifies; and the sense is, that men preach the Gospel in
obedience to the commandment of the everlasting God, and
according to the orders, mission, and commission, warrant and
authority, of the Lord Jesus Christ: and so these words are the
conclusion, and sum of the whole; that as invocation is owing to
faith, so faith to hearing, hearing to preaching, preaching to a
mission; whence it follows, that it is the original will of God,
to send forth his apostles and ministers, to preach the Gospel to
the Gentiles, as well as to the Jews; that they hearing might
believe, and believing call upon the Lord, and so be saved by
him: it is a saying of the Jews, (aylt rwbdb heymv) , "hearing depends upon the word"
F5.