A Remnant of Israel Remains

¹ Therefore I say, God has not rejected his people, has he?¹ May it never be! For I also am an Israelite, from the descendants of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.

1. *The negative construction in Greek anticipates a negative answer here

² God has not rejected his people, whom he foreknew! Or do you not know, in the passage about¹ Elijah, what the scripture says—how he appeals to God against Israel?

1. *The words “the passage about” are not in the Greek text, but are supplied for clarity

³ “Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have torn down your altars, and I alone am left, and they are seeking my life!”¹

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

⁴ But what does the divine response say to him? “I have left for myself seven thousand people¹ who have not bent the knee to Baal.”²

1. Or perhaps “males,” referring to men only
2. A quotation from 1 Kgs 19:18

⁵ So in this way also at the present time, there is a remnant ⌞selected by grace⌟¹.

1. Literally “according to selection of grace”

⁶ But if by grace, it is no longer by works, for otherwise grace would no longer be grace.

⁷ What then? What Israel was searching for, this it did not obtain. But the elect obtained it, and the rest were hardened,

⁸ just as it is written, “God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that do not see and ears that do not hear, until this very day.”¹

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

⁹ And David says, “Let their table become a snare and a trap, and a cause for stumbling and a retribution to them;

¹⁰ let their eyes be darkened so that they do not see, and cause their backs to bend ⌞continually⌟¹.”²

1. Literally “throughout everything”
2. A quotation from Ps 69:22–23

¹¹ I say then, they did not stumble so that they fell, did they?¹ May it never be! But by their trespass, salvation has come to the Gentiles, in order to provoke them to jealousy.²

1. *The negative construction in Greek anticipates a negative answer here
2. *The words “to jealousy” are not in the Greek text, but are supplied for clarity

¹² And if their trespass means riches for the world and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their fullness mean?

Gentile Branches Grafted in

¹³ Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Therefore, inasmuch as I am apostle to the Gentiles, I promote my ministry,

¹⁴ if somehow I may provoke my people to jealousy and save some of them.

¹⁵ For if their rejection means the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance mean except life from the dead?

¹⁶ Now if the first fruits are holy, so also is the whole batch of dough, and if the root is holy, so also are the branches.

¹⁷ Now if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although you¹ were a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them and became a sharer of the root of the olive tree’s richness,

1. *Here “although” is supplied as a component of the participle (“were”) which is understood as concessive

¹⁸ do not boast against the branches. But if you boast against them, you do not support the root, but the root supports you.

¹⁹ Then you will say, “Branches were broken off in order that I could be grafted in.”

²⁰ Well said! They were broken off because of unbelief, but you stand firm because of faith. Do not think arrogant thoughts, but be afraid.

²¹ For if God did not spare the ⌞natural⌟¹ branches, neither will he spare you.²

1. Literally “according to nature”
2. Some manuscripts have “perhaps he will not spare you either”

²² See, then, the kindness and severity of God: severity upon those who have fallen, but upon you the kindness of God—if you continue in his kindness, for otherwise you also will be cut off.

²³ And those also, if they do not persist in unbelief, will be grafted in, because God is able to graft them in again.

²⁴ For if you were cut off from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and contrary to nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these who are ⌞natural branches⌟¹ be grafted into their own olive tree?

1. Literally “by nature”

All Israel to be Saved

²⁵ For I do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, of this mystery, so that you will not be wise ⌞in your own sight⌟,¹ that a partial hardening has happened to Israel, until the full number of the Gentiles has come in,

1. Literally “in yourselves”

²⁶ and so all Israel will be saved, just as it is written, “The deliverer will come out of Zion; he will turn away ungodliness from Jacob.

²⁷ And this is the covenant from me with them¹ when I take away their sins.”²

1. A quotation from Isa 59:20–21
2. A quotation from Isa 27:9; Jer 31:33–34

²⁸ With respect to the gospel, they are enemies for your sake, but with respect to election, they are dearly loved for the sake of the fathers.

²⁹ For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.

³⁰ For just as you formerly were disobedient to God, but now have been shown mercy because of the disobedience of these,

³¹ so also these have now been disobedient for your mercy, in order that they also may now be shown mercy.

³² For God confined them all in disobedience, in order that he could have mercy on them all.

³³ Oh, the depth of the riches and the wisdom and the knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how incomprehensible are his ways!

³⁴ “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?¹

1. A quotation from Isa 40:13

³⁵ Or who has given in advance to him, and it will be paid back to him?”¹

1. A quotation from Job 41:11

³⁶ For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory for eternity! Amen.