Book of Romans · Chapter 11 of 16
36 verses · 11 video commentaries from 7 courses · Berean Standard Bible
1I ask then, did God reject His people? Certainly not! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin.
2God did not reject His people, whom He foreknew. Do you not know what the Scripture says about Elijah, how he appealed to God against Israel:
3“Lord, they have killed Your prophets and torn down Your altars. I am the only one left, and they are seeking my life as well”?
4And what was the divine reply to him? “I have reserved for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.”
5In the same way, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace.
6And if it is by grace, then it is no longer by works. Otherwise, grace would no longer be grace.
7What then? What Israel was seeking, it failed to obtain, but the elect did. The others were hardened,
8as it is written: “God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that could not see, and ears that could not hear, to this very day.”
9And David says: “May their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a retribution to them.
10May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see, and their backs be bent forever.”
11I ask then, did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Certainly not! However, because of their trespass, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel jealous.
12But if their trespass means riches for the world, and their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their fullness bring!
13I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry
14in the hope that I may provoke my own people to jealousy and save some of them.
15For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?
16If the first part of the dough is holy, so is the whole batch; if the root is holy, so are the branches.
17Now if some branches have been broken off, and you, a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others to share in the nourishment of the olive root,
18do not boast over those branches. If you do, remember this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you.
19You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in.”
20That is correct: They were broken off because of unbelief, but you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but be afraid.
21For if God did not spare the natural branches, He will certainly not spare you either.
22Take notice, therefore, of the kindness and severity of God: severity to those who fell, but kindness to you, if you continue in His kindness. Otherwise you also will be cut off.
23And if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again.
24For if you were cut from a wild olive tree, and contrary to nature were grafted into one that is cultivated, how much more readily will these, the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree!
25I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you will not be conceited: A hardening in part has come to Israel, until the full number of the Gentiles has come in.
26And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: “The Deliverer will come from Zion; He will remove godlessness from Jacob.
27And this is My covenant with them when I take away their sins.”
28Regarding the gospel, they are enemies on your account; but regarding election, they are loved on account of the patriarchs.
29For God’s gifts and His call are irrevocable.
30Just as you who formerly disobeyed God have now received mercy through their disobedience,
31so they too have now disobeyed, in order that they too may now receive mercy through the mercy shown to you.
32For God has consigned everyone to disobedience so that He may have mercy on everyone.
33O, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments, and untraceable His ways!
34“Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been His counselor?”
35“Who has first given to God, that God should repay him?”
36For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever! Amen.
Rom 11:13-24
Paul's interpretation of the Hebrew Bible, as a Pharisee, led him to advocate for the inclusion of Gentiles into the Jesus movement. Without his letters, Christianity might have remained a Jewish offshoot, deeply steeped in Jewish tradition, rather than becoming a distinct religion with a broader base.
Summarized by AI · Bart D. Ehrman · YouTube · Would There Be Christianity Without Paul? · watch the clip
Rom 11:1
Paul's letters provide direct biographical details, such as his identity as a Pharisee from the tribe of Benjamin, who excelled in his Jewish studies. These details offer a foundational understanding of his background, which can be corroborated or contrasted with later accounts like those in the book of Acts.
Summarized by AI · Bart D. Ehrman · YouTube · Historical Paul: What Scholars Actually Know About Paul's Life, Beliefs, and Personality · watch the clip
Rom 11:25-27
In Romans 11, Paul quotes Isaiah 59:20-21, stating, 'Out of Zion will come the deliverer; he will banish ungodliness from Jacob.' This differs from the Old Testament text, which says the redeemer will 'come to Zion.' Paul's alteration emphasizes that the deliverer, Jesus, is Jewish, originating from among the people of Zion, and will bring a true end to exile for both Jews and Gentiles.
Summarized by AI · Jesus and the Old Testament · Lecture 3: Angle 1 | New Testament Authors Explicitly Citing the Old Testament · watch the clip
Rom 11:25-26
Paul explains Israel's widespread insensibility to the gospel as a deliberate act of God, a 'mystery,' to allow the mission to the Gentiles to proceed. Once the 'fullness of the nations' is brought in, God will cease this hardening, and 'all Israel will be saved,' implying a future reconstitution and redemption of Israel.
Summarized by AI · Ancient Christianities: The First Five Hundred Years · Lecture 4: Beginnings | Paul, the Pagan's Apostle · watch the clip
Augustine grappled with the theological problem of God's justice in punishing Israel for their unbelief, especially if their hardening was prophesied and ultimately willed by God. He concluded that Israel's continued obduracy must be due to 'secret sins' known only to God, thus preserving God's moral character.
Summarized by AI · Ancient Christianities: The First Five Hundred Years · Lecture 18: Augustine, The City of God | Israel and Empire · watch the clip
Paul believed that if Jesus was God's Messiah and the end was near, then all of God's people, including both Jews and scattered Gentiles, must be brought into the fold of the Jesus movement. This conviction fueled his mission as the 'apostle to the Gentiles,' aiming to convert a broad audience to the Jewish God.
Summarized by AI · Must Women Keep Silent? Paul's Real Views on Gender, Desire, and Women · Lecture 1: The Apostle Paul in History and Legend | Apostle to the Gentiles · watch the clip
Paul anticipates that the veil over Jewish eyes will eventually be lifted. He believes that once the message of salvation has spread throughout the Gentile world, 'all Israel will be saved.' The unbelief of the Jews was a mechanism for the gospel to reach the Gentiles, and ultimately, Jews will also accept Jesus.
Summarized by AI · Bart D. Ehrman · YouTube · Does Paul Think God Hates Jews? · watch the clip
Rom 11:25
Paul explains that God has 'blinded' or put a 'veil over the eyes' of most Jews so they do not recognize Jesus as the Messiah. This is part of God's mysterious plan to bring salvation to the entire world, not just the Jewish people. Their temporary blindness allows the message to go to the Gentiles.
Summarized by AI · Bart D. Ehrman · YouTube · Does Paul Think God Hates Jews? · watch the clip
Rom 11:26
Paul's most severe criticisms were directed at other apostles, not at Jews in general. He explicitly states in Romans that 'all Israel will be saved' and that God's gifts and calling are irrevocable, indicating that he did not condemn non-Christian Jews to perpetual damnation, a concept that emerged later in Christian thought.
Summarized by AI · Against the Jews: How Christianity Became Anti-Jewish · Against the Jews: How Christianity Became Anti-Jewish · watch the clip
In Romans 11:26, Paul quotes Isaiah 59:20, but he changes the preposition from 'to Zion' to 'out of Zion.' Isaiah states the redeemer will 'come to Zion,' referring to God's deliverance of Jerusalem from Babylonian captivity. Paul's alteration, 'out of Zion will come the redeemer,' reorients the passage to refer to Jesus, who comes from the Jewish people (Zion) to redeem the world through his death and resurrection.
Summarized by AI · The History of Biblical Interpretation · The History of Biblical Interpretation · watch the clip
Rom 11:29
Paul's most severe criticisms were directed at other apostles, not at Jews in general. He explicitly states in Romans that 'all Israel will be saved' and that God's gifts and calling are irrevocable, indicating that he did not condemn non-Christian Jews to perpetual damnation, a concept that emerged later in Christian thought.
Summarized by AI · Against the Jews: How Christianity Became Anti-Jewish · Against the Jews: How Christianity Became Anti-Jewish · watch the clip
Rom 11:32
Despite common interpretations, some of Paul's writings contain suggestions of universal salvation. He states that just as condemnation came to all through Adam, righteousness leading to life comes to all through Christ. He also suggests God imprisoned all in disobedience to show mercy to all, and that ultimately, every knee will bow to Jesus and God will be 'all in all'.
Summarized by AI · What the Hell? Jesus' Teachings on the Afterlife · Lecture 2: Who Invented Hell? · watch the clip