Not as though ... - Not as though the promise of God had entirely failed. Though I grieve thus Romans 9:2-3, though I am deeply apprehensive for the nation, yet I do not affirm that all the nation is to be destroyed. The promise of God will not entirely fail.Not all Israel - Not all the descendants of Jacob have the true spirit of Israelites, or are Jews in the scriptural sense of the term; see the note at Romans 2:28-29. read more
Romans 9:6-8. Not as though The original expression, ουχ οιον δε οτι , is rather obscure; but Erasmus supplying, after the Greek scholiast, the words τουτο ου λεγω , seems to have given the sense of it thus; I do not say this, that the word of God hath fallen, namely, to the ground, without effect. The apostle’s meaning is, that nothing he had now said concerning the rejection of the greater part of the Jews, drew any such consequence after it, as that the word of God (that is, his... read more
God chooses according to his will (9:6-29)Paul’s first assertion is that the promise of God has not failed. He reminds his readers of what he said earlier, namely, that people who are Israelites physically are not necessarily Israelites spiritually. In other words, not all who are physically descended from Jacob (Israel) are the true people of God in the spiritual sense (6; cf. 2:28-29; 4:11-12).To illustrate that not all descendants of a chosen person are truly God’s people, Paul refers to the... read more
word. Greek. logos. App-121 . God . App-98 . taken, &c Literally fallen out = failed. Compare 1 Corinthians 13:8 . read more
But it is not as though the word of God hath come to naught. For they are not all Israel that are of Israel.Paul had not yet spoken plainly that Israel, through their rejection of Christ, was at that time itself rejected by God, although that thought dominated his mind. Before saying that unsayable thing, he would move to soften it by showing that what he was about to say did not apply to every Israelite. Paul stressed the fact that not all of Abraham's children were Jews, that some were... read more
Romans 9:6. The word of God— The word of promise. See Rom 9:9 and chap. Romans 3:3. St. Paul urges, that they are not all Israel which are of Israel, as a reason to prove that the promise of God failed not to have its effect, though the body of the Jewish nation had rejected the Lord Jesus Christ, and therefore were naturally rejected by God from being any longer his people. The reasoning stands thus: "The posterity of Jacob, or Israel, were not those alone who were to make that Israel, or that... read more
6. Not as though the word of God had taken none effect—"hath fallen to the ground," that is, failed: compare Luke 16:17, Greek. for they are not all Israel which are of Israel—better, "for not all they which are of Israel are Israel." Here the apostle enters upon the profound subject of ELECTION, the treatment of which extends to the end of the eleventh chapter—"Think not that I mourn over the total loss of Israel; for that would involve the failure of God's word to Abraham; but not all that... read more
The word of God that was in Paul’s mind was evidently God’s revelation of His plans for Israel in the Old Testament. God revealed that He had chosen Israel to be a kingdom of priests (Exodus 19:5-6). The Israelites were to function as priests in the world by bringing the nations to God (cf. Isaiah 42:6). They were to do this by demonstrating through their life in the Holy Land how glorious it can be to live under the government of God. Israel had failed to carry out God’s purpose for her thus... read more
2. God’s election of Israel 9:6-13Paul’s train of thought unfolds as follows in these verses. Because God’s election of Israel did not depend on natural descent (Romans 9:6-10) or human merit (Romans 9:11-14), Israel’s disobedience cannot nullify God’s determined purpose for the nation. read more
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The Pulpit Commentary - Romans 9:6-18
The children of the promise. We have seen St. Paul as a Christian patriot ready to sacrifice his everlasting fellowship with Christ if it could ensure the salvation of his fellow-countrymen. But, alas! the fact of the rejection of Jesus and his gospel by many of the Jews must be accepted. And when the apostle turns to history, he finds that there has been no wholesale salvation of either the descendants of Abraham or of Israel, but a certain proportion only became children of promise. How... read more