Romans 9:1-26 NIV

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Romans 9:2

That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart. This is the thing he appeals to Christ for the truth of, and calls in his conscience and the Holy Ghost to bear witness to. These two words, "heaviness" and "sorrow", the one signifies grief, which had brought on heaviness on his spirits; and the other such pain as a woman in travail feels: and the trouble of his mind expressed by both, is described by its quantity, "great", it was not a little, but much; by its quality it was... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Romans 9:3

For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ ,.... Some consider this as the reason of the apostle's great heaviness, and continual sorrow of heart, because he had made such a wish as this, and read the words, "for I have wished", or "did wish"; that is, in my unregenerate state, whilst I was a persecutor of Christ, and a blasphemer of his name, I wished to be for ever separated from him, and to have nothing to do with him; for then I thought I ought to do many things contrary to... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Romans 9:4

Who are Israelites ,.... Which were their national name, as descended from Jacob, whose name was Israel; and it was accounted a very honourable one; see Philemon 3:5 ; and the very name they bore gave the apostle some concern that they should be cut off; and then he proceeds to enumerate the several distinguishing favours and privileges they had been partakers of: to whom pertaineth the adoption ; not that special adoption, which springs from eternal predestination, is a blessing of... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Romans 9:5

Whose are the fathers ,.... Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; for, according to the F1 T. Bab. Beracot, fol. 16. 2. & Gloss. in ib. Jewish writers, "they call none in Israel אבות , "fathers", but three, and they are Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and they call none "mothers" but four, and they are, Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, and Leah:' their descent from these fathers was a privilege, though they valued themselves too highly upon it; but what was the crown and glory of all, and which they... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Romans 9:6

Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect ,.... Or "it is not possible indeed that the word of God should fall"; see 1 Samuel 3:10 ; This the apostle says, partly to relieve his own mind pressed with sorrow, and partly to obviate an objection some might make, or prevent any mistake any might be ready to go into; as though from what he suggested that what God had said concerning the people of the Jews, was made void and without effect: for whether by the "word of God" are meant,... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Romans 9:7

Neither because they are the seed of Abraham ,.... The Jews highly valued themselves, upon being the natural seed of Abraham; and fancied, upon this account, that they were children, which the apostle here denies: neither are they all children ; as in the former verse, he explains in what sense they were Israelites, which he had mentioned among their high characters and privileges, as descending from Jacob, and in what sense they were not; so in this he shows in what manner the... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Romans 9:8

That is, they which are the children of the flesh ,.... This is an explanation of the foregoing verse, and shows, that by "the seed of" Abraham are meant, the natural seed of Abraham, who are born after the flesh, or descend from him by carnal generation: these are not the children of God ; that is, not all of them, nor any of them, on account of their being children of the flesh, or Abraham's natural seed; for adoption does not come this way; men do not commence children of God by their... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Romans 9:9

For this is the word of promise ,.... The following passage is the Scripture, which contains the promise concerning the birth of Isaac; which was the produce, not of nature, but of divine grace and power; and was typical of the regeneration of God's elect, who "as Isaac was, are the children of promise", Galatians 4:28 , for as Ishmael was a type of them that are born after the flesh, and are carnal men, so Isaac was a type of those, who are born after the Spirit, and are spiritual men:... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Romans 9:10

And not only this ,.... This instance of Ishmael and Isaac, is not the only one, proving that Abraham's natural seed, the children of the flesh, are not all children, the children of God: but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac , "it was said unto her", Romans 9:12 , being in a parenthesis, "the elder shall serve the younger". The apostle was aware, that the Jews would be ready to say, that the instance of Ishmael and Isaac was not a pertinent one; since... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Romans 9:11

For the children being not yet born , So says F8 Targum in Hos. xii. 3. the Chaldee paraphrast, "the prophet said unto them, was it not said of Jacob, עד דלא אתיליד , "when he was not yet born", that he should be greater than his brother?' the Syriac version supplies, "his children", that is, Isaac's; and the Arabic version, "his two children". This shows, that the apostle designs not the posterity, but the very persons of Jacob and Esau; since as he speaks of their... read more

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Romans 9:2

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Romans 9:3

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Romans 9:4

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Romans 9:5

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Romans 9:6

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Romans 9:7

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Romans 9:8

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Romans 9:9

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Romans 9:10

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Romans 9:11

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