Israel’s Rejection Not Total

11 I say then, (A)has God cast away His people? (B)Certainly not! For (C)I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not cast away His people whom (D)He foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel, saying, (E)Lord, they have killed Your prophets and torn down Your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life”? But what does the divine response say to him? (F)“I have reserved for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” (G)Even so then, at this present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace. And (H)if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. [a]But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work.

What then? (I)Israel has not obtained what it seeks; but the elect have obtained it, and the rest were (J)blinded. Just as it is written:

(K)“God has given them a spirit of stupor,
(L)Eyes that they should not see
And ears that they should not hear,
To this very day.”

And David says:

(M)“Let their table become a snare and a trap,
A stumbling block and a recompense to them.
10 Let their eyes be darkened, so that they do not see,
And bow down their back always.”

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Footnotes

  1. Romans 11:6 NU omits the rest of v. 6.

A Remnant of Israel Remains

11 Therefore I say, God has not rejected his people, has he?[a] May it never be! For I also am an Israelite, from the descendants of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not rejected his people, whom he foreknew! Or do you not know, in the passage about[b] Elijah, what the scripture says—how he appeals to God against Israel? “Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have torn down your altars, and I alone am left, and they are seeking my life!”[c] But what does the divine response say to him? “I have left for myself seven thousand people[d] who have not bent the knee to Baal.”[e] So in this way also at the present time, there is a remnant selected by grace[f]. But if by grace, it is no longer by works, for otherwise grace would no longer be grace.

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

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[h].”[i]

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Footnotes

  1. Romans 11:1 *The negative construction in Greek anticipates a negative answer here
  2. Romans 11:2 The words “the passage about” are not in the Greek text, but are supplied for clarity
  3. Romans 11:3 A quotation from 1 Kgs 19:10, 14
  4. Romans 11:4 Or perhaps “males,” referring to men only
  5. Romans 11:4 A quotation from 1 Kgs 19:18
  6. Romans 11:5 Literally “according to selection of grace”
  7. Romans 11:8 A quotation from Deut 29:4; Isa 29:10
  8. Romans 11:10 Literally “throughout everything”
  9. Romans 11:10 A quotation from Ps 69:22–23