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But it is not as though the word of God has come to nothing. For they are not all Israel that are of Israel. Neither, because they are Abraham’s offspring, are they all children. But, “your offspring will be accounted as from Isaac.”Genesis 21:12 That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as heirs. For this is a word of promise, “At the appointed time I will come, and Sarah will have a son.”Genesis 18:10,14 10 Not only so, but Rebekah also conceived by one, by our father Isaac. 11 For being not yet born, neither having done anything good or bad, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him who calls,[a] 12 it was said to her, “The elder will serve the younger.”Genesis 25:23 13 Even as it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”Malachi 1:2-3

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Footnotes

  1. 9:11 NU puts the phrase “not of works, but of him who calls” at the beginning of verse 12 instead of the end of verse 11.

It is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all those descended from Israel are Israelites,(A) and not all of Abraham’s children are his descendants, but “it is through Isaac that descendants shall be named for you.”(B) This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as descendants. For the word of the promise is this: “About this time I will return, and Sarah shall have a son.”(C) 10 Nor is that all; something similar happened to Rebecca when she had conceived children by one husband, our ancestor Isaac:(D) 11 even before they had been born or had done anything good or bad (so that God’s purpose of election might continue, 12 not by works but by his call) she was told, “The elder shall serve the younger.”(E) 13 As it is written,

“I have loved Jacob,
    but I have hated Esau.”(F)

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