Skip to content
Scripture Mapping

Romans 9

World English Bible

WEB

1I tell the truth in Christ. I am not lying, my conscience testifying with me in the Holy Spirit 2that I have great sorrow and unceasing pain in my heart. 3For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brothers’ sake, my relatives according to the flesh 4who are Israelites; whose is the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service, and the promises; 5of whom are the fathers, and from whom is Christ as concerning the flesh, who is over all, God, blessed forever. Amen. 6But it is not as though the word of God has come to nothing. For they are not all Israel that are of Israel. 7Neither, because they are Abraham’s offspring, are they all children. But, “your offspring will be accounted as from Isaac.” 8That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as heirs. 9For this is a word of promise: “At the appointed time I will come, and Sarah will have a son.” 10Not only so, but Rebekah also conceived by one, by our father Isaac. 11For 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, 12it was said to her, “The elder will serve the younger.” 13Even as it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” 14What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? May it never be! 15For he said to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” 16So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who has mercy. 17For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I caused you to be raised up, that I might show in you my power, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” 18So then, he has mercy on whom he desires, and he hardens whom he desires. 19You will say then to me, “Why does he still find fault? For who withstands his will?” 20But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed ask him who formed it, “Why did you make me like this?” 21Or hasn’t the potter a right over the clay, from the same lump to make one part a vessel for honor, and another for dishonor? 22What if God, willing to show his wrath and to make his power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, 23and that he might make known the riches of his glory on vessels of mercy, which he prepared beforehand for glory— 24us, whom he also called, not from the Jews only, but also from the Gentiles? 25As he says also in Hosea, “I will call them ‘my people,’ which were not my people; and her ‘beloved,’ who was not beloved.” 26“It will be that in the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ there they will be called ‘children of the living God.’” 27Isaiah cries concerning Israel, “If the number of the children of Israel are as the sand of the sea, it is the remnant who will be saved; 28for he will finish the work and cut it short in righteousness, because the Lord will make a short work upon the earth.” 29As Isaiah has said before, “Unless the Lord of Armies had left us a seed, we would have become like Sodom, and would have been made like Gomorrah.” 30What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, who didn’t follow after righteousness, attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith; 31but Israel, following after a law of righteousness, didn’t arrive at the law of righteousness. 32Why? Because they didn’t seek it by faith, but as it were by works of the law. They stumbled over the stumbling stone, 33even as it is written, “Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and a rock of offense; and no one who believes in him will be disappointed.”

World English Bible, 2020 stable text edition. Public domain; “World English Bible” is a trademark of eBible.org. eBible.org

Overview

Romans Chapter 9 is a profound exploration of God's sovereignty and the mystery of His election. The Apostle Paul begins with a heartfelt expression of sorrow for his fellow Israelites, wishing he could be accursed for their sake. He emphasizes that not all who are descended from #Israel are true Israelites, highlighting that God's promises are not based on physical lineage but on His divine choice. Paul references the patriarchs, stating that God's covenant was established with #Abraham, #Isaac, and #Jacob, and that God's purpose in election stands firm, as seen in the stories of #Esau and #Jacob, where God chose Jacob over Esau before they were born (Romans 9:10-13). This illustrates that God's grace and mercy are not dependent on human effort or desire but on His sovereign will (Romans 9:16).

The chapter continues to address the question of God's justice, as Paul anticipates objections regarding God's fairness in choosing some and not others. He uses the example of #Pharaoh, whom God raised up to demonstrate His power and to proclaim His name throughout the earth (Romans 9:17). Paul asserts that God has the right to show mercy to whom He chooses and to harden whom He wills (Romans 9:18). This leads to a discussion about the potter and the clay, illustrating that God, as the Creator, has authority over His creation to shape it for honorable or dishonorable purposes (Romans 9:21). Ultimately, Paul concludes that God's plan includes both Jews and Gentiles, as He calls a people for Himself from all nations, fulfilling the prophecies of #Hosea and #Isaiah, demonstrating His faithfulness to His word and His desire for all to come to repentance.

Study

13 of 14 dimensions

Referenced by

  1. Genesis 17:21v7Genesis 17:21 specifies that God's covenant will be established with Isaac, a point Paul makes in Romans 9:7 to illustrate God's sovereign choice in the lineage of promise.
  2. Genesis 18:10v9Genesis 18:10 contains the promise of a son to Sarah, which is reiterated in Romans 9:9 as part of God's sovereign plan and promise to Abraham.
  3. Genesis 21:12v7Genesis 21:12 emphasizes that Isaac is the child through whom Abraham's offspring will be reckoned, which Paul cites in Romans 9:7 to discuss the concept of spiritual lineage and God's sovereign choice.
  4. Genesis 25:23v10Genesis 25:23 contains God's prophecy to Rebekah about her twins, Jacob and Esau, stating that the older will serve the younger. Romans 9:10-12 references this prophecy to illustrate God's sovereign choice and purpose in election.
  5. Genesis 27:33v10Genesis 27:33 shows Isaac's realization of God's sovereign choice, which Paul discusses in Romans 9:10-13 to illustrate God's purpose in election.
  6. Exodus 4:21v17Exodus 4:21 speaks of God hardening Pharaoh's heart to display His power. Romans 9:17-18 reflects on this event, illustrating God's sovereignty in using Pharaoh to demonstrate His glory and mercy.
  7. Exodus 7:3v17Exodus 7:3 speaks of God hardening Pharaoh's heart to display His power. Romans 9:17-18 reflects on this event, emphasizing God's sovereignty and purpose in hardening hearts to demonstrate His power and mercy.
  8. Exodus 9:12v17Exodus 9:12 notes that God hardened Pharaoh's heart, which Paul references in Romans 9:17-18 to illustrate God's sovereignty and purpose in raising Pharaoh.
  9. Exodus 9:16v17Exodus 9:16 reveals God's purpose in raising Pharaoh to demonstrate His power, which Paul cites in Romans 9:17 to explain God's sovereign choice.
  10. Exodus 10:1v17Exodus 10:1 shows God hardening Pharaoh's heart to display His power, which Paul references in Romans 9:17 to illustrate God's sovereignty and purpose in raising Pharaoh.
  11. Exodus 11:9v17Exodus 11:9 speaks of Pharaoh's hardened heart, which is referenced in Romans 9:17 to illustrate God's sovereignty and purpose in raising Pharaoh to demonstrate His power.
  12. Exodus 32:30-32v3In Exodus 32:30-32, Moses offers to have his name blotted out for Israel's sake. Paul expresses a similar willingness to be accursed for his brethren in Romans 9:3, highlighting sacrificial love.
  13. Exodus 33:19v15Exodus 33:19 reveals God's sovereign choice to show mercy and compassion. Paul references this in Romans 9:15 to illustrate God's sovereign will in dispensing mercy, underscoring the theme of divine sovereignty.
  14. Job 40:8v20Job 40:8 questions Job's right to discredit God's justice, paralleling Romans 9:20, which addresses the audacity of questioning God's decisions.
  15. Ecclesiastes 9:11v16Ecclesiastes 9:11 observes that success is not always to the swift or strong, which parallels Romans 9:16, emphasizing that it is not human effort but God's mercy that prevails.
  16. Isaiah 10:15v20Isaiah 10:15 uses the imagery of an axe boasting against the one who wields it, illustrating the folly of Assyria's pride. Romans 9:20-21 echoes this theme, emphasizing God's authority over creation, likening it to a potter's right over the clay.
  17. Isaiah 10:20v27Isaiah 10:20 speaks of a remnant of Israel returning to rely on the Lord. Romans 9:27 references this remnant, highlighting God's faithfulness in preserving a faithful group despite widespread judgment.
  18. Isaiah 29:16v20Isaiah 29:16 uses the metaphor of the potter and clay to illustrate God's authority over His creation. Paul echoes this imagery in Romans 9:20-21 to emphasize God's sovereign right to shape and direct human destinies.
  19. Isaiah 45:9v20Isaiah 45:9 uses the imagery of the potter and clay to illustrate God's sovereignty over creation, a metaphor Paul also uses in Romans 9:20-21 to discuss God's authority over humanity.
  20. Hosea 1:10v26Hosea 1:10 promises that the children of Israel will be as numerous as the sand of the sea and will be called 'sons of the living God.' Paul references this promise in Romans 9:26, applying it to the inclusion of the Gentiles in God's people.
  21. Hosea 2:23v25Hosea 2:23 speaks of God sowing Israel in the land and calling them 'My people,' which Paul references in Romans 9:25-26 to illustrate God's inclusion of the Gentiles as His people, showing the expansion of God's mercy.
  22. Malachi 1:2v13Malachi 1:2 expresses God's love for Jacob over Esau, which Paul references in Romans 9:13 to illustrate God's sovereign choice in election.
  23. Galatians 4:28v7Galatians 4:28 speaks of believers as children of promise like Isaac, which is further explained in Romans 9:7-8 where it distinguishes between children of the flesh and children of the promise.

Topics in this chapter

Related chapters

Your study

Take it with you

This chapter’s study as a Markdown file. The analysis was written for a notebook originally, so the hashtags arrive as hashtags and the passages as links.

Download the analysisDownload it with your notes and highlights