Romans 11:18

Romans 11:18 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee.
• New International Version (NIV)do not consider yourself to be superior to those other branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you.
• English Standard Version (ESV)do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you.
• New King James Version (NKJV)do not boast against the branches. But if you do boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you.

Context of Romans 11:18

16If you offer the first piece of bread to God, then all the bread will belong to God. If the roots of a tree belong to God, then the branches will also be his. 17Israel's people are like an olive tree that a farmer has planted. But God has broken off some of that tree's branches. Then he has taken a branch from a wild olive tree. He has put that wild branch into the farmer's tree, to become part of that tree. You Gentiles are like the wild branch. Now you receive food from the root of the farmer's tree, to make you strong. Israel's people are like the branches that God broke off. But you must not think that you are better than those branches. Remember that you are still only a branch. You do not make the root strong. No, it is the root that holds you up and makes you strong. 19You might say, ‘God broke off the branches so that I could become part of the tree.’ 20That is true. God broke them off because they did not believe in Christ. God has accepted you as part of the tree because you do believe in Christ. So do not become proud. Instead, be afraid.

Romans 11:18 word by word

μὴ κατακαυχῶ τῶν κλάδων· εἰ δὲ κατακαυχᾶσαι, οὐ σὺ τὴν ῥίζαν βαστάζεις ἀλλ᾽ ἡ ῥίζα σέ.Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Boastκατακαυχάομαιkatakauchaomai · to boastG2620
• notμήmē · notG3361
• against the branchesὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• against the branchesκλάδοςklados · branchG2798
• Butδέde · thenG1161
• ifεἰei · ifG1487
• thouσύsu · youG4771
• bearestβαστάζωbastazō · to carryG941
• notοὐou · noG3756
• the rootῥίζαrhiza · rootG4491
• butἀλλάalla · butG235

Cross-references for Romans 11:18

• Romans 11:20That is true. God broke them off because they did not believe in Christ. God has accepted you as part of the tree because you do believe in Christ. So do not become proud. Instead, be afraid.
• Romans 3:27So then, nobody should be proud that they are good enough. Nobody becomes right with God because they have done good things. No! God accepts a person only if that person believes in Jesus Christ.
• 1 Kings 20:11The king of Israel replied, ‘Tell King Ben-Hadad, “Do not boast when you are preparing for a battle. Wait until the battle has finished and you know that you have won.” ’
• Proverbs 16:18If you are proud, you will soon come to an end. Anyone who boasts will soon fall down.
• Matthew 26:33Peter said to Jesus, ‘Even if everyone else runs away, I will not leave you.’
• Luke 18:9Jesus told a story to teach other people. These people thought that they were very good in front of God. They thought that they were much better than other people.
• 1 Corinthians 10:12If you think that you are standing strongly, be careful! Do not fall down!
• Romans 4:16So God gives us his promise as a gift, because he is very kind. We receive it when we trust him. If we believe in God like Abraham did, then God accepts us. That is God's promise to all of Abraham's family. If we believe in God, we can call Abraham our ancestor. We can all receive what God has promised. It is not only for those who have Moses' Law to obey.
• Zechariah 8:20‘People that live in many countries will come to Jerusalem,’ says the Lord Almighty.
• John 10:16I also have other sheep, and I must bring them too. They do not belong to this group of sheep. But they also will listen to my voice. So all the sheep will become one group, and they will have one shepherd.
• Galatians 3:29And if you belong to Christ, then you are descendants of Abraham. Because of that, you will receive all the good things that God promised to Abraham.
• Ephesians 2:19So now, you Gentiles are not strangers among God's people any more. You belong to the group of God's people that he rules. You belong to God's family, as all God's people do.

Commentaries on Romans 11:18

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 18Boast not against the branches - While you are ready to acknowledge that you were included in the covenant made with Abraham, and are now partakers of the same blessings with him, do not exult over, much less insult, the branches, his present descendants, whose place you now fill up, according to the election of grace: for remember, ye are not the root, nor do ye bear the root, but the root bears you. You have not been the means of deriving any blessing…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 18Boast not … - The tendency of people is to triumph over one that is fallen and rejected. The danger of pride and boasting on account of privileges is not less in the church than elsewhere. Paul saw that some of the Gentiles might be in danger of exultation over the fallen Jews, and therefore cautions them against it. The ingrafted shoot, deriving all its vigor and fruitfulness from the stock of another tree, ought not to boast against the branches. But if…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 11-21Verses 11-21 The gospel is the greatest riches of every place where it is. As therefore the righteous rejection of the unbelieving Jews, was the occasion of so large a multitude of the Gentiles being reconciled to God, and at peace with him; the future receiving of the Jews into the church would be such a change, as would resemble a general resurrection of the dead in sin to a life of righteousness. Abraham was as the root of the church. The Jews…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 18You do not support the root, but the root supports you: When Paul wrote to the church in Rome, most of its members were not Jewish. This was common in many early Christian communities. Because Gentiles had become the majority, some began to boast about their place in God’s people. Some also looked down on Jews and on Israel’s religious heritage. Paul corrects this attitude. He reminds Gentile believers that they share in God’s blessings only because they…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 17-1817-18. And if--rather, "But if"; that is, "If notwithstanding this consecration of Abraham's race to God. some of the branches--The mass of the unbelieving and rejected Israelites are here called "some," not, as before, to meet Jewish prejudice (see on Ro 3:3, and on "not all" in Ro 10:16), but with the opposite view of checking Gentile pride. and thou, being a wild olive, wert--"wast" grafted in among them--Though it is more usual to graft the superior…Read the comment

Topics related to Romans 11:18

• Boasting
• Gentiles
• Grafting
• Humility
• Olive
• Pride
• Reprobacy
• Salvation

In the dictionaries

• Cast
• Church
• Conclude
• Dark
• Depth
• Election
• Emulation
• Grace
• Graft
• Judgment

Commentaries on Romans 11

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• The People’s New Testament
• Robertson’s Word Pictures
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings