Romans 11:7

Romans 11:7 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded
• New International Version (NIV)What then? What the people of Israel sought so earnestly they did not obtain. The elect among them did, but the others were hardened,
• English Standard Version (ESV)What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened,
• New King James Version (NKJV)What then? Israel has not obtained what it seeks; but the elect have obtained it, and the rest were blinded.

Context of Romans 11:7

5It is the same at this time too. There is a small number of Israel's people that God has chosen to trust him. He has chosen them because he is very kind. 6This shows that God has not chosen them because of any good things that they have done. If that was true, we could not say that God was really being kind to them. It would not be his gift. So we can say this: Israel's people did not all find what they were looking for. Only those people that God had chosen received it. But the other people of Israel became unable to understand God's message. 8It says this in the Bible: ‘God caused them to be like people who are sleeping. Even until this day, their eyes cannot really see, and their ears cannot really hear.’ 9King David says this: ‘They enjoy eating lots of good food together. I pray that God will catch them while they are eating! I want those good things to lead them into trouble. I want God to punish them because of what they have done.

Romans 11:7 word by word

τί οὖν; ὃ ἐπιζητεῖ Ἰσραήλ, τοῦτο οὐκ ἐπέτυχεν, ἡ δὲ ἐκλογὴ ἐπέτυχεν· οἱ δὲ λοιποὶ ἐπωρώθησανRead the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• Whatτίςtis · which?G5101
• thenοὖνoun · therefore/thenG3767
• IsraelἸσραήλIsraēl · IsraelG2474
• hathἐπιτυγχάνωepitugchanō · to obtainG2013
• notοὐou · noG3756
• thatοὗτοςhoutos houtoi hautē hautai · this/he/she/itG3778
• whichὅςhos hē ho · whichG3739
• he seeketh forἐπιζητέωepizēteō · to seek afterG1934
• butδέde · thenG1161
• the electionἐκλογήeklogē · selectingG1589
• the restλοιπόςloipoi · remainingG3062
• were blindedπωρόωpōroō · to hardenG4456

Cross-references for Romans 11:7

• Romans 3:9So then, what do we learn from that? We cannot say that we Jews are better than other people. No, certainly we cannot say that! I have said already that sin has power over everyone. That is true for both Jews and Gentiles.
• Romans 6:15Someone might say: ‘So we have a new life because God is kind to us. God's Law that he gave to Moses does not rule us any more. Then maybe we should continue to do wrong things. It will not make any difference.’ No, that is not true!
• 1 Corinthians 10:19So think about food that people offer to idols as a sacrifice. I am not saying that the idols are real gods. The food that people offer to them is not special food.
• Philippians 1:18But it does not matter to me! All of them are telling people about Christ. That is the most important thing. Whether they speak because of wrong reasons or because of right reasons, they are speaking the message about Christ! Because of that, I am happy. Yes, I will continue to be happy.
• Romans 9:31But Israel's people tried to find a law that would make them right with God. But they failed to become right with God.
• Romans 10:3They have not understood the way that God accepts people. Instead, they tried to make their own way to become right with God. They refused to accept God's way that would make them right with him.
• Proverbs 1:28Foolish people will call to me for help, but I will not answer. They will look for me everywhere, but they will not find me.
• Luke 13:24Jesus said to the people there, ‘Do your best to go in through the narrow door. I tell you that many people will want to get in there. But they will not be able to go through it.
• Hebrews 12:17As you know, after that, he still wanted to receive those good things from his father. He wanted his father to ask God to bless him. But his father refused to do that. Esau cried very much when he asked his father to give him those good things. But there was no way that Esau could change what he had done.
• Romans 11:5It is the same at this time too. There is a small number of Israel's people that God has chosen to trust him. He has chosen them because he is very kind.
• Romans 8:28We know that God works to help those people who love him. He uses everything that happens to them to bring something good. He does this for those people that he has chosen to serve him.
• Romans 9:23Other people are like valuable pots that God has chosen to make. God wants to be kind to people like that. He wants to use them to show people how great he is. He has prepared them to be with him for a special party in heaven.
• Ephesians 1:4Before God made the world, he chose us to be his people because of Christ. He chose us so that we would please him. Because we belong to Christ, God accepts us as completely good. This shows how much he loves us.
• 2 Thessalonians 2:13We always thank God for you, our Christian friends that the Lord loves. We ought to thank God, because he has chosen to save you. God chose you to belong to him, as some of the first people that he would save. You believed God's true message. And God's Spirit makes you separate from things that are bad.
• 1 Peter 1:2God, the Father, already decided that you should be his people. God's Spirit has made you special people who would obey Jesus Christ. God chose you so that Jesus Christ's blood would make you really clean. I pray that God will help you and give you peace in your minds more and more.
• Isaiah 6:10Make them refuse to understand. Cause their ears to be deaf and their eyes to be blind. If you do not do that, they might use their eyes to see. They might use their ears to listen. They might use their minds to understand. Then they might turn back to me so that I would make them well again.’

Commentaries on Romans 11:7

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 7What then? - What is the real state of the case before us? Israel - the body of the Jewish people, have not obtained that which they so earnestly desire, i.e. to be continued, as they have been hitherto, the peculiar people of God; but the election hath obtained it - as many of them as have believed in Jesus Christ, and accepted salvation through him: this is the grand scheme of the election by grace; God chooses to make those his peculiar people who…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 7What then? - What is the proper conclusion from this argument? “Israel hath not obtained.” That is, the Jews as a people have not obtained what they sought. They sought the favor of God by their own merit; and as it was impossible to obtain it in that manner, they have, as a people, failed of obtaining his favor at all, and will be rejected. That which he seeketh for - To wit, salvation by their own obedience to the Law. The election hath - The purpose of…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 7-8The others were hardened: Scripture describes this hardening as something God allows or brings about as part of his judgment. God permits people to remain unresponsive when they persist in rejecting his message. See Acts 13:46–48; 18:6.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 7-107-10. What then?--How stands the fact? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for--better, "What Israel is in search of (that is, Justification, or acceptance with God--see on Ro 9:31); this he found not; but the election (the elect remnant of Israel) found it, and the rest were hardened," or judicially given over to the "hardness of their own hearts."Read the comment

Topics related to Romans 11:7

• Predestination
• Reprobacy
• Salvation
• Unbelief

In the dictionaries

• Israel
• Israel, Israelites
• Jacob, Israel
• Cast
• Conclude
• Dark
• Depth
• Election
• Emulation
• Grace

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