Romans 9:3

Romans 9:3 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh:
• New International Version (NIV)For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my people, those of my own race,
• English Standard Version (ESV)For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh.
• New King James Version (NKJV)For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh,

Context of Romans 9:3

1What I am telling you is true. I speak as someone who belongs to Christ. I am not telling lies. God's Holy Spirit rules my thoughts and I am sure that I am right. 2I tell you this: Deep inside myself, I am always very sad and upset because of Israel's people. I belong to the same family as they do. They are my own people. I really want them to believe in Christ too. If it would help them, I would even ask God to curse me. I would ask him to make me separate from Christ. 4They are Israelite people. God chose them to belong to him as his own children. He showed them that he is very great. He made many agreements with them and he gave his Law to them. He showed them how they should worship him. He promised many good things to them. 5It was their ancestors that God chose to make great many years ago. And Christ himself, as a man, was born to an Israelite family. Christ is God, who rules over all things. We should praise him for ever! This is true! Amen.

Romans 9:3 word by word

ηὐχόμην γὰρ ἀνάθεμα εἶναι αὐτὸς ἐγὼ ἀπὸ τοῦ Χριστοῦ ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀδελφῶν μου τῶν συγγενῶν μου κατὰ σάρκα·Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• Forγάρgar · forG1063
• Iἐγώegō · I/weG1473
• could wish thatεὔχομαιeuchomai · to pray/wish forG2172
• myselfαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• wereεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
• accursedἀνάθεμαanathema · devotedG331
• fromἀπόapo · away fromG575
• ChristΧριστόςChristos · ChristG5547
• forὑπέρhuper · above/forG5228
• brethrenἀδελφόςadelphos · brotherG80
• kinsmenσυγγενήςsuggenēs · kindredG4773
• according toκατάkata · according toG2596
• the fleshσάρξsarx · fleshG4561

Cross-references for Romans 9:3

• Exodus 32:32But now I ask you to forgive them for their sin. But if you will not do that, then please remove my name from your book.’
• Deuteronomy 21:23you must not leave it there during the night. Be careful to bury it on the same day that he died. If someone's body is hanging on a tree, it shows that God has cursed him. So do not leave it there. The Lord your God is giving the land to you so that it belongs to you. So do not let evil things spoil your land.
• Joshua 6:17The city and everything that is in it belongs to the Lord, so destroy it all. Only the prostitute Rahab and all the people who are with her in her house will live. This is because she hid the two men that we sent.
• 1 Samuel 14:24The Israelite soldiers became very weak and hungry that day. Saul had told his army to agree to this promise: ‘Nobody may eat any food before this evening. By then I will have won against my enemies. If anyone eats anything before then, may God curse him!’ So no soldier in Saul's army ate any food.
• Galatians 1:8Nobody should ever teach a message that is different from the good news that we taught you. Neither we ourselves, nor even an angel from heaven, should ever teach a different message. If anyone does that, I pray that God would curse him.
• Galatians 3:10But some people try to obey all the rules of God's Law. They think that they will become right with God if they do this very well. But God will speak against people like that and he will punish them. It is written in the Bible: ‘God will punish everyone who does not always obey all the rules in his Law completely.’
• Romans 11:1So I ask this: ‘Has God turned away from his people?’ No, certainly, he has not done that! I myself belong to Israel's people. I am a descendant of Abraham and I belong to Benjamin's tribe.
• Genesis 29:14Then Laban said, ‘Yes, you really are my own relative.’ So Jacob stayed with Laban for a month.
• Esther 8:6I cannot let this evil thing happen to my relatives. I have to do something to stop it.’
• Acts 7:23When Moses was 40 years old, he went to see his own people, the people of Israel.
• Acts 13:26Paul then said, ‘I speak to all you people here. Some of you, like us, have Abraham as your ancestor. Some of you are Gentiles who now worship our God. God has sent this message to all of us. It tells us how he will save us.

Commentaries on Romans 9:3

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ - This and the two preceding verses are thus paraphrased by Dr. Taylor: I am so far from insisting on the doctrine (of the rejection of the Jews) out of any ill-will to my countrymen, that I solemnly declare, in the sincerity of my heart, without the least fiction or dissimulation - and herein I have the testimony of my own conscience, enlightened and directed by the Spirit of God - that I am so far…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3I could wish that I myself were cursed: The Greek word anathema is used in the Greek Old Testament to translate a Hebrew expression that means “set apart for God.” In most cases, it has a negative meaning. It refers to something that is devoted to destruction as an offering to God (see Leviticus 27:28–29; Joshua 6:17–18; 7:1, 11–13; 22:20; 1 Samuel 15:3; 1 Chronicles 2:7). Paul knows that he cannot actually be cut off from Christ. His words express deep…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 33. For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for--"in behalf of" my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh--In proportion as he felt himself severed from his nation, he seems to have realized all the more vividly their natural relationship. To explain away the wish here expressed, as too strong for any Christian to utter or conceive, some have rendered the opening words, "I did wish," referring it to his former unenlightened state; a…Read the comment
• Calvin’s Commentaries · v. 33. For I could wish, etc. He could not have expressed a greater ardour of love than by what he testifies here; for that is surely perfect love which refuses not to die for the salvation of a friend. But there is another word added, anathema, which proves that he speaks not only of temporal but of eternal death; and he explains its meaning when he says, from Christ, for it signifies a separation. And what is to be separated from Christ, but to be excluded…Read the comment

Topics related to Romans 9:3

• Love
• Suffering
• Zeal, Religious

In the dictionaries

• Christ
• Christ, Messiah
• Absalom
• Anathema
• Continual
• Fault
• Resist
• Bible, the
• Countryman
• Election

Commentaries on Romans 9

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• 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
• 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