Romans 9:8

Romans 9:8 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.
• New International Version (NIV)In other words, it is not the children by physical descent who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring.
• English Standard Version (ESV)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 offspring.
• New King James Version (NKJV)That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted as the seed.

Context of Romans 9:8

6God promised good things to Israel's people. But I am not saying that what God promised did not happen. It is clear that not all of Israel's people are God's true people. 7Not all of them are true descendants of Abraham. God told Abraham, ‘It is only Isaac that I will call the father of your descendants.’ This means that not all of Abraham's children are really God's children. It is only those children who were born as a result of God's promise. Only they are the people that God calls true descendants. 9This is what God promised to Abraham: ‘At this time next year I will come back. Then Sarah, your wife, will have a son.’ 10Remember this too: Later, Isaac's wife, Rebekah, gave birth to twins. Those two sons had the same father, who was our ancestor, Isaac.

Romans 9:8 word by word

τοῦτ᾽ ἔστιν, οὐ τὰ τέκνα τῆς σαρκὸς ταῦτα τέκνα τοῦ θεοῦ, ἀλλὰ τὰ τέκνα τῆς ἐπαγγελίας λογίζεται εἰς σπέρμα.Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Thatοὗτοςhoutos houtoi hautē hautai · this/he/she/itG3778
• isεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
• They which are the childrenὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• They which are the childrenτέκνονteknon · childG5043
• of the fleshσάρξsarx · fleshG4561
• notοὐou · noG3756
• of Godθεόςtheos · GodG2316
• butἀλλάalla · butG235
• of the promiseἐπαγγελίαepaggelia · promiseG1860
• are countedλογίζομαιlogizomai · to countG3049
• forεἰςeis · towardG1519
• the seedσπέρμαsperma · seed: offspringG4690

Cross-references for Romans 9:8

• Romans 4:11Some time after that, God told Abraham that someone should circumcise him. That would be a mark on his body to show that God had accepted him. God had already accepted Abraham because Abraham believed in him. God did not accept Abraham because they had circumcised him as a Jewish man. This shows that Abraham is like a father to everyone that God has accepted. Like Abraham, God has accepted them because they have believed in him. It is not important that nobody has circumcised them.
• Galatians 4:22The Bible says that Abraham had two sons. The mother of one of them was a slave. The mother of the other son was a free woman.
• Genesis 31:15He now thinks of us like foreigners. You worked hard for him so that we could become your wives. He has cheated us as well as you!
• Psalms 22:30Our children will also serve God. And they will tell their children about our Lord.
• Psalms 87:6The Lord will write a list of all their names. For the people from different nations, he will say, ‘This person was born in Zion.’ Selah.
• John 1:13They did not become God's children in the usual human way. They were not born because some people wanted to have children. They were not born because of what any man decided. No! They were born from God.
• Galatians 3:26All of you are God's children because you believe in Christ Jesus.
• Galatians 4:28You, my Christian friends, are like Sarah's son, Isaac. Like him, you became God's children as a result of God's promise.
• 1 John 3:1Think about how much God the Father loves us. He calls us his children! God loves us so much that we really have become his children. The people who belong to this world do not understand who God is. Because of that, they do not understand who we are.

Commentaries on Romans 9:8

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 8That is, They which are the children of the flesh - Whence it appears that not the children who descend from Abraham's loins, nor those who were circumcised as he was, nor even those whom he might expect and desire, are therefore the Church and people of God; but those who are made children by the good pleasure and promise of God, as Isaac was, are alone to be accounted for the seed with whom the covenant was established.Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 6-13Verses 6-13 The rejection of the Jews by the gospel dispensation, did not break God's promise to the patriarchs. The promises and threatenings shall be fulfilled. Grace does not run in the blood; nor are saving benefits always found with outward church privileges. Not only some of Abraham's seed were chosen, and others not, but God therein wrought according to the counsel of his own will. God foresaw both Esau and Jacob as born in sin, by nature children…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-33n this section, Paul addresses a serious question. Many Jews did not believe in Jesus. If God had promised salvation to Israel, how could Jesus truly fulfill God’s plan when so few Jews believed (9:1–5)? In response, Paul uses the Old Testament to show that God always planned to save only a remnant, that is, a smaller group within Israel (9:6–29). Paul also explains that many Jews did not accept Christ because they refused to trust in him (9:30–10:21)…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 7-97-9. Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children--"Not in the line of mere fleshly descent from Abraham does the election run; else Ishmael, Hagar's child, and even Keturah's children, would be included, which they were not." but--the true election are such of Abraham's seed as God unconditionally chooses, as exemplified in that promise. in Isaac shall thy seed be called--(Ge 21:12).Read the comment
• Calvin’s Commentaries · v. 88. That is, They are not, etc. He now gathers from God’s answer a proposition, which includes the whole of what he had in view. For if Isaac, and not Ishmael, was the seed, though the one as well as the other was Abraham’s son, it must be that all natural sons are not to be regarded as the seed, but that the promise is specially fulfilled only in some, and that it does not belong commonly and equally to all. He calls those the children of the flesh, who…Read the comment

Topics related to Romans 9:8

• Adoption
• Circumcision
• Covenant
• Predestination
• Righteous
• Wicked (People)

In the dictionaries

• God
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Children of God
• Continual
• Fault
• Resist
• Bible, the
• Election
• Flesh
• Heredity

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