God’s Word Translation
Romans 11:1
1So I ask, “Has God rejected his people Israel?” That’s unthinkable! Consider this. I’m an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham from the tribe of Benjamin.
Romans 11:1 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.
- New International Version (NIV)I ask then: Did God reject his people? By no means! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin.
- English Standard Version (ESV)I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! For I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin.
- New King James Version (NKJV)I say then, has God cast away His people? Certainly not! For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.
Context of Romans 11:1
So I ask, “Has God rejected his people Israel?” That’s unthinkable! Consider this. I’m an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham from the tribe of Benjamin. 2God has not rejected his people whom he knew long ago. Don’t you know what Elijah says in the Scripture passage when he complains to God about Israel? He says, 3“Lord, they’ve killed your prophets and torn down your altars. I’m the only one left, and they’re trying to take my life.”
Read all of Romans 11Romans 11:1 word by word
Λέγω οὖν· μὴ ἀπώσατο ὁ θεὸς τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ; μὴ γένοιτο. καὶ γὰρ ἐγὼ Ἰσραηλίτης εἰμί, ἐκ σπέρματος Ἀβραάμ, φυλῆς Βενιαμίν.Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- I sayλέγωlegō · to sayG3004
- thenοὖνoun · therefore/thenG3767
- ·μήmē · notG3361
- Hathἀπωθέωapōtheomai apōthomai · to rejectG683
- Godὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- Godθεόςtheos · GodG2316
- hisαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
- peopleλαόςlaos · a peopleG2992
- God forbidγίνομαιginomai · to beG1096
- Forγάρgar · forG1063
- Iἐγώegō · I/weG1473
- alsoκαίkai · andG2532
- amεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
- an IsraeliteἸσραηλίτηςIsraēlitēs · IsraeliteG2475
- ofἐκek ex · out fromG1537
- the seedσπέρμαsperma · seed: offspringG4690
- of AbrahamἈβραάμAbraam · AbrahamG11
- the tribeφυλήphulē · tribeG5443
- of BenjaminΒενιαμίνBeniamin · BenjaminG958
Cross-references for Romans 11:1
- 1 Samuel 12:22For the sake of his great name, the Lord will not abandon his people, because the Lord wants to make you his people.
- 2 Kings 23:27The Lord had said, “I will put Judah out of my sight as I put Israel out of my sight. I will reject Jerusalem, the city that I chose, and I will reject the temple where I said my name would be.”
- Psalms 77:7Will the Lord reject ⌞me⌟ for all time? Will he ever accept me?
- Psalms 89:31if they violate my laws and do not obey my commandments,
- Psalms 94:14The Lord will never desert his people or abandon those who belong to him.
- Jeremiah 31:36Only if these laws stop working, declares the Lord, will Israel’s descendants stop being a nation in my presence.
- Jeremiah 33:24“Haven’t you noticed what these people have said? They have said that the Lord has rejected the two families he has chosen. They despise my people, and they no longer consider them a nation.
- Hosea 9:17My God will reject them because they refused to listen to him. They will wander among the nations.
- Amos 9:8I, the Almighty Lord, have my eyes on this sinful kingdom. I will wipe it off the face of the earth. But I won’t totally destroy the descendants of Jacob, declares the Lord.
- Romans 3:4That would be unthinkable! God is honest, and everyone else is a liar, as Scripture says, “So you hand down justice when you speak, and you win your case in court.”
- Romans 9:3I wish I could be condemned and cut off from Christ for the sake of others who, like me, are Jewish by birth.
- Acts 22:3“I’m a Jew. I was born and raised in the city of Tarsus in Cilicia and received my education from Gamaliel here in Jerusalem. My education was in the strict laws handed down by our ancestors. I was as devoted to God as all of you are today.
- Acts 26:4“All the Jews know how I lived the earliest days of my youth with my own people and in Jerusalem.
- 2 Corinthians 11:22Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they Abraham’s descendants? So am I.
- Philippians 3:5I was circumcised on the eighth day. I’m a descendant of Israel. I’m from the tribe of Benjamin. I’m a pure-blooded Hebrew. When it comes to following Jewish laws, I was a Pharisee.
Commentaries on Romans 11:1
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 1I say then, hath God cast away his people? - Has he utterly and finally rejected them? for this is necessarily the apostle's meaning, and is the import of the Greek word , which signifies to thrust or drive away, from , from, and , to thrust or drive; has he thrust them off, and driven them eternally from him? God forbid - by no means. This rejection is neither universal nor final. For I also am an Israelite - I am a regular descendant from Abraham…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1I say then - This expression is to be regarded as conveying the sense of an objection. Paul, in the previous chapters, had declared the doctrine that all the Jews were to be rejected. To this a Jew might naturally reply, Is it to be believed, that God would cast off his people whom he had once chosen; to whom pertained the adoption, and the promises, and the covenant, and the numerous blessings conferred on a favorite people? It was natural for a Jew to…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 1The rejection of the Jews is not universal. (1-10) God overruled their unbelief for making the Gentiles partakers of gospel privileges. (11-21) The Gentiles cautioned against pride and unbelief, The Jews shall be called as a nation, and brought into God's visible covenant again. (22-32) A solemn adoring of the wisdom, goodness, and justice of God. (33-36) Verses 1-10 There was a chosen remnant of believing Jews, who had righteousness and life by faith in…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-32n 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. 1-361. I say then, Hath--"Did" God cast away his people? God forbid--Our Lord did indeed announce that "the kingdom of God should be taken from Israel" (Mt 21:41); and when asked by the Eleven, after His resurrection, if He would at that time "restore the kingdom to Israel," His reply is a virtual admission that Israel was in some sense already out of covenant (Ac 1:9). Yet here the apostle teaches that, in two respects, Israel was not "cast away"; First, Not…Read the comment
Topics related to Romans 11:1
In the dictionaries
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
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
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