God’s Word Translation
Romans 11:28
28The Good News made the Jewish people enemies because of you. But by God’s choice they are loved because of their ancestors.
Romans 11:28 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers’ sakes.
- New International Version (NIV)As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies for your sake; but as far as election is concerned, they are loved on account of the patriarchs,
- English Standard Version (ESV)As regards the gospel, they are enemies for your sake. But as regards election, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers.
Context of Romans 11:28
26In this way Israel as a whole will be saved, as Scripture says, “The Savior will come from Zion. He will remove godlessness from Jacob. 27My promise to them will be fulfilled when I take away their sins.” The Good News made the Jewish people enemies because of you. But by God’s choice they are loved because of their ancestors. 29God never changes his mind when he gives gifts or when he calls someone. 30In the past, you disobeyed God. But now God has been merciful to you because of the disobedience of the Jewish people.
Read all of Romans 11Romans 11:28 word by word
κατὰ μὲν τὸ εὐαγγέλιον ἐχθροὶ δι᾽ ὑμᾶς κατὰ δὲ τὴν ἐκλογὴν ἀγαπητοὶ διὰ τοὺς πατέρας·Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- ·μένmen · on the other handG3303
- As concerningκατάkata · according toG2596
- the gospelὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- the gospelεὐαγγέλιονeuaggelion · gospelG2098
- enemiesἐχθρόςechthros · enemyG2190
- forδιάdia · through/because ofG1223
- yourσύsu · youG4771
- butδέde · thenG1161
- the electionἐκλογήeklogē · selectingG1589
- belovedἀγαπητόςagapētos · belovedG27
- the fathers’πατήρpatēr · fatherG3962
Cross-references for Romans 11:28
- Romans 11:11So I ask, “Has Israel stumbled so badly that it can’t get up again?” That’s unthinkable! By Israel’s failure, salvation has come to people who are not Jewish to make the Jewish people jealous.
- Matthew 21:43That is why I can guarantee that God’s kingdom will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce what God wants.
- Acts 13:45When the Jews saw the crowds, they became very jealous. They used insulting language to contradict whatever Paul said.
- Acts 14:2But the Jews who refused to believe stirred up some people who were not Jewish and poisoned their minds against the believers.
- Acts 18:6But they opposed him and insulted him. So Paul shook the dust from his clothes and told them, “You’re responsible for your own death. I’m innocent. From now on I’m going to people who are not Jewish.”
- 1 Thessalonians 2:15who killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets and who have persecuted us severely. They are displeasing to God. They are enemies of the whole human race
- Romans 11:7So what does all this mean? It means that Israel has never achieved what it has been striving for. However, those whom God has chosen have achieved it. The minds of the rest of Israel were closed,
- Isaiah 41:8“But you are my servant Israel, Jacob, whom I have chosen, the descendant of Abraham, my dear friend.
- Genesis 26:4I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and give all these lands to your descendants. Through your descendant all the nations of the earth will be blessed.
- Genesis 28:14Your descendants will be like the dust on the earth. You will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. Through you and through your descendant every family on earth will be blessed.
- Leviticus 26:40“But if they confess their sins and the sins of their ancestors—the treacherous things they did to oppose me—
- Deuteronomy 4:31The Lord your God is a merciful God. He will not abandon you, destroy you, or forget the promise to your ancestors that he swore he would keep.
- Deuteronomy 7:7The Lord set his heart on you and chose you, even though you didn’t outnumber all the other people. You were the smallest of all nations.
- Deuteronomy 8:18But remember the Lord your God is the one who makes you wealthy. He’s confirming the promise which he swore to your ancestors. It’s still in effect today.
- Deuteronomy 9:5It’s not because you’ve been living right or because you’re so honest that you’re entering to take possession of their land. It’s because these people are so wicked that the Lord your God is forcing them out of your way. It’s also because the Lord wants to confirm the promise he swore to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
- Deuteronomy 10:15The Lord set his heart on your ancestors and loved them. Because of this, today he chooses you, their descendants, out of all the people of the world.
Commentaries on Romans 11:28
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 28As concerning the Gospel - The unbelieving Jews, with regard to the Gospel which they have rejected, are at present enemies to God, and aliens from his kingdom, under his Son Jesus Christ, on account of that extensive grace which has overturned their peculiarity, by admitting the Gentiles into his Church and family: but with regard to the original purpose of election, whereby they were chosen and separated from all the people of the earth to be the…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 28As concerning the gospel - So far as the gospel is concerned; or, in order to promote its extension and spread through the earth. They are enemies - The word “enemies” here stands opposed to “beloved;” and as in one respect, to wit, on account of “election,” they were still beloved, that is, beloved by God, so in another respect they were his enemies, i. e., opposed to him, or cast off from him. The enemies of God denote all who are not his true friends…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 22-32Verses 22-32 Of all judgments, spiritual judgments are the sorest; of these the apostle is here speaking. The restoration of the Jews is, in the course of things, far less improbable than the call of the Gentiles to be the children of Abraham; and though others now possess these privileges, it will not hinder their being admitted again. By rejecting the gospel, and by their indignation at its being preached to the Gentiles, the Jews were become enemies to…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. 28-2928-29. As concerning the Gospel they are enemies for your sakes--that is, they are regarded and treated as enemies (in a state of exclusion through unbelief, from the family of God) for the benefit of you Gentiles; in the sense of Ro 11:11, 15. but as touching, the election--of Abraham and his seed. they are beloved--even in their state of exclusion for the fathers' sakes.Read the comment
Topics related to Romans 11:28
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
Commentaries