New International Version
Romans 11:2
2God did not reject his people, whom he foreknew. Don’t you know what Scripture says in the passage about Elijah—how he appealed to God against Israel:
Romans 11:2 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew. Wot ye not what the scripture saith of Elias? how he maketh intercession to God against Israel, saying,
- English Standard Version (ESV)God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. Do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he appeals to God against Israel?
- New King James Version (NKJV)God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel, saying,
- New Living Translation (NLT)No, God has not rejected his own people, whom he chose from the very beginning. Do you realize what the Scriptures say about this? Elijah the prophet complained to God about the people of Israel and said,
Context of Romans 11:2
1I ask then: Did God reject his people? By no means! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin. God did not reject his people, whom he foreknew. Don’t you know what Scripture says in the passage about Elijah—how he appealed to God against Israel: 3“Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars; I am the only one left, and they are trying to kill me”? 4And what was God’s answer to him? “I have reserved for myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal.”
Read all of Romans 11Romans 11:2 word by word
οὐκ ἀπώσατο ὁ θεὸς τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ ὃν προέγνω.¶ Ἢ οὐκ οἴδατε ἐν Ἠλίᾳ τί λέγει ἡ γραφή, ὡς ἐντυγχάνει τῷ θεῷ κατὰ τοῦ ἸσραήλRead the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- Godθεόςtheos · GodG2316
- hathἀπωθέωapōtheomai apōthomai · to rejectG683
- notοὐou · noG3756
- hisαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
- peopleλαόςlaos · a peopleG2992
- whichὅςhos hē ho · whichG3739
- he foreknewπρογινώσκωproginōskō · to know/chooseG4267
- ·ἤē · orG2228
- Wot yeεἴδωeidō · to perceive: understandG1492
- whatτίςtis · which?G5101
- the scriptureγραφήgraphē · a writingG1124
- saithλέγωlegō · to sayG3004
- ofἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
- EliasἩλίαςHēlias · ElijahG2243
- howὡςhōs · as/whenG5613
- he maketh intercessionἐντυγχάνωentugchanō · to call onG1793
- againstκατάkata · according toG2596
- IsraelἸσραήλIsraēl · IsraelG2474
- sayingλέγωlegō · to sayG3004
Cross-references for Romans 11:2
- Romans 8:29For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.
- Romans 9:6It is not as though God’s word had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel.
- Acts 13:48When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed.
- Acts 15:18things known from long ago.
- 1 Peter 1:2who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance.
- Genesis 44:15Joseph said to them, “What is this you have done? Don’t you know that a man like me can find things out by divination?”
- Exodus 32:1When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, “Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.”
- Acts 3:17“Now, fellow Israelites, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders.
- Acts 7:40They told Aaron, ‘Make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who led us out of Egypt—we don’t know what has happened to him!’
- Philippians 1:22If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know!
- Nehemiah 9:30For many years you were patient with them. By your Spirit you warned them through your prophets. Yet they paid no attention, so you gave them into the hands of the neighboring peoples.
- Luke 4:1Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,
- 1 Corinthians 6:2Or do you not know that the Lord’s people will judge the world? And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases?
- Hebrews 1:1In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways,
- 1 Corinthians 15:15More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised.
- Numbers 16:15Then Moses became very angry and said to the Lord, “Do not accept their offering. I have not taken so much as a donkey from them, nor have I wronged any of them.”
Commentaries on Romans 11:2
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 2God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew - God has not finally and irrecoverably rejected a people whom he has loved (or approved) so long, ̔ , for this is evidently the meaning of the word in this place, as we have already seen, Romans 8:29, and is a very general meaning of the original verb ידע yada in Hebrew and in Greek; as I have had often occasion to notice in different parts of this work, and what none will deny who consults the…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 2God hath set cast away - This is an explicit denial of the objection. Which he foreknew - The word “foreknew” is expressive not merely of foreseeing a thing, but implies in this place a previous purpose or plan; see the note at Romans 8:29. The meaning of the passage is simply, God has not cast off those whom he had before purposed or designed to be his people. It is the declaration of a great principle of divine government that God is not changeable: and…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 2whom He foreknew: Before the people of Israel could do anything to earn their place, God chose them to be his people. He did this because of his grace alone. Elijah: In 1 Kings 19:1–18, King Ahab had killed many of the Lord’s prophets, and his wife Jezebel threatened to kill Elijah as well. Elijah ran into the wilderness and expressed his deep discouragement. God answered him by saying that many faithful people still remained. Paul saw a similar situation…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2-42-4. God hath--"did" not cast away his people--that is, wholly which he foreknew--On the word "foreknew," see on Ro 8:29. Wot--that is, "Know" ye not that the scripture saith of--literally, "in," that is, in the section which relates to Elias? how he maketh intercession--"pleadeth" against Israel--(The word "saying," which follows, as also the particle "and" before "digged down," should be omitted, as without manuscript authority).Read the comment
Topics related to Romans 11:2
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
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