New International Version
Romans 11:22
22Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off.
Romans 11:22 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God's kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off.
- New Living Translation (NLT)Notice how God is both kind and severe. He is severe toward those who disobeyed, but kind to you if you continue to trust in his kindness. But if you stop trusting, you also will be cut off.
Context of Romans 11:22
20Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but tremble. 21For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either. Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off. 23And if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. 24After all, if you were cut out of an olive tree that is wild by nature, and contrary to nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much more readily will these, the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree!
Read all of Romans 11Romans 11:22 word by word
Ἴδε οὖν χρηστότητα καὶ ἀποτομίαν θεοῦ· ἐπὶ μὲν τοὺς πεσόντας ἀποτομία, ἐπὶ δὲ σὲ χρηστότης θεοῦ, ἐὰν ἐπιμένῃς τῇ χρηστότητι· ἐπεὶ καὶ σὺ ἐκκοπήσῃ.Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- ·μένmen · on the other handG3303
- Beholdὁράωhoraō · to see: seeG3708
- thereforeοὖνoun · therefore/thenG3767
- the goodnessχρηστότηςchrēstotēs · kindnessG5544
- andκαίkai · andG2532
- severityἀποτομίαapotomia · severityG663
- of Godθεόςtheos · GodG2316
- onἐπίepi · upon/to/againstG1909
- them which fellπίπτωpiptō petō · to collapseG4098
- butδέde · thenG1161
- theeσύsu · youG4771
- ifἐάνean · ifG1437
- thou continueἐπιμένωepimenō · to remain/keep onG1961
- otherwiseἐπείepei · sinceG1893
- shalt be cut offἐκκόπτωekkoptō · to preventG1581
Cross-references for Romans 11:22
- Romans 2:4Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?
- Romans 9:22What if God, although choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath—prepared for destruction?
- Numbers 14:18‘The Lord is slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.’
- Deuteronomy 32:39“See now that I myself am he! There is no god besides me. I put to death and I bring to life, I have wounded and I will heal, and no one can deliver out of my hand.
- Joshua 23:15But just as all the good things the Lord your God has promised you have come to you, so he will bring on you all the evil things he has threatened, until the Lord your God has destroyed you from this good land he has given you.
- Psalms 58:10The righteous will be glad when they are avenged, when they dip their feet in the blood of the wicked.
- Psalms 78:49He unleashed against them his hot anger, his wrath, indignation and hostility— a band of destroying angels.
- Psalms 136:15but swept Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea; His love endures forever.
- Isaiah 66:14When you see this, your heart will rejoice and you will flourish like grass; the hand of the Lord will be made known to his servants, but his fury will be shown to his foes.
- Romans 2:7To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life.
- Luke 8:15But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.
- John 8:31To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.
- John 15:4Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
- Acts 11:23When he arrived and saw what the grace of God had done, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts.
- Acts 14:22strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,” they said.
- 1 Corinthians 15:2By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.
Commentaries on Romans 11:22
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 22Behold therefore the goodness - The exclamation, Behold the goodness of God! is frequent among the Jewish writers, when they wish to call the attention of men to particular displays of God's mercy, especially towards those who are singularly unworthy. See several instances in Schoettgen. And severity of God - As , goodness, signifies the essential quality of the Divine nature, the fountain of all good to men and angels, so , severity, as it is here…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 22Behold, therefore - Regard, or contemplate, for purposes of your own improvement and benefit, the dealings of God. We should look on all his dispensations of judgment or of mercy, and derive lessons from all to promote our own steadfast adherence to the faith of the gospel. The goodness - The benevolence or mercy of God toward you in admitting you to his favor. This calls for gratitude, love, confidence. It demands expressions of thanksgiving. It should…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. 22if you continue in His kindness. Otherwise you also will be cut off: Scripture often teaches that those who remain faithful to the end will be saved. Paul’s warning here has led to different views about what he means. Some understand Paul to be saying that true believers can stop trusting God and therefore fail to be saved in the end. Others think Paul is using the image as a warning and should not be understood in a strict or literal way. From this view…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 22-2322-23. Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them that fell, severity--in rejecting the chosen seed. but toward thee, goodness--"God's goodness" is the true reading, that is, His sovereign goodness in admitting thee to a covenant standing who before wert a "stranger to the covenants of promise" (Ep 2:12-20). if thou continue in his goodness--in believing dependence on that pure goodness which made thee what thou art.Read the comment
Topics related to Romans 11:22
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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