American King James Version - AKJV - 1999
Romans 11
1
I say then, Has God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.
Reference
Parallel theme
1 Samuel 12:22
Acts 26:4
Romans 9:3
Psalm 94:14
References Abraham
2 Corinthians 11:22
References God
Acts 22:3
Romans 3:4
Hosea 9:17
References Israel
Philippians 3:5
2 Kings 23:27
2
God has not cast away his people which he foreknew. Know you not what the scripture said of Elias? how he makes intercession to God against Israel saying,
Reference
3
Lord, they have killed your prophets, and dig down your altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life.
Reference
Prophecy
1 Kings 18:4
4
But what said the answer of God to him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal.
Reference
5
Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace.
Reference
6
And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then it is no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.
Reference
7
What then? Israel has not obtained that which he seeks for; but the election has obtained it, and the rest were blinded.
Reference
Parallel theme
2 Corinthians 4:4
Romans 9:18
Romans 11:5
2 Corinthians 3:14
References Israel
Romans 11:25
8
(According as it is written, God has given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) to this day.
Reference
Parallel theme
Deuteronomy 29:4
Ezekiel 12:2
Jeremiah 5:21
Acts 28:26
Isaiah 6:9
2 Kings 17:41
2 Kings 17:34
References God
Luke 8:10
Spirit
Isaiah 29:10
9
And David said, Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumbling block, and a recompense to them:
Reference
Parallel theme
Psalm 28:4
11
I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come to the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy.
Reference
Parallel theme
Romans 11:31
Romans 11:12
Romans 10:19
Acts 18:6
References God
Romans 11:1
Salvation
Romans 11:14
12
Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fullness?
Reference
13
For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify my office:
Reference
14
If by any means I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh, and might save some of them.
Reference
Parallel theme
Romans 9:3
Salvation
1 Corinthians 7:16
1 Timothy 4:16
Romans 11:11
1 Corinthians 1:21
1 Timothy 2:4
James 5:20
Titus 3:5
2 Timothy 2:10
15
For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead?
Reference
16
For if the first fruit be holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root be holy, so are the branches.
Reference
17
And if some of the branches be broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and with them partake of the root and fatness of the olive tree;
Reference
18
Boast not against the branches. But if you boast, you bore not the root, but the root you.
Reference
19
You will say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be grafted in.
Reference
Parallel theme
Romans 11:17
20
Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by faith. Be not high minded, but fear:
Reference
22
Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in his goodness: otherwise you also shall be cut off.
Reference
Parallel theme
Hebrews 3:6
Hebrews 3:14
1 Corinthians 15:2
John 15:2
Revelation 2:5
Hebrews 10:23
John 8:31
Galatians 6:9
Romans 2:7
References God
Acts 14:22
23
And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be grafted in: for God is able to graft them in again.
Reference
24
For if you were cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and were grafted contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree?
25
For I would not, brothers, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in.
Reference
26
And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:
Reference
Parallel theme
Isaiah 59:20
Titus 2:14
References God
Hosea 3:5
Acts 3:26
Salvation
Psalm 14:7
Isaiah 45:17
28
As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the father's sakes.
Reference
29
For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.
Reference
Parallel theme
Malachi 3:6
References God
Romans 8:28
Repentance
Hebrews 7:21
Numbers 23:19
Hosea 13:14
30
For as you in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief:
Reference
31
Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy.
33
O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!
Reference
Judgment
Job 37:23
Psalm 36:6
Psalm 97:2
Parallel theme
Job 5:9
Psalm 92:5
Ephesians 1:7
References God
Romans 2:4
Ephesians 3:10
Ecclesiastes 3:11
Colossians 1:27
Summary of Romans 11
Romans 11 explains that God has not rejected Israel, because a faithful remnant of Jewish believers still exists through God's grace, and Paul's use of Elijah shows that even when God's people appear to have turned away almost completely, God continues to preserve those who belong to Him.
Paul then explains that Israel's present rejection of Christ has created an opportunity for the Gentiles to receive salvation, but this does not mean Gentiles have replaced Israel or have any reason to feel superior, because Paul compares God's people to an olive tree whose root comes from Israel's covenant history.
The Gentile believers are pictured as wild branches grafted into the olive tree, meaning they share in the blessings that came through Israel's spiritual heritage, but Paul warns them not to boast because they depend on the root rather than supporting it.
Paul also explains that the Jewish branches that were broken off because of unbelief can be grafted back in through faith, showing that Israel's present unbelief is not presented as an irreversible rejection by God.
He describes Israel's hardening as partial and temporary within God's larger plan, explaining that Gentile salvation is part of a process through which God will ultimately show mercy to both Jews and Gentiles.
Paul therefore ends the argument not with pride or human certainty but with worship and wonder, declaring that God's wisdom and knowledge are far greater than human understanding and that everything comes from Him, exists through Him, and ultimately belongs to Him.
Historical Context
Romans 11 was written around AD 56–58, when the early Christian movement was spreading throughout the Roman Empire and the church increasingly included both Jewish and Gentile believers.
One of the major questions facing the early church was whether Gentile believers should be considered part of God's people without becoming Jewish, and another difficult question was why so many Israelites had not accepted Jesus as the Messiah.
Paul answers these questions by going back through Israel's own history, beginning with Elijah.
Elijah lived in the 9th century BC, during the reign of King Ahab and Queen Jezebel in the northern kingdom of Israel, when the worship of Baal had become widespread.
Elijah believed that he was the only faithful person left, but God told him that 7,000 Israelites had not bowed to Baal, demonstrating that God's faithful people could be much larger than they appeared.
Paul uses this story as a picture of his own time, explaining that there was still a remnant of Jewish believers in Christ.
The most important image in the chapter is the olive tree.
Olive trees were extremely important throughout the Mediterranean world because olives and olive oil were used for food, cooking, lamps, trade, medicine, and religious purposes.
Grafting was also a known agricultural practice, so Paul's audience could understand his picture of branches being removed and other branches being grafted into the tree.
The root represents the spiritual heritage connected with God's promises to Israel, while the wild branches represent Gentile believers who have been brought into God's people through faith.
Paul uses this image to warn Gentile Christians against arrogance, because they should remember that their faith is connected to the promises God gave through Israel.
Paul also speaks of a partial hardening of Israel and says that God's gifts and calling are irrevocable, which shows his confidence that God's relationship with Israel remains an important part of His larger saving plan.
The chapter therefore provides an important balance: Gentiles are fully welcomed into God's saving work, but they must not become proud or treat Israel with contempt.
The central message of Romans 11 is that God remains faithful to His promises even when people fail to remain faithful to Him.
Israel's present unbelief does not mean God has abandoned Israel, because there is a faithful remnant and Paul expects God's purposes concerning Israel to continue unfolding.
At the same time, Gentile believers must never become proud, because they were grafted into a spiritual heritage that existed before them, and their place comes through faith and God's mercy rather than through their own superiority.
Paul emphasizes that both Jews and Gentiles have experienced disobedience, but God uses this situation to reveal an even greater truth: His mercy is greater than human failure.
The chapter ultimately moves beyond human arguments and ends in worship, because God's plan is so much greater than human understanding that the proper response is humility, gratitude, and praise.
Romans 11 therefore teaches that God's mercy reaches both Jews and Gentiles, His promises remain trustworthy, and no group has a reason to boast because salvation is ultimately the work of God's grace and wisdom.
Paul then explains that Israel's present rejection of Christ has created an opportunity for the Gentiles to receive salvation, but this does not mean Gentiles have replaced Israel or have any reason to feel superior, because Paul compares God's people to an olive tree whose root comes from Israel's covenant history.
The Gentile believers are pictured as wild branches grafted into the olive tree, meaning they share in the blessings that came through Israel's spiritual heritage, but Paul warns them not to boast because they depend on the root rather than supporting it.
Paul also explains that the Jewish branches that were broken off because of unbelief can be grafted back in through faith, showing that Israel's present unbelief is not presented as an irreversible rejection by God.
He describes Israel's hardening as partial and temporary within God's larger plan, explaining that Gentile salvation is part of a process through which God will ultimately show mercy to both Jews and Gentiles.
Paul therefore ends the argument not with pride or human certainty but with worship and wonder, declaring that God's wisdom and knowledge are far greater than human understanding and that everything comes from Him, exists through Him, and ultimately belongs to Him.
Historical Context
Romans 11 was written around AD 56–58, when the early Christian movement was spreading throughout the Roman Empire and the church increasingly included both Jewish and Gentile believers.
One of the major questions facing the early church was whether Gentile believers should be considered part of God's people without becoming Jewish, and another difficult question was why so many Israelites had not accepted Jesus as the Messiah.
Paul answers these questions by going back through Israel's own history, beginning with Elijah.
Elijah lived in the 9th century BC, during the reign of King Ahab and Queen Jezebel in the northern kingdom of Israel, when the worship of Baal had become widespread.
Elijah believed that he was the only faithful person left, but God told him that 7,000 Israelites had not bowed to Baal, demonstrating that God's faithful people could be much larger than they appeared.
Paul uses this story as a picture of his own time, explaining that there was still a remnant of Jewish believers in Christ.
The most important image in the chapter is the olive tree.
Olive trees were extremely important throughout the Mediterranean world because olives and olive oil were used for food, cooking, lamps, trade, medicine, and religious purposes.
Grafting was also a known agricultural practice, so Paul's audience could understand his picture of branches being removed and other branches being grafted into the tree.
The root represents the spiritual heritage connected with God's promises to Israel, while the wild branches represent Gentile believers who have been brought into God's people through faith.
Paul uses this image to warn Gentile Christians against arrogance, because they should remember that their faith is connected to the promises God gave through Israel.
Paul also speaks of a partial hardening of Israel and says that God's gifts and calling are irrevocable, which shows his confidence that God's relationship with Israel remains an important part of His larger saving plan.
The chapter therefore provides an important balance: Gentiles are fully welcomed into God's saving work, but they must not become proud or treat Israel with contempt.
The central message of Romans 11 is that God remains faithful to His promises even when people fail to remain faithful to Him.
Israel's present unbelief does not mean God has abandoned Israel, because there is a faithful remnant and Paul expects God's purposes concerning Israel to continue unfolding.
At the same time, Gentile believers must never become proud, because they were grafted into a spiritual heritage that existed before them, and their place comes through faith and God's mercy rather than through their own superiority.
Paul emphasizes that both Jews and Gentiles have experienced disobedience, but God uses this situation to reveal an even greater truth: His mercy is greater than human failure.
The chapter ultimately moves beyond human arguments and ends in worship, because God's plan is so much greater than human understanding that the proper response is humility, gratitude, and praise.
Romans 11 therefore teaches that God's mercy reaches both Jews and Gentiles, His promises remain trustworthy, and no group has a reason to boast because salvation is ultimately the work of God's grace and wisdom.