Romans 9:29

9:25-29 The rejecting of the Jews, and the taking in the Gentiles, were foretold in the Old Testament. It tends very much to the clearing of a truth, to observe how the Scripture is fulfilled in it. It is a wonder of Divine power and mercy that there are any saved: for even those left to be a seed, if God had dealt with them according to their sins, had perished with the rest. This great truth this Scripture teaches us. Even among the vast number of professing Christians it is to be feared that only a remnant will be saved.

As Esaias said before; in Isaiah 1:9 . The Lord of sabaoth; or, of hosts: the mighty God, whose hosts all creatures are, which execute his will, as soldiers the will of their commander. Had left us a seed: he means by a seed, the same that he meant before by a remnant, a small number. These were left as a little seed, out of a great heap of corn: that which is chosen, and left for seed, is little in comparison of the whole crop. We had been as Sodoma, and been made like unto Gomorrha; i.e. utterly wasted and destroyed as they were, Jeremiah 50:40 .

(29) Said before — i.e., in an earlier part of his book. The Book of Isaiah was at this time collected in the form in which we have it. In Acts 13:33 , we find an express reference to the present numbering of the Psalms—“It is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee.” (Some authorities read “first,” the two psalms being arranged as one, but “second” is probably the true reading.) A seed.—Equivalent to the “remnant” of Romans 9:27. The point of the quotation is, that but for this remnant the rejection of Israel would have been utter and complete.

Romans 9:29 . But his last quotation is in verbal agreement with the LXX Isaiah 1:9 , and transparently clear. The σπέρμα or seed which God leaves is the same as the ὑπόλειμμα . The figure is not to be pressed. The remnant is not the germ of a new people; Paul expects Israel as a whole to be restored. With this the theodicy proper closes. The unbelief of the Jews was a great problem to the Apostolic age, and one which easily led to scepticism concerning the Gospel. The chosen people without a part in the kingdom of God—impossible. This chapter is Paul’s attempt to explain this situation as one not involving any unrighteousness or breach of faith on the part of God. It is not necessary to resume the various stages of the argument as they have been elucidated in the notes. The point of greatest difficulty is no doubt that presented by Romans 9:22-23 . Many good scholars, Meyer and Lipsius for example, hold that Paul in these verses is not withdrawing from, but carrying through, the argument from God’s absoluteness stated so emphatically in Romans 9:21 . They hold that the σκεύη ὀργῆς κατηρτισμένα εἰς ἀπώλειαν would not be σκεύη ὀργῆς at all, if their repentance and amendment were conceivable; and although God bears long with them—that is, defers their destruction—it is only in order that He may have time and opportunity to manifest the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy. But the answer to this is plain.

It assumes that human life, in its relation to God, can be interpreted by the analogy of clay in its relation to the potter; in other words, that moral and spiritual experiences can be construed and made intelligible through what are merely physical categories. But this is not the case. And if it be said that justice is not done, by the interpretation given in this commentary, to the expression σκεύη ὀργῆς , it may also be said that justice is not done, by the interpretation of Meyer and Lipsius, to the expression ἐν πολλῇ μακροθυμίᾳ . Each of these allegations may be said to neutralise the other—that is, neither is Iecisive for the interpretation of the passage; and the Apostle’s meaning remains to be determined by the general movement of his thought. In spite of the great difficulties of the section as a whole, I cannot hesitate to read it as above.

29. And as Esaias said—"hath said" before—that is, probably in an earlier part of his book, namely, Isa 1:9. Except the Lord of Sabaoth—that is, "The Lord of Hosts": the word is Hebrew, but occurs so in the Epistle of James (Jas 5:4), and has thence become naturalized in our Christian phraseology. had left us a seed—meaning a "remnant"; small at first, but in due time to be a seed of plenty (compare Ps 22:30, 31; Isa 6:12, 13). we had been—"become" as Sodom, &c.—But for this precious seed, the chosen people would have resembled the cities of the plain, both in degeneracy of character and in merited doom.

Romans 9:29 . Εἰ μὴ — ὡμοιώθημεν ) Isaiah 1:9 , LXX., καὶ εἰ μὴ ὡμοιώθημεν .— προείρηκεν , said before ) Before the event, or before the prophecy quoted at Romans 9:28 .— σαβαὼθ ) In 1 Samuel and in Isaiah, σαβαὼθ is put for the Heb. word צבאת ; in all the other books it is translated παντοκράτωρ , Ruler over all. From this circumstance there is strong ground for conjecturing, that one or perhaps several persons were employed to translate those two books, and that different persons translated the rest. And in the same first book of Sam. Scripture beings to give this title to God, although others had been formerly used as it were in its place.— Exodus 34:23 .— σπέρμα , a seed) There is denoted 1) a small number at the present time, 2) the propagation of a multitude after deliverance from captivity.— ὡς Σόδομα , as Sodom) where not a single citizen escaped; no seed was left.

Verse 29. - And as Esaias hath said before ( i.e. in an earlier chapter), Except the Lord of sabaoth had left us a seed, we should have been as Sodom, and been made like unto Gomorrah . This quotation is from Isaiah 1:9 , and, though it seems to have no obvious reference to the Messianic age, it expresses the same idea as the other, of a remnant only being saved; and it is quoted suitably, occurring as it does at the beginning of the Book of Isaiah, and being a sort of key-note of the prevailing purport of his prophecies. The force of all the above quotations is much enhanced, if we remember that they are not mere isolated texts, but suggestive specimens of many prophetic utterances to the same effect. All familiar with the prophetic writings are aware that main ideas constantly recurring are: First, judgments to come upon the chosen people, painted often in many consecutive verses without relief; but secondly, after such denunciations, a dawn of hope and comfort appearing, and culminating in unutterable blessing under the Messiah's kingdom; and thirdly, this dawn of hope being for a remnant only of the race, compared in one place to a gleaning of the grapes when the vintage is done ( Isaiah 24:13 ); and fourthly, the association with this remnant, not only of the "outcasts of Israel" gathered from all lands, but also of a multitude of Gentiles, who should be gathered into the Messiah's kingdom (cf.

29 . And ] Q. d., “And again, the small number of Jewish believers fulfils another prediction.” said before ] Lit., and better, hath said before; i.e. “as we have it in his book.”—“ Before ” refers not to the quotation of an earlier chapter , but to the words as a prediction . The quotation is from Isaiah 1:9 , and exactly with LXX., which gives “a seed” where the Heb. gives the equivalent, “a small remnant.” St Paul instructs us that this passage not only describes a state of distress contemporary with the Prophets, but also predicts, through this as a type, the spiritual future.—“ Sabaoth ” : —the Gr. transliteration of Ts’vâôth , the Heb. word meaning Hosts, Armies.