Romans Chapter 11 Breakdown

1 I say then, has God cast away His people? Certainly not! For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.

Continuing from the end of the last chapter, remember there were no chapters in the original letter to the Romans, Paul asks, does YHWH disregard His people? Definitely not, and as proof Paul proclaims his discordancy from Israel.

2 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, “Lord, they have killed Your prophets and torn down Your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life”?

1 Kings 19:10, 14

So he said, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life.”

And he said, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God of hosts; because the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life.”

Paul quoting from the Old Testament mentions how even during the time of Elijah YHWH’s people would deliberately disobey YHWH’s law and seek to kill His people.

4 But what does the divine response say to him? “I have reserved for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.”

1 Kings 19:18

Yet I have reserved seven thousand in Israel, all whose knees have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.”

Even when YHWH’s people are committing evil acts, He always sets aside “remnant” of His people who He can perpetuate His chosen people. There is no difference now. Even with so many Jews killing His prophets, and killing Yeshua, YHWH has a group of His people, within the Jewish descent, who will continue on His given path.

5 Even so then, at this present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace.

Paul comes right out and says it, even “today” during Paul’s time, there was a remnant, and the remnant was always, including during the time of Elijah, according to YHWH’s Grace. Grace is not a New Testament idea and Paul is linking YHWH’s Grace to both the people in his time as well as those of the Old Testament.

6 And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work.

YHWH saves His people, not because of their works but because of His grace. Because if it were by their works, it could not be by His grace.

7 What then? Israel has not obtained what it seeks; but the elect have obtained it, and the rest were blinded.

Israel did not find what they wanted because they continually broke YHWH’s law as well as did not seek with faith but by works. That is why only the elect, those who had faith obtained salvation, and the rest of Israel were blinded.

8 Just as it is written: “God has given them a spirit of stupor, Eyes that they should not see And ears that they should not hear, To this very day.”

Deuteronomy 29:4

Yet the Lord has not given you a heart to perceive and eyes to see and ears to hear, to this very day.

Isaiah 29:10

For the Lord has poured out on you The spirit of deep sleep, And has closed your eyes, namely, the prophets; And He has covered your heads, namely, the seers.

Moses spoke to the Israelites and told, he saved them out of Egypt, but they were not given the eyes to see and ears to hear. Paul is just giving more examples from the Torah and Old Testament to support his point.

9 And David says: “Let their table become a snare and a trap, A stumbling block and a recompense to them. Let their eyes be darkened, so that they do not see, And bow down their back always.”

Psalm 69:22-23

Let their table become a snare before them, And their well-being a trap. Let their eyes be darkened, so that they do not see; And make their loins shake continually.

This is just more evidence supporting the fact some of the Israelites were blinded to the truth.

11 I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not! But through their fall, to provoke them to jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles.

They are not blinded with the intent to fail and not be saved, but simply to allow the gentiles the opportunity to come to YHWH which causes jealously among the Jews. The Jealousy will eventually cause them to study His word more closely and develop a closer relationship with Him.

12 Now if their fall is riches for the world, and their failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more their fullness!

They were caused to fall in order for others to fill in, so when they are no longer blinded and can see what an amazing day it will be. So much more will “riches they will be able to gain.

13 For I speak to you Gentiles; inasmuch as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry, if by any means I may provoke to jealousy those who are my flesh and save some of them.

Paul is an apostle for the gentiles with the intent to cause the Jews to become jealous.

15 For if their being cast away is the reconciling of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?

When they are reconciled back to YHWH, they will be brought back to life.

16 For if the firstfruit is holy, the lump is also holy; and if the root is holy, so are the branches.

Because the original Israelites are the first fruits, as in the elect, and they are holy, they cause the tree and branches to be Holy as well. 

17 And if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and with them became a partaker of the root and fatness of the olive tree, do not boast against the branches. But if you do boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you.

Who does the olive tree represent? How does this tree relate to gentiles and Jews today as well as in the Bible?

Jeremiah 11:10, 16

They have turned back to the iniquities of their forefathers who refused to hear My words, and they have gone after other gods to serve them; the house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken My covenant which I made with their fathers.”

The Lord called your name, Green Olive Tree, Lovely and of Good Fruit. With the noise of a great tumult He has kindled fire on it, And its branches are broken.

Ezekiel 37: 16-17

“As for you, son of man, take a stick for yourself and write on it: ‘For Judah and for the children of Israel, his companions.’ Then take another stick and write on it, ‘For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel, his companions.’ Then join them one to another for yourself into one stick, and they will become one in your hand.

Paul is referring to the two houses of Israel, the House of Israel and the House of Judah. Jeremiah says some of these members are broken off from the tree. Paul is talking about them being broken off and gentiles being grafted into the tree. Then, looking at Ezekiel, son of man is a phrase used to describe the Messiah, Yeshua. The Hebrew word used here for “stick” is Strong's H6086 - `ets and its definition is actually tree. So, what this is saying is Yeshua will take the two trees, one of the House of Israel and one of the House of Judah and join them together into one. This is exactly what Paul is talking about.

Some of these original branches, as in the House of Judah, were blinded and deafened, in order for gentiles, or the lost sheep of the House of Israel as well as other gentiles, to be added to the family through adoption. The gentiles are now a participant of the root of the tree, but they should not brag against the other branches because the roots, that is the first fruits and the original elect are what supports the gentiles. That is, they hold the base of the entire belief system and it is them who we should turn to. We did not replace the Jews, or the Israelites. We are not the new elect in place of the original chosen people. Churches tend to teach a replacement gospel, meaning Christians are the new elect of God. That is not the case at all. We become part of the same elect, but are not replacing the “Jews”.

19 You will say then, “Branches were broken off that I might be grafted in.”

Instead of bragging we should say the Jews were blinded so that I could also become part of this tree.

20 Well said. Because of unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by faith. Do not be haughty, but fear.

Because some of the Israelites and the Jews were blinded, and the gentiles came in with faith, do not be arrogant, but still fear YHWH.

21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, He may not spare you either.

YHWH id not spare the original elect because they chose to disobey His commands, He may not spare you either.

22 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.

It is good that YHWH is severe. If it weren’t for Him being so strict about His law, you would not have had the chance to come into His Olive tree. We have goodness so long as we continue in His goodness, and if gentiles do not continue in His goodness, they will be cut off too.

23 And they also, if they do not continue in unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again.

Those Jews, and the other members of Israel would be able to get grafted back in if they stopped with their unbelief and turned back to YHWH.

24 For if you were cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, who are natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree?

If the gentiles are not originally from YHWH’s tree, but can be joined to it, would it not be much easier to join the original branches back into the tree?

25 For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.

Here is one of the mysteries Paul talks about. The Jews, and the rest of Israel are not banished or removed from YHWH’s favor to be replaced by the gentiles. Gentiles are only able to join what the Jews and Israel already have. Furthermore, we have to understand the House of Israel are now gentiles. They are the branches who were cut off. They are the lost sheep in which Yeshua says He came for. Once the House of Israel was cut off, she was then divorced. According to the law we read earlier, she cannot come back to the first husband and is bound by the law causing her to be an adulteress. It is the husband’s death that releases her from the law, and His resurrection that allows her to come back to Him.

Matthew 15:24

But He answered and said, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

Yeshua’s purpose on the earth was to bring back the House of Israel. The biggest mystery in all the Bible is how the House of Israel is going to come back to YHWH, and this is it, through the death of the original husband.

Furthermore, this “fullness of the gentiles” was prophesied all the way back in Genesis.

Genesis 48: 17-19

Now when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand on the head of Ephraim, it displeased him; so he took hold of his father’s hand to remove it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head. And Joseph said to his father, “Not so, my father, for this one is the firstborn; put your right hand on his head.” But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great; but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his descendants shall become a multitude of nations.”

The Hebrew word for “multitude” is Strong's H4393 - mĕlo' and it means fullness. The Hebrew word for “of nations” is Strong's H1471 – gowy and it means nations or gentiles. “Multitude of nations” in the Hebrew literally means fullness of the gentiles. Now, remember the two sticks prophecies from Ezekiel, one is the stick of Judah, and the other is the stick of Ephraim.

Now, to further show evidence for this idea we can jump to Ephesians and find out what Paul said to them.

Ephesians 2:11-13

Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh—who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands— that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

Ezekiel 11:16

Therefore say, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Although I have cast them far off among the Gentiles, and although I have scattered them among the countries, yet I shall be a little sanctuary for them in the countries where they have gone.”’

Paul exclaims here gentiles were uncircumcised before they knew Christ. They were not part of Israel before they had Yeshua, meaning they are now part of Israel with Christ. The gentiles were strangers of the covenants or promise, and they were far off. Paul is linking the gentiles here with the House of Israel.

26 And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: “The Deliverer will come out of Zion, And He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; For this is My covenant with them, When I take away their sins.”

Isaiah 59:20-21

“The Redeemer will come to Zion, And to those who turn from transgression in Jacob,” Says the Lord.  “As for Me,” says the Lord, “this is My covenant with them: My Spirit who is upon you, and My words which I have put in your mouth, shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your descendants, nor from the mouth of your descendants’ descendants,” says the Lord, “from this time and forevermore.”

Here Paul going back to the prophets again. Notice Paul also says here, all ISRAEL will be saved, this would include both the House of Judah and well as the House of Israel. He is showing how YHWH specifically states how the covenant with the saved includes YHWH’s Spirit within the people and His word, aka His law and prophets, will be within their mouths and will not be lost on them from generation to generation. Therefore, we can conclude that Paul is saying this is how salvation works. YHWH gives His spirit, which a man must believe and have faith in. Then, that spirit causes His words and law to be remembered with those people.

Ezekiel 36:27

I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.

Jeremiah 31:33

But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.

Found in both of these prophets we see YHWH’s plan for the new covenant. Both of these prophets discuss the same idea as Isaiah.

28 Concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers.

The Jews, when it comes to the gospel, are enemies in order for the gentiles to join into all of Israel. But, as for being elect, they are and always will be cherished.

29 For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.

YHWH’s gifts and His calling are unchanging. He called Israel, including the Jews, from the beginning, and therefore, they will never be abandoned or replaced. The Church has not replaced Israel or the Jews.

30 For as you were once disobedient to God, yet have now obtained mercy through their disobedience, even so these also have now been disobedient, that through the mercy shown you they also may obtain mercy.

These Roman gentiles were once disobedient to YHWH, meaning they did not follow His law, but now have gained mercy because of Israel’s breaking of His law. Even though they have broken His law, through His grace toward the gentiles, they can also granted mercy.

32 For God has committed them all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all.

YHWH caused them all to be disobedient, in order to have mercy on all men.

33 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!

YHWH has tremendous wisdom and knowledge that men can never understand.

34 “For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has become His counselor?”

Isaiah 40:13

Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord, Or as His counselor has taught Him?

Jeremiah 23:18

For who has stood in the counsel of the Lord, And has perceived and heard His word? Who has marked His word and heard it?

Paul quotes the prophets again. No one can claim to know the ways of YHWH. He has no counselor and no one can understand His mind.

35 “Or who has first given to Him And it shall be repaid to him?”

Job 41:11

Who has preceded Me, that I should pay him? Everything under heaven is Mine.

No one came before YHWH and He owes no one anything.

36 For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.

Everything that has ever been is because of YHWH.