Romans

Chapter 9 (The Great Parenthesis)
{Note: Chapters 9- Chapter 11 are a Great Parenthesis. Paul is excited in this Section and therefore he is very elliptical in writing style and uses many idioms. Paul also uses many advanced uses of Syntax and often drops into Classical Greek}

{Verses 1-5: Uniqueness of Israel}
{Verse 1: Three Oaths of Paul - Honor, Integrity and Emotions all in One}
(1-5~~I {Paul} am communicating doctrine/truth {aletheia} in Christ
  {positively phrased affirmation},
I absolutely am not {ouk} lying {pseudomai}
  {negatively phrased affirmation},
my conscience {suneidesis} bearing witness {summartureo} with me
in the Holy Spirit
  {God the Holy Spirit is source of all scripture - Paul declares that he is in
  the Spirit and is writing what God reveals to him to reveal to us} . . . 2~~
that I have a great sorrow {lupe}
and constant pain {adialeiptos odune}
in my 'right lobe'/heart . . .
  {this is Paul's emotional burden for Israel
  Paul went from persecuting Jews who believed in Christ
  to feeling an emotional burden that all Jews do not believe in Christ} 3~~
for I could wish/pray {euchomai}
that I myself would be accursed/'in the state of being cursed' {anathema}
    {more fully, being cursed here means to be subject to death without any
  chance of recovery - Paul would accept separation from Christ (which is
  his very life) IF it meant all Jews could be saved - but he knows it is not
  possible},
consequently {separated} from the Christ {but it can not be}
'for the sake of'/'as a substitute for' {huper}
my brethren {the racial Jews} . . .
my fellow countrymen {national Jews} according to the flesh {sarx}
  {meaning according to the 'earthly descent' - the seed of Abraham, Isaac
  and Jacob} . . . 4~~
who are/'keep on being' Israelites {Jews} . . .
to whom . . .
{is/'keeps on being'} the adoption {huiothesia - Family of God} . . .
  and the glory {referring to the Shekinah Glory} . . .
  and the {unconditional} covenants { diatheke} . . .
  and the 'gift of the law'/'giving of the law' {nomothesia}
  {establishment principals} . . .
and the worship/'sacred service' { latreia} {of the True God} . . .
and the promises {epaggelia}
  {emphasizing the integrity of God -
  imputation of blessing in time and eternity} . . . 5~~
from/of whom . . . {are/'keep on being'} the Fathers
  {referring to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob};
in fact {kai}, from whom . . . {is/'keeps on being'} the Christ . . .
the One Who came in the flesh,
the One Who is/'keeps on being' {eimi} God . . .
{ruler} over all
  {refers to 2nd Advent of Christ} . . .
extolled/praised/eulogized {eulogetos} forever . . .
Amen/'I believe it'.

{Note: Paul is very emotional. He loves his own people - the Jews. But, he knows that many Jews are unbelievers and unsaved and it deeply grieves him - 'not all Israel is Israel'. And, the problem with the Jew is the same problem with the world. Salvation is only by faith not of 'works'.}

{Note: The glory mentioned here refers to the Shekinah Glory, which was actually Jesus Christ since only He is the manifest member of the Godhead. So the Shekinah Glory has now come in the flesh and He will be in His Resurrection Body forever and ever.}

{Verse 6: All Israel is not Israel}
6~~However/'But, in contrast,'
this is absolutely not {ouk} to imply that
  {idiom: literally 'it is not such as that'}
the Word { logos} of God has failed {ekpipto}.

For absolutely not {ouk} all
who '{are descended} from' {ek} Israel
'are really Israel'
  {idiom: literally: '{are} those of Israel'
  {means some Jews are believers others are not - only those with both the
  the physical AND spiritual seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are true
  Israel}.

{Note: Logos does mean word but it more fully reaches back and expresses the thought behind the spoken word. So, the Word of God consists of the thoughts of God. The bible is said to be the Mind of Christ. We are what we think. So in that sense, the Word of God 'is' God and He came in the flesh.}

{Note: Ekpipto was a word used by sailors meaning to run the ship aground. It means to fall away . . . to have no effect or to fail.}

{Verse 7-18: Premise Illustrated by Formation of the Jewish nation}
7~~Neither because they are/'keep on being'
Abraham's posterity/seed {racial Jew} . . .
{are} all {racial Jews} children {of the inheritance/covenants}.
But {quote from Gen 21:12 (also quoted in Hebrews 11:18)}
'In Isaac . . . 'your seed'
  {idiom: literally: 'a seed to you'}
{shall be} . . . designated/called/elected {kaleo}
  {to have the genes of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob makes one
  automatically literally a racial Jew (but not necessarily saved)}.

8~~This means -  {idiom: Literally 'that is' - explanation of the preceding}
that the descendants/'small children'/ heirs {teknon}
of the flesh {sarx - referring to physically/racial Jews}
these {'all' racial Jews}
are absolutely not {ouk} the heirs/'small children' {teknon} of God
  {being a racial Jew does not mean 'spiritually children of God' or
  automatic salvation};
but, in contrast {alla},
the heirs/'small children' {teknon} of promise
  {epaggelia - the heirs of the Abrahamic, Palestinian, Levitic and New
  Covenants to Israel}
are 'imputed for'/'counted {as being} in the category of' {logizomai eis}
seed/heirs {of the promise - spiritual seed - Family of God - True Israel}.

{Note: Teknon means a small child under training and is used often in the sense of a student - one learning under authority. Here in the sense of being heirs.}

{Note: Logizomai means to impute, calculate or to count - it is used for imputation of human/soul life, righteousness of God, eternal life, blessings in time, blessings in eternity future, etc.}

{Unconditional Promises to the Jew Documented}
9~~For the word of the promise . . .
{is/'keeps on being'} this {quote from Gen 18:10},
"At this time {the time He promised Abraham - when he reached maturity}
I {Jehovah - Jesus Christ - the Manifest Member of the Godhead}
will come, and Sarah will have a son.
  {Idiomatic: Literally:  "According to this time, I will come
  and there will be to Sarah a son"}"

{Note: Abraham was saved much earlier in his life. RBT says this 'time' is the time in which Abraham reached spiritual maturity and additional blessings were bestowed upon him. In this case, a son with his wife Sarah when both were sexually dead from old age.}

10~~And absolutely not {ouk} only . . . {the previous case history},
but also Rebecca {Rhebekka},
'when she had' {echo - temporal participle}
become pregnant {koite}
  {idiom: literally 'when she had sexual intercourse'}
from/by/with one . . . Isaac our father
  {one of the three forefathers of all racial Jews}.

{Note: Paul knows how many Jews think - what matters is who my ancestors are. So he starts with Rebecca to show it is NOT who your mother is - she had twins sons in this example. What is important is what you THINK. So both Esau and Jacob had the same capability to be True Jews - both racially and spiritually - but only through belief did Jacob become true Jew. Esau was the eldest of the twins but never was a believer so he remained a gentile and never was part of the promise. Jacob became a believer and God knew this billions and billions of years before he did so. Jacob's name later became Israel - Prince of God.}

11~~For though the Twins {Esau and Jacob/Israel}
had not yet been born
and though they had not yet accomplished {prasso}
anything - good/'good of intrinsic value' {agathos}
or evil {kakos - anything that is not agathos} -
in order that the 'predetermined plan of God' {protasis - divine decrees}
might 'remain in status quo' {meno}
in relationship to {kata} election {ekloge},
not from works,
but from Him Who elects/calls {kaleo}.

{Note: The doctrine of election ties in closely with God's omniscience and the doctrines of predestination, foreknowledge of God and fore-ordination. God's will for all mankind is documented in I Timothy 2:4 - that all men be saved and grow to spiritual maturity. But they are not all saved, why? Because God's plan decreed that salvation is by faith. Only those who believe are saved. His Omniscience always knew who would believe (from their own free will) but He never tampers with their free will (such as forcing them to believe or forcing them to NOT believe). No human works or accomplishments is involved in election - there is NO merit - only based on faith - a non-meritorious act.

Election means to become part of the plan of God. But you cannot 'add' or 'detract' from the plan of God. Perfect God has produced a Perfect Plan for Imperfect Persons. And, therefore certain things must be excluded from the plan of God. Anything generated by 'energy of the flesh' is outside of the plan of God. Only believers are 'the elected'. And, only agathos is part of the plan of God.}

12~~It was said to her {to 'still pregnant Rebecca' in Gen 25:23}
- to her advantage -
the older {meizon} {Esau - father of nation of Edom}
shall be subservient {douleuo}
to the younger {elasson} {Jacob - father of the nation of Israel}.

{God's Policy Statement Regarding to His Own Righteousness in His Creatures}
13~~ As it is written {Malachi 1:2-3},
Jacob {Iakob} have I {God} loved {agapao},
but Esau have I hated {miseo}.

{Note: RBT says this is called an 'Anthropopathism'. That means to use human terms to attempt to describe characteristics of God . . . though God does not have the emotions like human 'love and hate'. Esau was no better or worse than his twin brother Jacob (name means 'chiseler'). But Jacob was a believer and 'it was imputed to his account for righteousness' as it was with Abraham - and every believer ever. So, God loves His own righteousness that He imputed in the believer. As a believer, Jacob was IN the plan of God - an elected one.}

{Paul's Debater's Technique - Is Loving One and Hating the Other . . . Fair?}
14~~To what conclusion are we forced?
  {idiom: literally: 'what shall we say?'}
There is not injustice with God, is there?
  {idiom: literally 'not injustice with God?'
Emphatically no!
  {idiom: literally 'let it not become so'}.

{Note: Paul anticipated his opponent's objection to verse 13. So in this debater's technique, you state your opponent's case and then dispute it - before they have a chance to even state the objection.}

15~~For He {God} communicates to Moses
  {quotation taken from Exodus 33:19},
"I {God} will have mercy/'grace in action' {eleeo}
  {blessings to mature believer with maximum doctrine in the soul}
on whomever {'hos an' - means only on a specific category of believer}
I show mercy/'grace in action'
  {eleeo - subjunctive mood - only a potential - reality only to those who see
  the Glory of God the only way man can - through doctrine resident in his
  soul}
and I will have sympathy/'emotional compassion' {oikteiro}
  {all you say to God is 'yes' or 'no' the rest is up to God - God provides all
  that is necessary - logistical grace}
on whomever
  {accusative singular from relative pronoun 'hos' plus 'an' again
  means that the action of the verb is contingent on some circumstance -
  in this case positive volition to God - so positive volition to God and His
  word is the only contingency}
I show compassion {oikteiro - on those who are saved}."

{Note: Moses wrote this in past tense. Paul is not repeating Moses, but taking up where Moses left off. God continues into the future of being gracious to all future mature believers also.}

{Double Negative Conclusions}
16~~So then {ara oun - idiom: 'literally 'therefore therefore'}
  {ara oun - means a double conclusion -
  concludes both Exodus 33 AND Romans 9 to this point}
{it is/'keeps on being'} . . . absolutely not {ouk}
from him 'who desires {blessing}' { thelo}
  {in this case Esau missed the blessing - he was an unbeliever - he wanted
  the blessing see Hebrews 12:16-17},
nor/'and not' {oude} from him 'who runs {after blessing}' { trecho}
  {then again in Hebrews 12:17 he wanted God to bless him because he cried
  for it - but he never 'changed his mind' (remained an unbeliever) - also
  Amenhotep II (son of the Great Thutmose III) tried to find blessings in
  the destruction of Moses (moves us into next verse)},
but, in contrast,
from 'the absolute source of God'
  {Theos in the ablative of source - NOT in the nominative case - very
  unusual construct - Paul is making a point on the source of all Mercy - uses
  an ablative of source absolute which makes this stand apart from rest of
  sentence - like a double underline in English}
Who has mercy."

{Note: The double conclusion here is that blessings from God do not come to those who desire the blessings or to those who 'work' or 'run after' these blessings. All blessings come from the justice and righteousness of God. HE decides whom He blesses. Just as with salvation, it does not come from works - it is a gift of God. And, He gives it to those who, from their own free will, allow Him to work through them.}

{17-18~~For the scripture/writings {Old Testament Scriptures}
says/communicates to Pharaoh {Exodus 9:16 - Amenhotep II}
  {lego - present tense means that the event is so vivid it is as if still in the
  present},
"For this very purpose  {Pharaoh's refusal to release the Jews}
I {God} have caused you
'to continue in history' {exegeiro}
  {exegeiro -'to be lifted up'/to stand/to be preserved/
  in the Koine Greek it came to mean 'to continue in history'
  -see also `amad - 'caused you to stand'/'be preserved/established' in the
  Hebrew of Exodus 9:16 the Pharaoh should have died after the 6th plague,
  but to evangelize the world using the Pharaoh as a 'negative example',
  God permitted him to live a while longer},
in order that I {God} might demonstrate {endeiknumi}
- by means of you {Pharaoh continually saying, no} -
My power {dunamis};
and, in order that,
My Name/Person/Reputation/Fame {onoma}
might be proclaimed {diaggello}
throughout the entire world/earth.18~~
Consequently therefore
  {ara oun - indicate a strong conclusion follows},
He {God} shows mercy {eleeo}
on whom He desires/wills {thelo},
in fact {de},
on whom He desires/wishes {thelo}
He hardens {skleruno}
  {the person says no, no, no to God and has reached his last chance. But God
  permits them to live longer and exercise negative volition - to advance the
  plan of God - such as a test for growth to believers growing in grace}. Continued This page is sponsored by Kenneth Sidley, CPA