“What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded”
What then? What Israel sought so earnestly it did not obtain, but the elect did obtain it. The others were hardened — the distinction between Israel-as-a-whole and the elect (hoi eklektoi) reflects the dual reality: some responded to the gospel, others did not. Hardening (porōsis, a hardness or callousness) is passive voice here—God hardened them, or permitted hardening—a crucial theological tension.
Church Fathers on Romans 11:7
He had said that God did not cast off His people; and to show in what sense He had not cast them off, he takes refuge in the Prophets again. And having shown by them that the more part of the Jews were lost, that he might not seem to be again bringing forward an accusation of his own, and to make his discourse offensive, and to be attacking them as enemies, he takes refuge in David and Isaiah, and says,
Nicene & Post-Nicene / Ante-Nicene Fathers translations · public domain
COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS
Publish a reflection on this verse
No reflections on this verse yet. Be the first to write one!