John Bengel Commentary - Romans 11:1 - 11:1

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John Bengel Commentary - Romans 11:1 - 11:1


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Rom 11:1. Μὴ ἀπώσατο) hath He cast away entirely? So Gideon, expostulating in faith, says νῦν ἀπώσατο ἡμᾶς, now He has forsaken us (cast us away, Jdg 6:13). But οὐκ ἀπώσεται Κύριος τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ, but the Lord will not cast away His people, Psalms 94 (93):14. Has He cast them away, says Paul, so that they are no longer the people of God? In ch. 10 after he so impressively exhibited the grace [which God exercised] towards the Gentiles, and the rebellion of the Jews, this objection might be made. He therefore answers, far be it from us to say, that God has rejected His people, when the very appellation, His people contains a reason for denying it. The negative assertion, far be it, [God forbid], is made distinctly, (1.) concerning the present time of the offending people; both that there are now some, [believers among them]; comp. Act 21:20, note; and that in the successively increasing admission of Gentiles, there will be very many of Israel, who shall believe. These are called the remnant and the election Rom 11:5; Rom 11:7. (2.) As to the future; that the people themselves, will at last be converted Rom 11:24, note.-ἐγὼ, I) Paul would rather draw a favourable conclusion from the individual [believing Israelites, as himself] to the genus, [the whole nation,] than one, on the unfavourable side, from the genus [the unbelieving nation] to the species [the individual];-I, formerly a persecutor, deserved to be cast away. The genus is the whole Jewish people: the species is believers among the Jews (of whom Paul was one as an individual) or such of that people as should hereafter believe.