Romans 10:16,17

“ But they have not all obeyed the gospel; for Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our message (prédication)? So then faith cometh of hearing, and hearing by the word of God. ”

The word ἀλλά, but, contrasts strongly what has been produced (by the fact of Jewish unbelief) with with what should have been the result, faith and the salvation of Israel first of all. Πάντες, all, denotes the totality of those who hear the word; and the exception indicated by the οὐ πάντες, not all, applies in the context to the mass of the Jewish people who have formed an exception to the general faith which the gospel was finding in the world. The term: have not obeyed, reminds us of that in Romans 10:3: have not submitted themselves. There is disobedience in not accepting what God offers. The term gospel (evangel) reproduces the word evangelizing (publishing good tidings), Romans 10:15.

But that was to be expected (for). This disobedience was in fact foreseen and proclaimed, Isaiah 53:1, without, however, the guilt of Israel being thereby diminished, divine foreknowledge not annulling human liberty.

Isaiah in this passage proclaims the unbelief of the people of Israel in regard to the Messiah, giving a description of His entire appearance in His state of humiliation and pain. He well knew that such a Messiah would not answer to the ambitious views of the people, and would be rejected by them. The subject of the unbelief thus proclaimed is not his prophecy only, but above all the fact in which it is to be realized.

The word ἀκοή, which we translated by our message signifies: our hearing, and may denote either: what we (prophets) hear from the mouth of God, and proclaim to you, Jews; or: what you (Jews) hear from us (by our mouth). The second meaning is certainly more natural, and agrees better with the meaning of the same word in Romans 10:17.

In quoting this saying, the apostle has in mind not only the unbelief of the Jewish people in Palestine in regard to the preaching of the apostles, but also that of the synagogues of the whole world in relation to his own.