Romans 11:16

Romans 11:16. Moreover, lit, ‘but,' not, ‘for.' This suggests a reason for expecting this ‘receiving' of the Jews, namely, the consecrated character impressed on this people, when they were separated from other nations. This moral necessity for the restoration of the Jews becomes the theme of the remainder of the chapter, both in its warning to the Gentiles (Romans 11:17-24) and in the positive statements respecting the future of Israel (Romans 11:25-32). We therefore begin a paragraph here.

The firstfruit is holy. This is assumed, the reference being to the portion of dough taken as a peace-offering, so that the whole lump (of kneaded dough) from which it was taken was thereby consecrated; see marginal references. The firstfruits of the field are not meant. The ‘firstfruit,' it is generally agreed, refers to the patriarchs (some limit the application to Abraham), with whom the covenant was made by which Israel became the theocratic people. ‘Holy' here means ‘consecrated' (comp. 1 Corinthians 7:14), and the underlying argument resembles that of Romans 11:1-2.

If the root, etc. The parallelism leads us to find here the same thought as in the previous clause, but under another figure, which admits, as the other did not, of an application to the conversion of the Gentiles (so Godet). The attempts to explain the two clauses differently have not been successful (e. g., Christ, the firstfruit; the patriarchs, the root; or Christ, both firstfruit and root; the firstfruit, the believing Jews, and the ‘lump' the mass of unbelievers). ‘God, in selecting the Hebrew patriarchs, and setting them apart for His service, had reference to their descendants, as well as to themselves; and designed that the Jews, as a people, should, to the latest generations, be specially devoted to Himself. They stand now, therefore, and ever have stood, in a relation to God which no other nation ever has sustained; and in consequence of this relation, their restoration to the divine favor is an event in itself probable, and one which Paul afterwards teaches (Romans 11:25) God has determined to accomplish' (Hodge).