Romans 11:17

And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree; AND IF - rather, 'But if'-q.d., 'If, notwithstanding this consecration of Abraham's race to God,' SOME OF THE BRANCHES. The mass of the unbelieving and rejected Israelites are here called "some," not, as before, to meet Jewish prejudice (see the note at , and on "not all," in ), but with the opposite view of checking Gentile pride. AND THOU, BEING A WILD OLIVE TREE, WERT ('WAST') GRAFFED IN AMONG THEM. Though it is more usual to graft the superior cutting upon the inferior stem, the opposite method, which is intended here, is not without example. A...

17._And if some of the branches, etc. _He now refers to the present dignity of the Gentiles, which is no other than to be of the branches; which, being taken from another, are set in some noble tree: for the origin of the Gentiles was as it were from some wild and unfruitful olive, as nothing but a curse was to be found in their whole race. Whatever glory then they had was from their new insition, not from their old stock. There was then no reason for the Gentiles to glory in their own dignity in comparison with the Jews. We may also add, that Paul wisely mitigates the severity of the case, by not saying that the whole top of the tree was cut off, but that some of the branches were broken, and also that God took some here and there from among the Gentiles, whom he set in the holy and blessed trunk. (356)...

11-21 The gospel is the greatest riches of every place where it is. As therefore the righteous rejection of the unbelieving Jews, was the occasion of so large a multitude of the Gentiles being reconciled to God, and at peace with him; the future receiving of the Jews into the church would be such a change, as would resemble a general resurrection of the dead in sin to a life of righteousness. Abraham was as the root of the church. The Jews continued branches of this tree till, as a nation, they rejected the Messiah; after that, their relation to Abraham and to God was, as it were, cut off. The Gentiles were grafted into this tree in their room; being admitted into the church of God. Multitudes were made heirs of Abraham's faith, holiness and blessedness. It is the natural state of every one of us, to be wild by nature. Conversion is as the grafting in of wild branches into the good oliv...

Verse 17. _AND IF SOME OF THE BRANCHES_, c.] If the present nation of the Jews, because of their unbelief, are cut off from the blessings of the Church of God, and the high honour and dignity of being his peculiar people _and thou, being a wild_ _olive_-ye _Gentiles_, being without the knowledge of the true God, and consequently bringing forth no fruits of righteousness, _wert_ _grafted in among them_-are now inserted in the original stock, having been made partakers of the faith of Abraham, and consequently of his blessings; and enjoy, as the people did who sprang from him, _the fatness of the olive tree_-the promises made to the patriarchs, and the spiritual privileges of the Jewish Church:-...

IF SOME OF THE BRANCHES - The illustration here is taken from the practice of those who ingraft trees. The useless branches, or those which bear poor fruit, are cut off, and a better kind inserted. “If some of the natural descendants of Abraham, the holy root, are cast off because they are unfruitful, that is, because of unbelief and sin.” AND THOU - The word “thou” here is used to denote the Gentile, whom Paul was then particularly addressing. BEING A WILD OLIVE-TREE - From this passage it would seem that the olive-tree was sometimes cultivated, and that cultivation was necessary in order to render it fruitful. The cultivated olive-tree is “of the a moderate height, its trunk knotty, its bark smooth and ash-colored, its wood is solid and yellowish, the leaves are oblong, and almost like those of the willow, of a green color, etc. The wild olive is smaller in

EXPOSITION ROMANS 11:1 (4) _The_ _Jews are not finally rejected, but, through the calling of the Gentiles, will be brought into the Church at last. _St. Paul, painfully recognizing the fact of the present exclusion of Israel as a nation from the inheritance of the promises made to their fathers, and having in Romans 9:1. and 10. accounted for and justified such exclusion, proceeds now to the question—But is Israel as a nation finally rejected after all? He answers—No; impossible! God's ancient covenant with his people stands; the remnant of believers even now is a sign of his continued favour to his ancient people, as was, in the time of Elijah, the remnant that had not bowed the knee to Baal; nor does the fact of its being a remnant only imply now, any more

AND IF SOME OF THE BRANCHES BE BROKEN,.... This is to be understood, not of the exclusion of the Jews from their national church; for the persons designed by the "branches", were the principal members of it, as the civil and ecclesiastical rulers, the priests, Scribes, and Pharisees, and the far greater part of the people; and on the other hand, the apostles and followers of Christ were put out of their synagogues, and deemed by them heretics and apostates: nor of the destruction of the Jewish nation, city, and temple; for as yet they existed as a nation, their city of Jerusalem was in being, and their temple standing: but of their being left out of the Gospel church, gathered among them, they not believing in the Messiah, but rejected and crucified him; and though afterwards the Gospel was preached to them, they despise it, contradicted, and blasphemed it; so that it pleased God to take...

ROMANS 11:17 th/j r`i,zhj th/j pio,thtoj {B} The unexpected asyndeton of the reading th/j r`i,zhj( th/j pio,thtoj th/j evlai,aj, in spite of its rather limited attestation (a* B C Y), appears to explain best the origin of the other readings, since the widespread introduction of kai, and the omission of th/j r`i,zhj (î46 D* G itd, g _al_) are suspicious as ameliorating emendations....

ISRAEL'S RESTORATION. CHAPTER 11 (“The Jewish Question”, by A. C. G., gives a complete exposition of this great chapter.) _ 1. God Hath not Cast Away His People. (Romans 11:1 .)_ 2. Israel's Apostasy not Complete; a Remnant Saved. (Romans 11:2 .) 3. Israel's Blindness for a Season. (Romans 11:7 .) 4. To Provoke Them to Jealousy. (Romans 11:11 .) 5. Their Fulness and Reception Life from the Dead. (Romans 11:12 .) 6. The Parable of the Two Olive Trees. ...

THE INGRAFTING OF THE GENTILES. From Romans 9:1 onwards, Paul has written as a Jew to Jews; here he turns to the other half of the Church (see Introd. § 3). ROMANS 11:13. But to you Gentiles I say. Paul's labour in their evangelisation has an ulterior object; he would fain somehow stir to jealousy his own flesh and blood, etc. (_cf. Romans 10:19_; also 1 Corinthians 9:20). I glorify my ministry, make it renowned (_cf. Romans 15:15_,...