Romans 11:33

O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! O THE DEPTH OF THE RICHES BOTH OF THE WISDOM AND KNOWLEDGE OF GOD! Many able expositors render this, 'of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God.' (So Erasmus, Grotius, Bengel, Fritzsche, Tholuck, Olshausen, Alford, Philippi, Lange.) The words will certainly bear this sense; and then we have three distinct things drawing forth the apostle's admiration: first, 'the depth of God's riches'-a term which, when the apostle uses it alone (; ; ), seems to mean the riches of His grace (which accordingly DeWette renders if here [Gnadenreichthums] - contrary to his usual strict literal...

33._Oh! the depth, etc. _Here first the Apostle bursts into an exclamation, which arose spontaneously from a devout consideration of God’s dealings with the faithful; then in passing he checks the boldness of impiety, which is wont to clamor against the judgments of God. When therefore we hear, _Oh! the depth, _this expression of wonder ought greatly to avail to the beating down of the presumption of our flesh; for after having spoken from the word and by the Spirit of the Lord, being at length overcome by the sublimity of so great a mystery, he could not do otherwise than wonder and exclaim, that, the riches of God’s wisdom are deeper than our reason can penetrate to. Whenever then we enter on a discourse respecting the eternal counsels of God, let a bridle be always set on our thoughts and tongue, so that after having spoken soberly and within the limits of God’s word, our reasoning ma...

33-36 The apostle Paul knew the mysteries of the kingdom of God as well as ever any man; yet he confesses himself at a loss; and despairing to find the bottom, he humbly sits down at the brink, and adores the depth. Those who know most in this imperfect state, feel their own weakness most. There is not only depth in the Divine counsels, but riches; abundance of that which is precious and valuable. The Divine counsels are complete; they have not only depth and height, but breadth and length, Ephesians 3:18, and that passing knowledge. There is that vast distance and disproportion between God and man, between the Creator and the creature, which for ever shuts us from knowledge of his ways. What man shall teach God how to govern the world? The apostle adores the sovereignty of the Divine counsels. All things in heaven and earth, especially those which relate to our salvation, that belong t...

Verse 33. _O THE DEPTH OF THE RICHES BOTH OF THE WISDOM AND_ _KNOWLEDGE OF GOD!_] This is a very proper conclusion of the whole preceding discourse. _Wisdom_ may here refer to the _designs_ of God; _knowledge_, to the _means_ which he employs to accomplish these designs. The _designs_ are the offspring of infinite wisdom, and therefore they are all right; the _means_ are the most proper, as being the choice of an infinite knowledge that cannot err; we may safely credit the goodness of the _design_, founded in infinite _wisdom_; we may rely on the due accomplishment of the _end_, because the _means_ are chosen and applied by infinite knowledge and skill....

O THE DEPTH ... - This passage should have been translated “O the depth of the riches, and of the wisdom, and of the knowledge of God.” The apostle has three subjects of admiration. Our translation, by the word “both” introduced here, confines it to two. The apostle wishes to express his admiration of the riches and the wisdom, and the knowledge of God. So the Syriac, Arabic, etc. Our translation has followed the Latin Vulgate. The word “depth” is applied in the Scriptures to anything vast and incomprehensible. As the abyss or the ocean is unfathomable, so the word comes to denote what words cannot express, or what we cannot comprehend; Psalms 36:6, “Thy judgments are a great deep;” 1 Corinthians 2:10,” The Spirit searcheth ...the deep things of God;”...

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

O THE DEPTH OF THE RICHES, BOTH OF THE WISDOM AND KNOWLEDGE OF GOD,.... These words are the epilogue, or conclusion of the doctrinal part of this epistle, and relate to what is said throughout the whole of it hitherto; particularly to the doctrines of salvation by Christ, justification by his righteousness, predestination, the calling of the Gentiles, the rejection of the Jews, and their restoration in the latter day; upon the whole of which, the apostle breaks forth into this pathetic exclamation; the design of which is to show, how much of the wisdom and knowledge of God is displayed in these doctrines, and how small a part of it is known by the best of men, and therefore ought not to be cavilled at and objected to, because of some difficulties attending them, but to be received upon the testimony of divine revelation: and if there was a depth in these things unsearchable and past find...

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 MYSTERY OF ISRAEL'S FUTURE. Romans 11:25_ a_. It may save Gentile believers from a dangerous self-conceit (_cf. Romans 12:16_) to learn the secret that the hardening (see Romans 11:7) which has partially befallen Israel (the remnant is exempt; Romans 11:5; Romans 11:7), will last only until the full complement of the nations enters into God's kingdom; then all Israel will be saved. A _mystery_ is a secret truth concerning God's kingdom made known by express revelation; _cf._...

THE CALLUS ON THE HEART (Romans 11:1-12)...